Preventing Trouble
by Venquine1990
Summary: Harry wishes to bring a safe end to the Tri-Wizard Tournament and by using a spell that will freeze time for everyone not in the Great Hall, he hopes to succeed by reading of the past, present and future. Yet the longer Hogwarts reads, the more secrets are revealed. WARNING! MALEXMALE BONDS and mentions of Severe Violence! MW/AD/Dursley bashing. Now edited and re-posted!
1. The Spellwork Done

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Here's a story that many of you who have been reading my stories since 2009 will probably recognize, only this time is has been revamped, mistakes have been taken out, a few extra chapters have been added, warnings have been placed at the start of certain chapters and things that our beloved site doesn't accept have been removed.  
**_ _ **The reason I decided to return this story to the site is because, over the last year, more and more of my oldest readers asked me about this and my other deleted CR story, yet while my interest in this is still very strong, do I just not see a real future in the other one. However, this story also has a ton of chapters and those are worth posting.  
**_ _ **The last reason I am doing this is because I really want to end 2015 with a bang that I can be proud of and because this is the first story I ever had that reached both 50 chapters and over a 1000 pages, did I believe that posting as much edited work of this story on the Night before New Year would be that way.  
**_ _ **Now for all those who don't know this story let me give you a few spoilers: 1. This story does have Malexmale bonds. 2. This story is a crossover between Harry Potter and Kingdom Hearts. 3. This story is a CR story and starts with the last 6 chapters of Goblet of Fire, but it does have the same CR method as in Rituals and Readings.  
**_ _ **That's all for now, enjoy,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **PS. CR parts for the first few chapters come from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, paperback edition published in 2014.**_

* * *

 **Preventing trouble  
** **Reading through time**

 _ **Chapter 01  
**_ _ **The Spellwork Done**_

Ron and Hermione were highly confused.

For the last week, their best friend, Harry Potter, had stopped working on his defensive spells – spells he wanted to learn for the Third Task – and had actually asked Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School for Wizardry and Witchcraft, for permission to the Restricted Section of the Library.  
He had also written his godfather, Sirius Black of who only Hermione, Ron, Harry, Dumbledore and Remus Lupin knew that he was actually innocent of the crimes the Ministry accused him of 13 years ago, and had asked the man for all kinds of books on – strangely enough – time magic.

Hermione had believed that Harry had wanted to create his own Time-Turner, but the books about that were able to be found in the library so that thought was invalid. Their friend had studied for 5 days – reading in the library and in his own bed whenever possible – and had then suddenly found something that made him contact several people.  
He had first written letters to Remus and Sirius and had then had, they had seen following him, a short conversation with their current Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Alastor Moody, but the talk had apparently not led to what Harry had wanted.  
He had then contacted Dumbledore, asking him things Ron and Hermione had been unable to hear and then the boy had shocked them as he had, openly, contacted Draco Malfoy, who was known as their school rival, and had convinced him to invite his parents.  
He had done the same with Cedric Diggory, who like Harry was a Hogwarts Champion for the Tournament and the older boy had explained that the families of the Champions would meet them on the morning of the Tournament.  
For Ron this meant that he would be meeting his family – today – as they were apparently in the Antechamber, together with the families of Diggory, Victor Krum and Fleur Delacour; the Bulgarian and French Champions.

And now it's the very morning of the Third Task and the two wonder what their best friend is up to as he has a thick, old, wooden covered book on his lap and is carefully eating a lot, more than he regularly does when nervous. Then the doors to the Great Hall open and a group of people enter the Great Hall that Ron and Hermione had never expected.

The first is Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, followed by a woman Susan Bones shouts out to with the word: "Auntie!" Then come in a dark bald and very tall man and a woman, who can't be any older than Ron's second eldest brother Charlie, who has a heart-shaped face, bubblegum pink spiky hair and dark brown eyes.  
Then come in their old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin and a large black haired dog with such wild hair that some girls shout: "GRIM!" But the dog happily barks and runs over to Harry, lying down near his feet, making Ron and Hermione smile, while a calm smile now graces their friend's face.

The pink haired girl then looks back, her eyes widening as a slightly elder couple enters the room. The woman has wild dark brown almost black hair and on her soft features her large kind eyes are the most prominent. The man beside her has quite the belly, but his appearance isn't any less-looking by it as he has quite a bit of hair and a kind face.  
They are followed by two people Ron recognizes instantly, mostly because he met them only last summer. The two are both pale-faced and have long silver-blond (the man) and black with two blonde streaks framing her face (the woman) hair along with aristocratic features and are known as the Malfoy elders.  
They are followed by the last three women, two of which Ron, Hermione and Harry all know and one that seems to, for some reason, shock Harry, as if he had not expected to see her – or at least not to see her here at school.

The first woman seems to be in her mid-twenties and has black hair with pink cheeks. The second woman has long curly brown hair reaching her shoulders and her white skin nicely shows off her soft green eyes. The last woman has grizzled grey hair and seems to be in at least her mid-fifties if not older, but her soft blue eyes still seem to stand sharp – showing she's fully aware of her surroundings and the people around her.  
Harry then explains his shock and asks: "Mrs. Figg?" The woman smiles at him and says: "Hello there, Harry." Harry shakes his head and asks: "You're a witch?" But the woman shakes her head and says: "No Harry, I'm a Squib. And a good friend of Albus, your Headmaster. Thank you for the invitation, Albus."

Their Headmaster, who seems as happy as Harry to see all of these new people having arrived in the Great Hall, nods and Harry sits back down with wide eyes, obviously not having expected this piece of information. Ron then decides to try and see if he can finally get his best friend to tell them what he's up to and asks:  
"You know her, mate?" Harry nods, his eyes still on the elder woman as she follows Dumbledore to the Head Table and says: "She used to babysit me whenever the Dursleys wanted to go somewhere." This confuses Ron as he wonders why the Dursleys didn't take Harry along and then Harry shakes his head, coming back to his senses.  
He pushes his plate away carefully and lies the book on the table, some of the students around them looking at it in shock while a serious look now graces his face before before he asks: "Ron, Cedric, Victor and Fleur, can you please go fetch your families out of the Antechamber? Headmaster, is it okay if I start now?"

Ron, the three other Champions and Dumbledore nod and when the four families have entered the Great Hall, Dumbledore motions Harry to come forward. Harry pets Sirius' fur, gives Remus his seat and walks over to the large owl-stand in front of the Head Table.  
He lies the book, which all of the students and guests had been staring at as he walked over, open on the stand and Dumbledore says: "On this day, the morning of the First Task, I give the word to Mr. Potter." Harry thanks his Headmaster with a nod and a kind word and then turns back to his friends and fellow students.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I take a deep breath, remembering all the hard work I've done to get to this point; the feeling I needed to be better prepared then just through spells, the search for the right book, then spell, the practicing of the spellwork, while trying not to let the spell activate and all the invitations I have wanted to send and – luckily got others to invite for me.  
I then read the spell once more, focus hard and turn to the Student body at a whole – Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and the invited friends and alleys. I take a deep breath, knowing a lot will change thanks to this and say: "Today is the start of the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. But those in my year and higher can testify to the fact that at the end of every last year for the last three years something big happened.  
In the school year of 91-92 there was the thing with the Third Floor and the near thievery. In the year 92-93, there was the student who was taken into the Chamber of Secrets to rot and die there. And last year there was the near execution of Buckbeak, the Dementors attacking the lake and the escape of Sirius Black.  
But last year, when I finished my Divinations Exam, our Divinations teacher professor Sybil Trelawney –." I stop to motion for the woman, before I go on: "Made an actual prophesy. How do I know?" I shrug and say: "Let's just say that she never behaved before like she did then. Anyway, it stated that a prisoner would escape and –."  
I take a deep breath, knowing I will scare most of the students with what I'm going to say and say: "Would help Voldemort himself return to a body and a power more dangerous and dark than ever before." All the faces of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw whiten and most girls gasp with their hands before their faces.

I nod and say: "And because the end of every year for the last three meant trouble and something terrible – next to the death of Mr. Crouch, may he rest in peace –." At this most of the Ministerial workers nod before I go on: "Has yet to happen, I have no doubt, this prophesy will come true and will ruin the Tri-Wizard Tournament.  
I want to prevent that and for that I have found a very special spell. That is why I invited you all here today, either through the Headmaster (a motion for the man, who nods with a smile) or through a student present (a motion for Malfoy, who keeps a stony face, but does nod at me) and why I stand before you all today.

This spell – that took me a good week to find and three weeks to study – will allow time around the Great Hall and the Kitchens to freeze completely. The world will, in effect, actually stop to turn as time will completely freeze all around us. It will also let books be written that will be about a certain number of years, depending on the caster.  
According to the texts written in this here book, these books can be about the past, present and/or future, depending on how you cast the spell and the caster will have the books be in his point of view. Now on recommendations of professor Dumbledore, have I found this spell and he has allowed me to cast it now.  
Time will freeze and we will be able to read about the last three and three quarter years and the next three, from my point of view, with time unfreezing for two days at the end of every book. Anyone leaving this room after the spell is cast will be frozen in time until a book is through. Are there anymore questions?"

Immediately Hermione raises her hand and I smile at my friend as she asks: "Are you sure you want this?" I take a deep breath again with my eyes closed, knowing and grateful as to why my best friend asked such a loaded question and say vehemently: "Yes. I want to end this year easily and normally and more importantly

I don't want Voldemort to return.

And if I, for that goal, have to reveal all my thoughts, emotions, secrets and memories to all of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, the members of the Ministry and other invited guests, so be it. It'll help us survive and make sure we can end this Tournament safely. Or as safely as you can get with a tournament meant for adults."  
The girl nods, while others are shocked at my words and I raise my wand asking: "Anyone wanting to leave can still do so. I will start the spell only if everyone's sure they want to do this. So is everyone willing?" And at everyone's nod, some uncertain, others interested, others proud, I raise my wand at the Enchanted Ceiling and say clearly:

" _ **Tempus Priori Petrus Eareas Radius!"**_

The spell itself makes me feel loaded and feels strongly pressing on my mind as a shower of pink, purple, white and silver sparkles and stars erupts from my wand and shoots straight up to the Ceiling, collapsing against it and spreading like a waterfall all over the ceiling, the walls and ending down to where I'm standing.  
I feel the sparkles hit me and close my eyes, having studied the actions required to the letter, and feel the sparkles cover my body, before they somehow sink into my skin and with my closed eyes I see all of my memories, from when I was born to when I raised my wand, shoot through my mind like several film cameras flashing by.  
I breathe in through my nose and then out through my mouth, my mouth open wide and I hear gasps, making me know the books concerning my life have appeared before my person. I then feel a small tinge in my body as if I'm supposed to be petrified and know that the spell has taken effect; Time has officially been stopped by the spell.

Feeling the pressure that the spell caused on me lessen, do I open my eyes and lower my wand, proudly smiling with a hint of fatigue as I see seven small books, only half the size of our own textbooks and each with quite an interesting picture that portrays what happened during the story on front of the cover.  
I smile and then, while many eyes are wide as they gaze at the books Dumbledore stands up and says: "I know you have all felt that small tinge, meaning time has indeed been stopped. Now Mr. Potter, shall we start?" I nod and say: "But because the Tournament is today, I would very much like it if we could start with the chapter on the Third task."

At this Fudge wants to stand up, but my determination not to see the Prophesy come true makes me glare at him as I say: "It would allow us Champions to know exactly what to expect, but it will also prepare us for if Voldemort does indeed want to use this Task to get back to the power. And that's exactly what I want to prevent."  
The man nods while Fudge is slightly wide eyed and nods along feebly and I smile, carefully picking out the Fourth book from the pile and paging through it to the right page. Finally finding it, I take another deep breath and say: "Cedric, seeing you were a willing participant to this Tournament, why don't you read this chapter?"

The elder boy with sandy brown hair and quite the nice face smiles at me, some of those who believed I cheated my way into the Tournament shocked that I offer him this chance and nods, standing up and taking the book from me, while Dumbledore levitates the other books over to the left back corner of the Great Hall.  
He then lies the book open on the stand and while several girls – and a few guys – look at him with dreamy eyes, does he ignore this as he asks: "Headmaster, is it okay if the reader of a chapter stays here at the owl-stand?" The elder man smiles and says: "Of course, but please allow us staff and Ministry members to relocate."  
And when the Head Table has been moved, the Great Hall enlarged in width to fit another table next to Slytherin Table and Professor Snape actually relocated himself to sit with the Malfoy family, does Dumbledore motion for Cedric and the boy scrapes his throat, smiles at the Great Hall, then at his parents and starts to read.

 _ **Cedric's POV**_

"I cannot believe that little rascal."

I think as I look at the book in front of me, opened to the page of the Third Task. I know the prevention of something bad happening to the Third Task isn't the only reason he did this and feel proud of the young man I have, over the last two years, grown to see as my little brother while I know Victor Krum has an eye on him.  
I inwardly snicker as I remember Victor telling me he only hang around with Hermione Granger to get closer to Harry and how he had wanted to be the one to help Harry with the Second task. And then how the same Krum had complained that Harry didn't seem to need any help with the Third Task and how their little walk had been interrupted.

I shake my head  
And start to read.

 _ **The Third Task**_

This makes Ludo Bagman, who had come earlier, around the time our families had come to Hogwarts today, shout happily and I shake my head with a smile and my eyes skyward, before I use this opportunity to sneak a quick glance at Harry and Victor, the second who is lovingly eying the first. This makes me snicker as I read.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 510 - GoF**_

This confuses me and my Head of House asks: "Sirius? Sirius who?" And Harry, who again sits with Ron, Hermione and Neville Longbottom answers: "You'll see soon enough, professor. Just know that I only hang with those that have earned my trust." The woman nods, while I wonder why he said it like that and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 510 - GoF**_

"Excuse me!" Snape and Madame Bones, Susan's aunt, both shout – Snape in anger and Madame Bones in shock – and Snape spats: "Potter, how did you –?" But Dumbledore intervenes and says: "I improperly locked away my Pensieve, Severus and unfortunately I had, at an earlier point in time, been viewing old Death Eater Trials."  
Snape glares at the man and Dumbledore says: "Severus, Harry has been punished. He carries upon him a secret that I know he wouldn't want on anyone." Harry nods, his eyes darkening as he must be remembering what he saw in those memories and Snape huffs, while Madame Bones seems content with the information given.  
I then notice Krum glaring at Snape and smirk, as I know he's mad at the man for shouting at the boy he likes and with a snicker I think of how Krum would have surely attacked Snape had Dumbledore not intervened. Wondering who would have won as Snape would have surely retaliated to any physical attack, do I snicker and read.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 510 & 511 – GoF **_

Now even I'm shocked, remembering what my Headmaster has said earlier and with that concluding that Bagman had, at one point in time, been accused of Death Eater activity. I turn to the now white man, who – for some reason – shoots furtive looks at the Weasley twins, while sitting between Madame Bones and Alastor Moody.  
I too turn to the two and see, mostly because they're sitting so close to the stage, that they have their eyes fixed on the man, obviously up to something, while their facial features make it look as if they're shocked at what they've heard about someone they look up to. Not buying it one bit, do I decide to let it all rest for now and read on

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 511 – GoF**_

Now the Headmistress glares at me and I gulp, her glare looking even more threatening than her actual size, but Hagrid grumps ( _ **Just want to let you know, I won't do Hagrid's accent – maybe the French and Bulgarian, but not Hagrid's)**_ : "Nothing wrong with being what you are. It's what you do with it, which matters."  
The woman glares at him even more, clearly affronted, but Hagrid seems unfazed by this and Dumbledore smiles as he says: "Well said, Hagrid, I'm glad to see you're not letting that little article get you down anymore." And Harry, Ron and Hermione nod with large smiles at the half giant, making him smile at them.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 511 – GoF**_

Now Harry and Neville whiten and Harry quickly stands up to sit with his fellow House mate, who looks at him shocked and scared and Harry nods and whispers something that seems to calm the boy down somewhat.  
Both then worriedly look back at me, in the midst of a crowd of people who are either looking at me or them in great interest. I look at them for a second too and then silently read the paragraph ahead of me, my eyes widening as I read it in my mind. I gulp, look at the two with sorrow that they had to know this and then continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 511 &512 – GoF **_

Everyone is shocked silent at this and Harry is now holding onto Neville tightly with one arm, the boy's face in Harry's shoulder, obviously trying to hide from the stares being sent at them. But these looks seem to anger Harry and I decide to bring the attention back at the book before he can snap at those attention-seeking vultures.

I raise my voice a little  
And continue the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 512 – GoF**_

This makes a majority of the teachers and some of the students, of which some I know lost people to Voldemort and his men, nod empathetically and Karkaroff says: "Vise vords for such a young lad." Harry smiles at the man and, from the corner of my eye, I see Victor do the same before the lad smiles lovingly at the boy in question.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 512 – GoF**_

"Good aim, little brother." Charlie Weasley says happily and I smile at the old Gryffindor Seeker, while Ron looks down and I wonder why the young lad doesn't shine in pride at his brother's compliment when Mrs. Weasley moans: "Do you have to pick such a dangerous job? Why can't you just go get a desk job like Percy?"  
This shocks me senseless and I think: "Did she actually complain about him not being like one of his siblings? How long has she been doing that? Why does she even do such a thing? Doesn't she know the consequences of such actions?" I then see that my mum wants to comment, but shake my head at her and continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 512 – GoF**_

"Yeah, the last time we had to get past dangerous obstacles all we knew about was Fluffy." Ron snickers at Harry, who sits only five men away and nods at his best friend, but then Lupin asks them te question that seems to be on the minds of everyone bar most of the teachers as he asks: "Fluffy? Who's Fluffy?"  
Harry and Neville and Ron and Hermione share a glance each and then as a quartet, they say: "Trust me, you don't want to know." But this piques my interest and I spare another glance at Victor, intent on reviewing how the relationship can or maybe even will bloom and see worry shine in the Bulgarian's eyes.  
He then looks at me and I nod as he and I had been spending a lot of time together where I told him all I knew of Harry's adventures. And while my information hadn't been much, had my instinctual fear for the Chamber of Secrets and the fact that Harry defeated the monster within been enough to worry us both very, very greatly.

We had agreed to keep an eye on our youngest fellow contestant and while Harry didn't know it, had Viktor kept most of the more aggressive students away during the time before the First Task as he believed it unfair to attack a minor without proper motivation and had we both done so after a few of our shared conversations.  
By now Harry is almost the little brother I never had – mostly because mum almost became infertile during the war – and Krum often curses how far away he lives from the one he loves. I know Krum's love originates from Harry's indifference to his fame, but I smile as I also know that the love now rings much, much deeper.  
Knowing that – mostly because of how people act around a famous person – there is no one better for the famous little orphan than the most famous and talented Quidditch player of his age, do I really hope that this last task will give Viktor the courage to actually tell Harry how he feels and with that hope in my heart, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 512 & 513 – GoF **_

Now Harry and Ron share a meaningful glance and Hermione asks: "What?" And Ron says: "Hermione, you cast Petrificus Totalus in 1st year, successfully brewed N.E.W.T. level potions in 2nd and worked through a schedule of all lessons available for a full year and you want us to believe you didn't know the counter-jinx to the Jelly-Legs jinx?"  
The girl blushes, her friends snicker and while some elder students – and strangely enough Mrs. Weasley – look at the girl in shock over the fact that she let her friend suffer while faking to not know something, do I know that Harry appreciated it as he would have made more of a fuss of it if he didn't and I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 513 – GoF**_

"Why on earth would you even want to know?" Malfoy asks with a sneer, his parents glaring at the three boys and the single girl that sit quite close together – Neville shrinks back a little, but Harry, Ron and Hermione keep a deviant look up while Harry wraps his arm around Neville once again for support – and Harry retorts:  
"Because the last time you were doing something secretive, you almost got Hagrid in trouble and the last time your father did it, Ginny almost got killed." The boy shrinks back this time while the girl in question whitens along with her parents, but then Malfoy senior – who glared at his son for shrinking back – sneers:  
"As I said before, Mr. Potter. Proof it." But then a victorious smirk appears on the boy's face – one that makes some of the students look at him in shock and Malfoy in more worry than I ever saw him – and says: "We'll have our proof within the week, Mr. Malfoy." And he motions for the group of books, making Malfoy senior whiten.

This makes me wonder what the man has done and when I look at Victor, I see the man wanting to go over to either Harry or Malfoy – Harry, to protect him and Malfoy to demand an explanation. I smile at the Bulgarian boy and when he looks at me, I nod, giving him an all clear to try and woo our fellow Champion and his obvious crush.  
I had, of course, been doing this for a while now, but ViKtor had been constantly pushing down my ideas on how he could do it, saying he would be too far away or that he wouldn't want to force Harry to constantly either move with him or wait for him while he travelled for his career and I had constantly accepted the excuses.  
But now it seems as if Harry's drastic action to make sure the Tournament won't be ruined like the endings of the last few years have been has inspired the Bulgarian to finally let go of his whimsy little excuses and I see him sending me a confident and accepting smile, which makes me think it's about time as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 513 & 514 – GoF **_

I look up at Harry, still wondering if this Sirius person is who I think – something I think quite impossible as the man would never be this worried – and then I notice something. The large dog that quite resembles the grim no longer lies under the bench where Harry, Hermione and Ron were seated, but now lies on Harry and Neville's lap.  
The slightly chubby boy seems unable to decide what to do with the large animal, but Harry seems content with the head, front torso and front paws of the animal on his lap and is soothingly stroking the wild fur, while Hermione and Ron smile at the three happily. Wondering where they met such a wild looking creature, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 514 – GoF**_

"How can you say that?" Bagman shouts hurt and undignified, but Harry glares at him, a glare that turns his warm emerald green eyes turn into cold, ice-green orbs of steel and while his words make me worry over the last four years and what he's been through even more, does he say: "I've had Dementors at me last year, a Ba – mythical Monster roaming the school in the year before and a thief for a teacher in my first."  
He then shrugs, but the shrug doesn't seem careless, more indifferent which really intensifies my worry for him and he says: "I've had my share of dangers and adventures, thank you. I repeat this one last time, because I frankly don't see the need to justify myself to those claiming me an attention seeker or a liar or whatnot;

I. Never. Wanted. To. Even. Be. In. This. Tournament!" He then crosses his arms, looking at the Head of Magical Games Department defiantly and Madame Maxine asks: "Really? Zen why are you still competing?" And Harry turns his deviant look at her and says: "Because I have no proper magical Guardian who can vouch for me not to compete."  
The woman looks taken aback, which is quite shocking for someone as big as her and looks at Dumbledore, who says: "I'm afraid Mr. Potter is correct. His true Magical Guardian, his Godfather, is currently – unattended and the only other relatives he has are Muggles." The woman nods and I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 514 – GoF**_

"Hey, we're reading about the future here." An excited first year Hufflepuff exclaims, sitting only a few seats away from where my parents sit and I smile at this prospect. Then Harry looks down at the dog in question and for some reason does the canine nod, as if understanding the question I see shining in the boy's eyes.  
Lupin then laughs and hands the boy the paper in person, making me all the more confused, especially because the paw-print is the same size as the paw of the animal lying on Harry's lap. Harry smiles at the card, then at the dog and then back at me while hiding the paper deep inside an inner pocket of his robe. I shrug and read.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 514 – GoF**_

Now Malfoy starts to smirk, which makes me want to curse the little blonde and when Ron sees, he groans and says: "I knew he was up to something." This causes Victor, who is currently sitting a few seats away from Malfoy, to glare at the boy and then, together with his parents, he stands up and walks over to Gryffindor Table.  
He looks at the couple of people sitting on Harry's left while Neville sits on his right and asks: "Can I sit here?" The three second years quickly stand up – one almost falling down – all gleaming faces for having been spoken to by a famous Quidditch Player and Victor sits down, his parents at his left and Harry at his right.  
Malfoy looks shocked at this and Bagman asks: "Mr. Krum, what are you doing?" And the boy's father asks: "What, is this Tournament not reinstated to blow new life in the bonds between our three nations? Is it not allowed for the Champions to be comrades of each other outside the Tasks they are to perform in?"  
The Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports looks flustered and I smile widely as it seems that Viktor's father knows what is going on inside his son's heart and accepts this. Hoping that this open statement of bonds between nations will only further drive Viktor to woo Harry as he sees fit, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 514 & 515 – GoF **_

Now Mrs. Malfoy looks at her son with a raised eyebrow and Mr. Malfoy asks: "Draco? Surely this behavior – which, I might add, is quite unbecoming of a Malfoy – doesn't happen more often?" Draco gulps – apparently realizing that he is not behaving as the son of a High Society Wizard should – and I read, happy that the boy is getting his due.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 515 – GoF**_

"Disturbed and dangerous?" Harry asks and then he spares a short glance at Neville, who looks at him for a short minute – apparently thinking things through and gathering his resolve – and gives him a small nod, while his eyes gleam with confidence and the boy then goes on: "Who do you think me for, Malfoy? Bellatrix Lestrange?"  
Gasps are heard throughout the hall and Malfoy glares at the brunette, but then Harry seems to think of something as he seems to relax and says: "Oh well, at least it's better than calling me Scarhead or Hermione the M-word." To which, shockingly, Snape sends a death glare at his favorite student and Malfoy sr. says:  
"Your godfather will speak to you about that later, Draconus." Malfoy spares a glance at his furious godfather and gulps, nodding. I smile at this as my family has hated that word since it was first used against one of our own – which resulted in the death of one of my ancestors - and while confused at Snape's behavior, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 515 – GoF**_

This shocks and confuses me and Susan asks: "How can she have seen that? Wasn't she banned from the grounds?" Dumbledore nods, his eyes stern and almost without twinkle – something that slightly scares me as I see it – and he says: "It seems Mss. Skeeter has found a way to move along the ground undetected."  
I then see Harry look down at the dog and his eyes widen, as if he realizes something. "Snuffle." He mutters and Ron and Hermione look first at him, then at the dog and then at each other with wide eyes, while Lupin says: "Of course, Harry, that makes sense." But I feel confused along with apparently all other students and just simply read.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 515 – GoF**_

"If they're so sure about my brain being affected by it, then why didn't that report come out years ago?" Harry asks sneeringly, actually reminding me of a Slytherin and everyone looks shocked as they realize the logic behind the boy's words, which makes me want to roll my eyes as I'm sure they would have believed the article otherwise.  
I feel relieved that the boy is stomping down on the lies that fowl woman tries to spread and then see Victor look at the Ministerial people and ask: "And besides, since ven can reporters vrite such lies and scandals about a minor?" The Ministry looks shocked and then the young pink-haired Auror my dad told me is named Tonks, shouts:  
"YES! Finally a crime I can arrest her for!" But then the woman with the wild brown hair snaps: "Nymphadora, quiet down." The younger woman pouts and I smile, while Charlie snickers and says: "Same old Dora." And the young Auror snaps: "Shut up, Charles." To which Charlie retorts: "Don't call me Charles!" And Tonks wins, snapping:  
"Then don't call me Dora!" The second eldest Weasley scowls, while I see Mr. Weasley holding onto Mrs. Weasley's shoulders as if trying to keep her back from doing something. This confuses me as nothing embarrassing or Family dishonoring happened and I wonder what the woman's problem could be as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 515 – GoF**_

Harry looks at Malfoy with the same raised eyebrow as his mother did before and asks skeptically: "Say Malfoy, in what universe exactly did I give you permission to spread my secrets?" The boy turns pink in humiliation and Victor smiles at the brunette, while Mrs. Malfoy glares at her son at hearing no answer. I smile too and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 515 & 516 – GoF **_

Now Harry crosses his arms, closes his eyes and shakes his head emphatically. I personally feel shocked and horrified at seeing this as he looks much older than 14 now. He then looks up and says: "I'm only going to say this once, Malfoy and I'm saying this to you and everyone else who wants to know me as only the Boy-Who-Lived."  
Everyone looks at him interested, some students even going so far as to sit up closer and Harry, who keeps his eyes locked with Malfoy's while I know he sees this too, states with a loud voice: "My scar reminds me of the murder of my parents. So why do I need others reminding me of it by spreading lies and staring at it 24/7?"  
Everyone looks shocked, the students that had been sitting up now sagging down in shocked shame and I nod, knowing from just this tournament alone and Harry telling me of the Dragon, that he's really a kind and generous boy, who likes to blend in and keep to himself and his closest friends. Not some attention-seeking lunatic.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 516 – GoF**_

"Sorry to interrupt, Cedric, but I would like to ask the students something." Harry states, his voice sounding quite calm though his harsh green eyes and his hands strongly grabbing onto his shirt prove me – and anyone else seeing this – how much the boy is actually trying to keep a hold of his anger and I nod, while feeling worried for him.  
Harry then turns to the students and while moving his hands to his legs to hide his failing self-control, does he ask: "Who here thinks Lupin can be associated with violence?" Quite a couple of Snakes raise their hands and Harry, who rolls his eyes, then asks: "And who thinks his lesson plan and exams had to do anything with violent behavior?"

This makes the snakes lower their hands and then Malfoy says: "But Hagrid's still a dangerous oaf." To which a lot of students glare at him and McGonagall shouts: "Mr. Malfoy!" Harry's glare intensifies as he looks at Malfoy and he spats: "At least Hagrid knows how to behave around others when inside the Forbidden Forest."  
This makes me confused – and worried as Harry really doesn't belong there – and Malfoy seems to feel no different, but when Harry lies a hand on Neville's shoulder, the boy seems to understand and sneers at my friend. But the glare on Victor's face, who of course sits next to Harry, is enough to make Malfoy back off.  
I then look closer at those around him and see that Lupin and the dog are looking at Harry in what I can only call sheer worry. This not only makes me wonder how well Lupin got to know Harry during those private lessons he had last year, but how that dog can express human emotions through his eyes and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 516 – GoF**_

This makes Malfoy sr. look at his son in disappointment and Mrs. Malfoy sniffs angrily. She then turns to her husband, her pose and tone proving to me that she is speaking as Lady of a High Status to a Lord of same High Status and says: "Our son will no longer hang out with those two. Not if they help him pull such disrespectful stunts."  
The man nods, his straight back proving he respects her right as a High Lady and then he mutters at his son: "Draco, I thought I taught you to never openly harass or insult a member of a Pureblood line." To which Malfoy looks at his father shocked and sputters: "But Potter's a meager Halfblood." And his father retorts:  
"And the last of an Ancient line." Malfoy whitens, while Harry seems confused and with a shock I realize that the boy has no idea what that means concerning his status in the Wizarding world. I look at my dad, who seems to have noticed it too and we nod at each other, both determined to let Harry know he is more than a famous name.  
Of course does my last year around the lad make me know that already and I smile at everything I was able to learn about Harry as I saw him struggle for the First Task, prepare for the Second, feel worried and confused about the Yule Ball, but the fact that he doesn't know of his heritage worries me and I vow to fix that before I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 516 & 517 – GoF **_

Now Harry, Hermione and Ron smile at each other and one of the Weasley twins asks: "You already know." And the other ends: "What book-Mione just figured out, didn't you?" The three nod and the twins chorus: "Care to share?"  
But the three teens shake their heads with smiles, which makes the twins pout at them and makes them silently beg until their mother sends them a stern – and strangely angry – glance and while Harry resumes petting the dog on his lap do I simply shrug and continue with reading the chapter, knowing it will be revealed in due time.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 517 – GoF**_

Now Mrs. Weasley looks at the boy confused and says: "Harry dear, you know we would have come to wish you luck." Harry smiles at her as she sits close to Neville and he says: "I know that, Mrs. Weasley, but professor McGonagall said family, so I assumed the Dursleys and no way, would they ever want to come here."  
To this Victor says: "Surely they vould care to see if you vould make it to the end ov the Third Task." But Harry shakes his head and says: "No, they wouldn't. They'd sooner care to know if I didn't die during the Task. Then they'd have no disagreement to come." The Bulgarian looks shocked and I read on, worried for the boy's living arrangements.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 517 & 518 – GoF **_

Now Ron stands up and sits down next to Neville, reaching over to lie a hand on Harry's shoulder and says: "Of course you do, mate. You have us." Harry smiles at him and the dog barks hard, making Harry laugh and say: "Yes, I know I have you, Snuffle." The dog whacks his tail, I feel even more confused and simply continue to read.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 518 – GoF**_

"No Harry, they couldn't." Mrs. Figg says nastily and Harry blanches, which worries me as Harry should feel happy about the chance to see his family again and he asks: "Please tell me you didn't invite them?" The woman sighs and says: "Sure tried. Said there was a dangerous Tournament and that the Headmaster had invited me."  
Now Harry whimpers: "Please tell me they didn't yell at you.""No." The woman states clearly, shocking Harry for some reason and just when he sighs in relief, she growls: "Petunia decided worse. She threw a frying pan at me." Now Harry winces and his next words really worry me: "Yeah, she's got a hand in that."  
Everyone looks at the boy in shock and he says: "She's a terrible cook. She doesn't know how to hold a pan to save her life and if a recipe goes wrong, she starts throwing with whatever's in her reach." The students around him nod, but I feel as if something isn't right about this explanation and while curious and worried, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 518 – GoF**_

Now Ron turns to his brother and Charlie says: "Dumbledore invited me. A school reunion of sorts was good enough for the Reserve to give me a time off. I'll have to use those two days we'll have after this book to explain them the situation though. Wonder if the guys I work with will even believe me." Ron nods, his brothers laugh and I read.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 518 – GoF**_

Harry then turns to the woman in question and says: "Mrs. Weasley, I can honestly admit that hearing others complain about those Dursleys will only make me feel better, because it makes me feel as if my hatred for them has a reason as the complains will mean others see the bad things in those people that I constantly see."  
The woman nods, but I feel very worried and even more about the fact that she just simply takes this statement from him without looking the least bit worried. This time, do I look at my mum and the woman nods, more than willing to help me get to the bottom of this. Then I see something that relaxes my worries.  
While Mrs. Weasley had simply nodded and not shown a single sign of worry, is Mr. Weasley looking at Harry with a whole different form of acceptance, his frown proving that he and Harry had actually discussed the reason behind Harry's statement. Glad that Harry has someone to confide in, do I sigh in relief and continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 518 & 519 – GoF **_

Now all of Gryffindor moans and Bill asks: "What? Did he move?" But before a Gryffindor can explain, Harry says: "Let's just say that a certain mutt didn't know how to keep his claws in." And while most students look confused, do Lupin, Hermione and Ron have trouble holding back snickers and Harry winks at them each.  
I then look at the dog in his lap, but it seems to be asleep as it has its paws curled around it's head, but then I notice the actual way they are curled and see that the right paw is curled over the dog's eyes, instead of under the dog's muzzle. Wondering if the animal has something to do with Harry's statement, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 519 – GoF**_

"Bill please!" Fred moans and George goes on: "Think of your siblings." To which Bill snaps: "This didn't even happen yet. And how could I have known – even then – that this would be read out to the school?" The other siblings snicker and I feel relieved that the worry over Harry's statements has been eased down as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 519 – GoF**_

Now dad seems to look smug and says: "Yes, tonight we'll see who's the better one, won't we?" But I sigh, step down from the stage and walk over to him, whispering something that shocks him deeply. And with a smile at Harry and a proud feeling in my stomach I walk back, believing every word of what I just said. "Don't pester my brother, dad."

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 519 – GoF**_

"Amos!" McGonagall shouts scandalized with her hands firmly planted on the table in front of her and my dad looks at her shocked, but then he mutters: "Well, he did, didn't he? Potter fell from his broom and my boy didn't and that proves –." But then McGonagall almost shouts: "There were Dementors coming, you fool!"  
The man looks white with shock and while mum clutches his arm and looks at me, does he ask with a stutter: "D-d-Dementors? W-w-what were t-t-they doing at a m-match?" And Dumbledore, with a grave tone, says: "The excitement and tension felt by the students was too much for them to resist. They came without orders."  
Harry then seems to follow my example as he too walks over to my father and whispers something in the man's ear as well, making him white enough to represent a ghost. He then turns to the boy and whispers: "I-I – I didn't know. Mr. Potter, I – I'm sorry." Harry smiles at him, nods and sits back down and with a smile I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 519 & 520 – GoF **_

Now Lupin looks slightly ashamed, which confuses me and a lot of other students and says: "That can be right, Molly, because it was planted for me. It hides a secret passageway that leads out of Hogsmeade and to a secret location where I can safely transform. That's why no one knew I was a werewolf while I was at school."  
The woman looks shocked, while I look impressed that the man had gone to such lengths, even at the age of eleven, but then the unhealthy look on the man's face worries me again and I think: "It's one thing to hide your inner wolf, but I think Lupin's really fighting every part of it. And that's not good." And with that I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 520 – GoF**_

Now Percy in person, who sits with the teachers and Ministry staff, seems shocked that Harry asked for him and I wonder why as it's blatantly obvious Harry cares for all the members of the family. I look at the rimmed-glassed man and wonder if he, perhaps, feels like an outcast of the family and with that family friends.  
But then, as I look away from the lad, does my keen eye notice danger like it often does when it concerns my family and friends and I look a little more closely to see if I saw right. And to my disappointment I did. Charlie Weasley is looking at Harry with the same loving eyes as I often saw Victor look at him.  
This makes me look at Harry and I think: "Will Harry even accept a long-distance relationship with someone who has grown to love him so very dearly if he can have one of the brothers of the family that took him in with such love and acceptance?" But then my mind catches up with me and I feel relieved as I think:  
"Wait, Charlie will have to make it a long-distance relationship as well. He lives in Romanian while there's a Dragon Preserve here in Scotland. If he doesn't even take that job to be with his family, no way will he change positions for someone he barely knows anything about and has a crush on." And with new hope, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 520 – GoF**_

Percy looks down ashamed and to my shock I see Harry send an extremely stern look at the twins, together with pointed looks at Charlie and Bill – Charlie quickly hiding the love that was in his eyes earlier – and all 4 boys nod, the twins looking slightly scared as Harry looks at them, which makes me wonder about their relationship.  
They all stand up and walk over to their brother, who now sits with his head down while the adults look at him with various expressions showing on their faces and then the twins smirk at each other and to my shock, do they raise him up, one hand grabbing one of his upper arms and the other synced under his upper legs like a seat.  
They then all walk over to their brother, sister and parents and sit down, seating their brother in between them as he sputters and the twins chorus: "Family moment in the book, family moment here." Percy smiles slightly at his brother and I shake my head, while looking at a smirking and smugly nodding Harry before reading on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 520 – GoF**_

This causes quite a couple of snickers, while Ron looks at his mother with a fear I just don't understand and McGonagall hisses at Dumbledore: "Albus, one of our most important classes is being seen as a joke and students are taking too much risks at failing their exams. We have to find a replacement for Binns."  
Dumbledore nods, but I wonder if he can even get it done and he seems to feel the same way as he says: "I'll use all the unfrozen time we'll have to find one. Hopefully we'll be able to keep Alastor or else I'll have too much on my mind to do my best for both classes." The Gryffindor Head of House nods and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 520 & 521 – GoF **_

Now Mrs. Weasley turns red, while Mr. Weasley had been looking at her incredulously during the reading and my dad says: "Talk about the pot telling the kettle that he's black." I then see Ron and Harry share a glance and after a few shakes of his head from Ron and a few firm looks from Harry, Ron sighs and says:  
"Mum, we really have to talk. Can we use the unfrozen time to discuss all the faults our family has. And don't, mum, because all my brothers and I know there are faults in our family." The woman looks shocked and hurt and Mr. Weasley says: "We'll hold a Personal Family Debate after the end of this book, Ron, is that okay?"  
Ron nods and then looks at Harry once more, insecurity shining in his eyes and his friend smiles at him. The boy smiles back and says: "Alright, and maybe then we can – I don't know – get some misunderstandings out of the way?" This seems to worry and confuse his dad and makes the twins look at each other worriedly and when Mr. Weasley nods, do I continue reading, hoping everything will work out for them.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 521 – GoF**_

I feel my throat drying up in anticipation and worry as Harry did have a point with the whole at the end of the year something bad happens thing and I think: "Please, let it just be the Tournament." Then Professor Dumbledore conjures me a glass of water and I smile at the man, gulping it down before I take a deep breath and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 521 & 522 – GoF **_

"Wow mate, we studied over 20 spells. That's really impressive." Ron smiles at his best friend and Victor shoots me a quick glance, to which I nod encouragingly, before he wraps an arm around the younger lad and says: "You have a good memory." The boy looks shocked at the hug and so do Ron and Hermione, but then he smiles and says:  
"Thanks, and your accent is really good." The two smile at each other and I smile, but the jealousy I see in Charlie's eyes worries me. Then I see something that relieves me as it seems that Hermione isn't as shocked as she shows and I try to gain her attention. When I have it, do I motion for Charlie and she looks at him.  
Looking in her eyes I can see that she notices the jealousy as well and she looks at me worriedly, while I now fake to reread the chapter and while taking another gulp of the water Dumbledore gave me, do I give her a small nod, confirming her worries about Charlie's crush. The girl nods back and I read on, knowing she will help.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 522 – GoF**_

The dog, that has changed the way it was lying to lie with his head and front paws on Harry and his tail and back paws on Victor's lap without the Bulgarian seeming to care about suddenly having a large animal lying atop of him, whines pitifully and I wonder why, but then realize he worries for Harry going into the maze at night.  
This makes me wonder how he could have enough brain to understand me word for word and I spare a quick glance at Harry, Ron and Hermione, wondering what they know about the animal, but don't seem willing to share. Harry is calmly petting the animal, trying to calm it down and I smile at the gentle kid before reading on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 522 – GoF**_

This seems to calm the dog down, but then I see that Harry is this time the one deeply worried and I know he fears something will happen to us, mostly seeing what he heard last year. I spare a quick glance at professor Trelawney, having only seen her every so often as I hadn't taken Divinations and wonder how she looked when she made the prophesy.  
I then look back at the black-haired boy I've considered my little brother since I gave him the hint about the bathtub and the egg and see that he seems slightly calmer. I look closely at him and then see what caused him to relax a little. Victor's hand is rubbing his arm softly. This makes me smile at the Bulgarian before reading on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 522 & 523 – GoF **_

Again the dog whines and Lupin mutters: "The sooner that maze is over, the better." And Harry nods, but his eyes seem distant and I know he worries about what can or will happen once the four of us leave the maze. Hating how one so young is carrying such a heavy burden on his shoulders, do I bless and curse the books as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 523 – GoF**_

This makes me shake my head and then I look up and say: "New plan, Champs. We go into the Maze together and only when we see the Cup will we make a race for it. The one to be the quickest on foot is the one who will grab the Cup." Fleur, Victor and Harry all nod, while the Ministerial members look shocked and I continue reading the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 523 – GoF**_

"One of us must be keeping an eye out for you, Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall then says and Harry smiles at her gratefully, the dog even raising his head and happily barking at her, making her look at it weirdly while some girls snicker and others coo at its behavior. I still feel the need to find out who the dog is and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 523 & 524 – GoF **_

Now all teachers seem suspicious, all of them but Snape looking at me and the book with narrowed eyes and Hagrid says: "How weird, I was asked to put almost all of my animals into the maze, so why you haven't met a single yet –." This open end of a sentence leaves me anxious with worry for my little brother.  
Then Ron, who turned white when Hagrid spoke of his pet, asks: "Hagrid – you didn't put – Aragog in there, did you?" The Half-giant shakes his head and Ron and Harry sigh relieved, but then Hagrid worries them even more and says: "One of his children." Harry and Ron share a horrified glance and I read on, wanting to know why.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 524 – GoF**_

"EXCUSE ME!" Mrs. Weasley shouts, jumping up and she turns at the teaching staff furiously, shouting: "How can you put a Dementor in a maze like that? Such a dark place, who knows how strong it –." But then Lupin, who had looked just as worried, seems to understand something as he looks at Harry.  
He lies a hand on Mrs. Weasley's shoulder and says: "Molly, I can personally testify that what Harry is facing is no Dementor. More a practice dummy." And he sends a wink at Harry, who seems to understand as he smiles and nods. I shake my head at this and wonder what the two could be on about as I anxiously read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 524 – GoF**_

"Mr. Potter, the only thing that can repel a Dementor, which this is not, is a Patronus spell. And seeing you clearly believe it to be one, I don't think you'll be able to fight this. I'd advise you to turn and run." Madame Bones says worriedly, but Harry, for some reason, gets a smug smirk on his face and wondering what that could be about, I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 524 – GoF**_

"You thought of us?" Hermione asks her best friend with clear shock and Harry, who doesn't seem to realize how shocked the girl is, says: "Of course I did. You guys are the closest thing I have to a family and you've been with me through so many crazy things, you're the best things that have ever happened to me."  
Now the dog whines, as if protesting, and Lupin says: "Oh hush Snuffle." And Harry laughs: "Yeah, you know I care for you as much as I do Ron and Hermione, don't you?" And a whacking tail's the boy's answer, making him laugh. I look around and see that I am not the only one curious about the animal before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 524 – GoF**_

Now silence rings through the room and Madame Bones, who has lost her usual monocle as her eyes widened and it fell out asks: "You can actually perform a corporal Patronus?" And Harry tilts his head as he looks at her and asks: "A what?" Making me snicker, mostly at how cute he now looks, but then Madame Bones says:  
"A corporal Patronus. One that has a shape and can actually fight off Dementors." To this Harry, now looking real happy, says: "Oh! Yes, I can. Professor Lupin taught me last year, because the Dementors were affecting me quite badly. I was able to produce my first during the Ravenclaw-Gryffindor match last year."  
Now I smile at my semi-little brother in pride, knowing how hard the Patronus spell is as many N.E.W.T students actually still struggle with it and Madame Bones asks: "And it has always been a stag?" Harry nods and says: "Yeah, it's to represent my dad." Making Lupin smile at him widely and I continue my reading with pride.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 524 & 525 – GoF **_

Seamus Finnegan now turns to professor Dumbledore and asks: "What is that, Professor? A veil of pixies?" The man snickers and says: "No Mr. Finnegan, that would be the work of Professor Flitwick. He, Professor Sprout and Professor Hagrid worked together to set the maze up." Finnegan nods and I again read, my worry now returned.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 525 – GoF**_

This shocks Fleur, but I can tell by her eyes that her shock is only played and she asks: "You would risk your life for me, Harry?" Harry shrugs and says: "Cedric had been attacked by a Skrewt and he didn't scream. I didn't want you to get hurt worse, I guess." The girl smiles at him and I read on, proud of my little brother.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 525 & 526 – GoF **_

"That is some spellwork, professor." Cho Chang, my ex-girlfriend, tells her Head of House as she sits at the end of the table and looks at him with her hand under her chin and her eyes showing fake respect and Flitwick smiles as he says: "Thank you, Mss. Chang. The only problem, I fear." He says, now grim as he goes on:  
"I only put one of those in the whole maze. So it can't be the sudden change that caused Mss. Delacour to scream." He shakes his head with his eyes closed and says: "I fear to find out what it could be." The other students of Beauxbatons nod and Fleur's parents grab her hands as they sit on either side of her and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 526 – GoF**_

"Let me get this straight." A fellow Hufflepuff of mine, who I know is named Zacharias Smith, suddenly says and I can only shake my head as he goes on, with a tone that shows how little he believes his own words: "You only thought of winning before you were chosen and at the end of the whole Tournament?"  
Harry nods, but I can see that the Fourth year doesn't believe my little brother and I glare at him, having disliked the boy since he came into Hufflepuff and being of the firm belief that he only got sorted into our House, because of his family. The lad sees my glare and responds with a raised eyebrow, but I ignore him and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 526 & 527 – GoF **_

This confuses me and I ask: "I'm talking as if I met someone." I see everyone look at me and Victor says: "Maybe you met me." I nod, but at the same time I can't help but wonder as to why I would then yell at the boy I consider my brother. The boy seems to realize the same as I can see confusion shining in his eyes and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 527 – GoF**_

This shocks me silent and it seems to have the same effect on the entire Great Hall as I can almost hear everyone's breath. But then a scream rips through the air – this one ripping at my heart as its anger is so strong it's almost as if the person screaming is dying inside, together with another and only the 2nd registers to me as Harry shouting:  
"NEVILLE! NO!" I look up and see Harry, skinny and frail as he looks, holding back Neville with a strength I had never expected of the young black-haired boy. Neville in the mean while tries to get to Victor, who still sits on the other side of the struggling black-haired boy and shout and curse at Harry, shouting with pained anger:  
"Harry! You bastard! You know! You know what happened! You know how much I hate that curse! Why stop me? Get –!" But Harry, still trying to push Neville away from Viktor shouts back and shouts: "No Neville! Don't! It's not his work! He's not in his right mind!""WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?"

Neville shouts, now almost wild with fury and Harry shouts: "HE'S IMPERIUS CURSED!" Neville looks startled, the shock actually stopping his struggling and he asks: "You sure?" Harry nods and says: "I've seen Cedric and Victor act, Neville. I can tell they consider each other brothers. Victor would never harm Cedric like that."  
Neville now calms down and Harry slowly helps the boy back to where they were seated before, which shocks me as it's quite a few inches, but then Victor asks: "But who cursed me? I was obviously in my right mind when we entered the maze, so it must have been afterwards. So who was it?" And Harry's answer frightens me:  
"The same person who put my name in the Cup. Who wants me to win and therefore tries to eliminate the other Champions. It must have been the same person as who attached Fleur." This worries me, mostly because of the dead-certain tone with which Harry said this and I read on, wanting to know who has it in for my pseudo-family.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 527 & 528 – GoF **_

This makes me smile – and inwardly snicker – and I think: "Companions we surely are, but I'll never be a competitor against Harry when it comes to Victor. Those two will probably make quite the adorable, but handsome couple." And I send a quick, worried glance at Charlie, hoping he won't ruin my plans as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 528 to 530 – GoF**_

At this Ron seems to whiten and Hermione says: "Don't tell me you know." Ron nods, his movement quite fearfully and says: "It's in the word. W-what Harry ju-just said. It-it's part of the word." This confuses me, while some others seem to understand as they too seem to whiten in fear and Harry looks at Ron worried as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 530 – GoF**_

Now I look at Ron shocked, but instead of proud he's even more white and Hermione has her arms around him, while Fred and George, though not snickering or laughing, are obviously trying to hold back smirks and the rest of his brothers look worried and Harry even goes so far as to reach out a hand to his best male friend.  
I too look worried, but can't help but wonder what caused the boy such a bad phobia against spiders. I then look back at Hagrid, remembering how Ron was white as a ghost when the man told him he had let one of _Aragog's_ kids into the maze and think: "Could Aragog be some kind of spider?" And I read on, wanting to get some answers.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 530 & 531 – GoF **_

"A gigantic WHAT?" Mrs. Weasley and mum scream – Mrs. Weasley with a higher pitched tone than mum – and mum is the first to shout: "Hagrid, are you telling me you're breeding Accromantulas? Class C Lethal creatures?" Now Hagrid shrugs, which I know is the wrong thing to do around anxious mothers and says: "They're not that –."  
But Harry, to my shock, stands up, his determined face hiding the pain I see shining in his eyes and he says: "I'm sorry, Hagrid." And to my shock, he shoots a severing hex at the man. The spell hits, but doesn't seem to damage the man and Harry asks: "Did that hurt?" Hagrid shakes his head confused and Harry says:  
"The same counts for an attack by an Accromantula – for you, Hagrid. But that same charm could have cut off half if not my entire arm." The man looks deadly shocked and Harry says: "Hagrid, you're my friend, but there's a difference between what I can take and what you can take. Please, try to understand that."  
The half-giant nods, still deeply shocked and I shake my head as I can't believe that no one has ever used such a genius – if painful – method to explain the difference of endurance to the friendly – if sometimes slightly misjusgeful – giant. Smiling at the young lad, while I know how much that must have hurt him, do I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 531 & 532 – GoF **_

Now I feel really worried and my belief that someone as young as Harry should never be in this Tournament increases and Madame Bones says: "That's it! No way will there be an Accromantula in the Maze now. Hagrid, once this book is through, go to the maze and get that monster out of there, is that understood?"  
Hagrid nods and I can see how guilty he feels for what the spider has done to Harry. I feel justified for his guilt, because I know there shouldn't even be a single Accromantula near a school filled with so many students for most of the year. I also see him rubbing his arm and feel relieved as Hagrid really seems to be learning from that.

Then I look at my semi-brothers and Ron and suddenly realize that they must have, at some point in time, met such monsters as Ron seemed a little too familiar with Aragog and his children for my liking and I think: "Hagrid didn't." I then realize what I'm thinking and what we just learned and silently groan as I think:  
"Of course he did. No one – other than Harry just now – ever explained him that his endurance is much bigger than ours. Hagrid is such good friends with so many people, of course he would trust them with his pets." And I shake my head, hoping we won't find out what happened anytime soon as I read on, slightly angry at Hagrid still.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 532 – GoF**_

This shocks me as I had not even known Harry had asked Cho, but then I look up and say: "If it's any consolation, Cho and I broke up two weeks after the Yule Ball. I heard her gossip about how she would date all of us male Champions and how she already had two wrapped around her finger – or so she thought."  
I add, glaring at her, while Harry looks at her shocked, hurt and angered and Victor of course sees his chance. He pulls the boy closer and glares at the girl in venom, not only showing her he will never date her, but also promising her punishment for playing with us like that – playing Harry like that. Or better said with _his_ Harry.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 532 & 533 – GoF **_

Now Hermione and Ron snort, obviously trying to hold back laughter, while Lupin looks at Harry with a raised eyebrow and even the dog looks up at Harry as Ron snickers: "Mate, you are the last person who should say that." And Hermione, who has a little more control goes on: "Yeah, Harry. Remember what you did last year in the Shack."  
But Harry glares at them in protest and says: "I didn't do that out of nobility. I did it, because my father would not have wanted his two best friends to become murderers, just to get rid of that filthy piece of scum! I told you that." The girl nods and says: "I'm just stating a point." And I smile at the three before reading on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 533 – GoF**_

"My true glory is the one I find in helping the boy I consider my little brother." I happily tell the boy, who looks at me shocked and I go on: "No way would I have left you there with your leg in a state like that. I'd rather be in that state myself." And to my great worry do Harry's eyes grow even wider with shock at hearing this.  
Fleur then goes on: "You've grown on us, Harry. You have somezing about you zat just makes liking and caring for you easy." The boy turns red, but smiles while having his head down and then Victor nudges the boy closer and says: "They're right, you know." Making Harry lower his head even more and I shake mine before reading on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 533 & 534 – GoF **_

"What?" Bagman asks and he goes on: "Why?" And a lot of other students, especially the Gryffindors, seem just as confused, but Hermione and Ron smile knowingly and say: "It's like we said. Harry is not the person who should tell others to stop being noble." The boy turns red, which I consider quite a feat as I read on, feeling very proud.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 534 – GoF**_

This makes everyone smile, but then I notice a single face not looking happy and when I look up, I see that Harry looks at me with a look as if he believes he's betraying me as tears seem to be shining in his emerald green gems. I wonder what's up and decide to find out why my little brother's not happy with us doing this together as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 534 – GoF**_

Now Harry has his eyes closed tight, a single tear silently falling out of his eye and his face hidden in Victor's shoulder, one hand holding onto the head of the dog on his lap and the other clutching Victor's shirt. My dad, unfortunately, seems to take seeing this the wrong way and sneers: "Getting second thoughts, are we?"  
But Harry shakes his head and mumbles with such a soft tone I am amazed that it carries all the way through the hall the way it does as he: "It went too easy. They wanted me to reach the Cup. They want to use the Cup to get me to Voldemort. That's how the spy works. And now – now that Cedric's coming with me –."  
He then looks at me again, tears streaming down his face and he whispers: "I'm sorry. I – I should have remembered. Should have known." But Victor pushes his face back in his shoulder and I shake my head, denying his words, knowing my little brother couldn't have known. There was nothing that could have let him know this.

 _ **GoF – chapter 31, page 534 – GoF**_

Now everyone gasps and I have my eyes wide, while I don't wonder about where we could end up as much as I fear for what Voldemort will do with my little brother. I lie the book down and say: "The chapter's over." Before hurrying over, not to to join my parents, but my semi-brothers, wanting nothing more than to comfort little Harry.


	2. Terrible Heartfelt Pain

_**Chapter 02  
**_ _ **Terrible Heartfelt Pain**_

 _ **Amos' POV**_

I cannot believe that my son is in this much danger. Or that the boy who took him full Hogwarts glory as Hogwarts Champion is by my son considered his little brother. And finally do I have trouble with understanding why my son isn't sitting with us to comfort us, but with two of the three people he should consider his rivals.  
I look at him and try to get his attention, but Cedric has his back turned to me as he sits next to the Granger girl and has his hand reaching over the Gryffindor table to softly rub over Potter's arm and he seems to whisper soft words of comfort that Potter doesn't even seem to be hearing, which makes me want to snarl at his insolence.  
Deciding to not focus on this and instead try and see how close those 3 have really grown onto each other, something I find highly unlikely as this tournament brings out everyone's ambition to win, do I hug my wife, squeeze her hand reassuringly before standing up and walking over to the open book, turning my attention on the next chapter.  
But the title scares the living daylights out of me and makes me worry with all that I am for the 2 boys. I then look at the group, while more and more students start to notice that I have decided to read the next chapter and Cedric finally turns to me, whispering: "Hurry up, we need to know." I nod at him, scrape my throat and start reading.

 _ **Flesh, Blood, and Bone**_

This title causes a shiver of fear to go through the room and several Slytherins, apparently aware of what that title means, look at me with wide eyes, along with their Head of House and the Headmaster of Durmstrang. I personally try to hide a shiver going down my spine while my wife is unable to keep down her own squeak of fear.  
The dog, still lying on Krum and Potter's laps, also whines and I wonder how any dog that looks so much like the grim can have enough of a conscious mind to actually understand what people say or what I just read. But I shrug it off, knowing there are more important things and feeling worried for my son as I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 535 – GoF**_

This worries me even more and seems to confirm the boy Potter's fears as he whimpers: "Voldemort. He got us." Krum pulls him close and Cedric moves his hand from the boy's arm to his shoulder and back, while he uses the other to support himself on the table. My heart shortly goes out to the young lad and his fear before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 535 & 536 – GoF **_

Now a very small smile appears on Potter's face, one that almost seems satisfied about something and then he looks at Minister Fudge and says: "Minister, you are going to hear something soon that will prove you one thing." The man looks intrigued and Harry confuses me as he looks at the dog and says: "We were not Confunded."

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 536 – GoF**_

Immediately my son and Krum seem even more worried as they both tighten their holds on the boy and Granger and Weasley share a look of pure terror, as if they understand what this could mean or – I realize with a shock – they had seen this happen before. This makes me worry about their past endavours and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 536 – GoF**_

" _ **NO!"**_

Several voices shout, from which I can distinguish my wife, Potter, Delacour and Krum due to how amazingly pained they all sound and Potter breaks free of Krum's hold, only to physically climb over the Gryffindor table and cling himself to my son's body – as if he actually believes he can protect my son with that action.  
I myself look at my son in pure pain and then chastise myself as I find myself wishing the spare to be the Potter boy. Then I think: "No, I can't think that! He's just as innocent, just as undeserving. He's -." And then I finally accept it with a thought. "He's my son." I then look at my son, wanting him to look at me as well.  
Cedric has moved Harry from clinging to him to sitting on my eldest son's lap and while Harry has his hands clinging to Cedric's robe, almost tearing, is Cedric holding Harry with one hand and is the other softly going through Harry's hair, which shocks me as it proves that Cedric is pushing his own shock down to comfort his brother.  
Hating myself for having been blind enough by Cedric's accomplishments and the rivalry I believed would be created thanks to the Tournament that I didn't see how close the four Champions have grown, do I finally catch's Cedric's eyes and he smiles at me as if knowing what I just realized and what conclusions I just reached.

I smile back and then look at my wife, the woman only sobbing softly as she sits at Hufflepuff table, her eyes firmly on both Harry and Cedric and I know it's Cedric's strength as a person and his ability to push his own emotions to the side for Harry's that makes the woman feel comfortable enough not to sob out loud.  
I look at her, seeing as I look from Cedric to her that no one seems to be expecting me to read and feel grateful for that and as she looks back at me, does she mouth: "We won't let our sons get hurt like that." And while I love the woman even more for her amazing ability to already consider Harry her own, do I nod and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 536 & 537 – GoF **_

This makes my voice break and with my eyes tearing up, I hold quiet, trying to force myself to go on, to remind myself that this is just a book, that it hasn't happened yet. I look up and see that Harry and Krum are both holding onto my son, both crying openly.  
But then I see something new as Fleur Delacour has joined the group and is also holding onto my son, her tears falling just as hard, but her cries for pain softer. Seeing the four together, I realize that the Tournament has really made these four a family of themselves and my heart breaks again

For the loss this family had to suffer  
Being torn apart in such a terribly way.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 537 – GoF**_

This seems to shock Granger, Weasley and Lupin out of their hurt stupor, while Madam Bones seems to get the strange reference as well as she looks at the group of three as they all look up shocked and tense, before the dog lets out a murderous growl, actually shocking me with the venom coming from that single tone.  
The students sitting near the dog tremble and squeak in fear for the dog snarling like that and then Harry hisses something, but I can't hear him as he speaks too softly. Cedric and the other Champions seem not to have this problem as they all gasp and Cedric whispers something back, to which Harry nods. Then Harry goes on and says:

"He'll pay. He'll pay dearly. I should have never stopped them." This confuses me, but Lupin says: "No Harry, you should have and you should be proud tha –." But Harry seems too into the story and his own beliefs to let the man finish and while my heart breaks over hearing how guilty he feels, does he shout:  
"HOW CAN I BE PROUD IF ME STOPPING YOU LET HIM ESCAPE! IF STOPPING YOU FROM KILLING HIM ALLOWED HIM TO LIVE! TO BLOODY LIVE AND TO – TO – TO KILL BERTHA AND CEDRIC!"

Everyone's shocked at the boy's outburst and then Dumbledore stands up and says: "You can be proud, because you burdened Voldemort with a follower who owes you a life debt. And so does Cedric and everyone else we can save by reading these books." Harry grumbles, but then sits down and I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 537 – GoF**_

"WHAT!"

The Weasley twins shout and they turn to Harry with a chorused question: "You mean to tell us one of our Heroes – one of the Marauders – is a Death Eater?" Harry nods, his face such a mask of fury I wonder what else he knows of this man, while at the same time I wonder how the two know of those four Pranksters extraordinaire.  
But then I shake my head and realize that I should have expected of them to know of those four as they are amazing pranksters themselves and while I smile at them, believing that they probably use the Marauders as their idols and inspirations, have their shocked shouts caused for most of the worried tension to leave the room as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 537 & 538 – GoF **_

Now the tension's completely back into the room and everyone has wide eyes and are sitting tensely, some of them holding onto their friends' hands or shoulders – those having family over sitting near them – and others leaning forward to hear more. I myself try not to think of my son, lying dead in that graveyard and simply read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 538 – GoF**_

"Master? No, it can't be." Fudge stutters and I too realize who the man is referring too, which makes memories of those dark and dangerous times resurface up in my mind against my will. This makes me look back at my sons and see that this time, Cedric is the one clinging to Harry worriedly, as if trying to protect him.  
I myself feel terrible and think: "When we hold this Tournament, we'll put Tracker spells on the Champions and Portkey spells on their wands, so they can come back instantly if we can't find out who the hell was responsible for all this." And with that idea in mind do I feel confident enough to continue reading the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 538 & 539 – GoF **_

This causes gasps and shrieks of fear to be heard all around, most of them coming from those that remember who had such red eyes in the past and Harry actually starts to wheeze and breath raggedly in fear, as if he's something close to that before. This causes Cedric to hold him tighter and then Krum does something shocking.  
While making sure that my son is still holding his little brother tightly, he pulls the boy up and sits him down on his own lap, taking the boy's seat next to my son. He hugs the boy from behind and with the assurance that my family is together, as my wife had gone to sit with them and holds Cedric from the back as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 539 – GoF**_

This shocks me, as my father had taught me the worst Dark Arts Rituals to prevent me from falling victim to them back during the start of the war and I think: "No, he wouldn't. Harry –." But then I remember who Harry is to that monster and I think: "No way will I allow that to happen. That monster won't ever touch my son."

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 539 – GoF**_

This makes one of Harry's wheezy gasps come out sharply and he whispers something that confuses me: "The reward he promised. The reward most followers would give their right hand for." This makes no sense to me and makes many of those hearing him look at him confused and/or worried as Cedric asks: "Harry, what are you talking about?"  
Harry looks at him and then looks down, slightly hiding his face in his brother's shoulder as he says: "During summer I had a nightmare about Voldemort and Wormtail. Voldemort was talking about his plan – this plan – and about how – if Wormtail did things right – he would be rewarded in a way other followers would give their right hand for it.  
I never realized he meant it like this." The boy breaths aghast and I feel for him as no one his age should have nightmares like that. Viktor then holds him tight, while Cedric starts to stroke his hair and softly stroke circles on his back to calm his brother down. Fleur also lies a hand on the boy's shoulder as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 539 & 540 – GoF **_

"YOU SCOUNDREL!""DON'T YOU BLOODY DARE!""STAY THE BLOODY HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" Is shouted by my son, Victor and Fleur extremely loudly as they all hold Harry tightly, while Granger, the Weasley family and Lupin seem all to have acquired the anger of a Nesting Mother Dragon and the hackles on the dog's fur are all on end.  
Harry is pulled against Victor so tightly in the Bulgarian's anger that I can't see where Harry ends and Krum starts, but next to the other three Champions, the Weasleys, Lupin and Granger, almost all of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff seem united in their need to keep this killer away from the young boy.  
Even the teachers are either horrified at the idea of what will be read next or furious that they are actually reading this and that this could have been what would have happened had it not been for Harry's spell work.  
But then I notice that while even the Aurors, Madame Bones and the Tonks Family seems furious, one teacher is actually showing an emotion most unbecoming of him and one that, while I read on to make sure he doesn't spot me looking at him, makes me wonder if it could not be him that caused this entire mess. Mad-Eye Moody is smirking in evil triumph.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 540 – GoF**_

To this I myself, Snape, Karkaroff and, strangely enough, the dog all shake our heads and Cedric looks at me and asks: "Dad? You know of this ritual?" I nod, the memories coming back even stronger as I shudder at them and say: "Your grandfather wanted me prepared for the worst rituals and spells in the Dark Arts as possible.  
He taught them all to me, but only the theory." Cedric nods and Madame Bones says: "And it seems only wise if we will allow the students the same opportunity. Now that it's been made clear that You-Know-Who is still out there and in the ability to perform such terrible rituals, it's only appropriate we teach the younger generation to prepare themselves." The teachers nod, some of them looking slightly disagreeing and I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 540 & 541 – GoF **_

"NO!" All the adults gasp in pure terror and I again look at Moody, who seems to smirk in the same evil triumph as before, but then I notice something strange. The man seems to have gained some strange tic that makes his face twitch and strangely change shape. This makes me glance at him from the top of the book as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 32, page 541 – GoF**_

I look at the last five words with terror freezing my insides, my memories of those I lost in the war tearing at my heart and think: "We can't let this happen." Then my son, who seems to be mind-linked to me, holds Harry close and whispers: "We won't let this happen, Harry. I won't die and Voldemort won't return. I promise."  
Harry clings to the boy, his grasp hopeful while his face proves how badly he fears that the promise will be broken and Victor softly kisses his hair, but for some reason I get the feeling that gesture wasn't done out of comfort alone. I then shake my head and asks: "Wh-who would want to read next?" No one answers.


	3. You Better Help Him

_**Chapter 03  
**_ _ **You better help him**_

 _ **Snape's POV**_

Knowing that the next couple of chapters won't be any good and wondering how Potter can get himself out of this terrible situation, I decide to use my years of experience of serving the Dark Lord – and my years of practicing Occlumency – to bare with the rest of the book and say: "I'll read next, Amos. Go sit with your family."  
The man looks at me warily together with most of those from the Ministry, mostly because of what Potter had discovered in Dumbledore's Pensieve and I sigh, knowing I'll probably have to start all over again with gaining what little trust I have build up with those around me. I walk over to the stand, take a deep breath and read.

 _ **The Death Eaters**_

This makes me worry for my cover, while the return of that man – the man that killed my precious Lily – already makes me fear for myself and slightly want to join him and tell him how I want Lily back, so he'll kill me and I can join her.  
But then I read the first word and gasp, knowing I will cause myself a lot of trouble amongst those loyal to that murdering maniac. I focus on nothing but myself and activate my Occlumency powers to the fullest in order to turn my face blank of all emotions and with a steely tone of worry in my voice do I start reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 542 – GoF**_

This makes me shudder as I remember the many, many times I heard that laugh, including that one night – when I betrayed her, when I told him. I try not to think of my betrayal to the one woman I have always loved and while hating Potter for letting this happen and worrying for the boy in the book, do I focus my shields and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 542 & 543 – GoF **_

This causes several students, including Slytherins, to gasp and look shocked. Then Abbot, a young Hufflepuff, whimpers: "He actually forces his own follower to keep that bloody stump?" And Dumbledore speaks: "Voldemort shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. He believes emotions, such as compassion and kindness to be weaknesses and thus shows them to no one, not his followers, not his enemies."  
I see several of my snakes, including my godson, blanch in fear for being treated so cruelly and then glance at Lucius, noticing his relief shining in his eyes as he looks at Draco and I feel the same myself as I never want to see young Draco – or anybody that I do or do not care about – join that traitorous murdering madman.  
I then share a quick glance with Lucius again and we both nod at each other with determination shining brightly in both our eyes, deciding to tell Draco how we were treated when we first joined Voldemort – or as I have called him for the last 13 years – the Heart Destroyer. Shaking my head after this, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 543 – GoF**_

"It's more the other way around." Bill growls and I look at him shocked, together with many others. Then the Weasley Matriarch shouts: "William!" But the eldest Weasley son ignores her as he keeps staring at me with those intelligent soft blue eyes and Moody, strangely enough growing hair quite quickly, asks: "Explain yourself, lad."

His mother whimpers for him not to, but he ignores it – something I find most amazing of him as the idiotic woman has an amazingly strong personality – and says: "It's obvious from this Wormtail character alone that most of his followers are terrified of him and the way he treats them would make them fear him more.  
If they come, they prove he's the strongest, but he made himself that out of their fear. If they stay away they tell him that they've grown stronger, overcome their fear, that they won't let themselves be intimidated by him anymore. That the lifes they have build up since his disappearance mean more to them than his return."  
All his siblings nod vehemently, while their mother wails: "Don't say that! You'll get killed! Stop talking, please!" But Bill looks at her strongly and says: "Mum, I faced tombs where the walls got needles, where baby Chimeras were guarding secret entrances and where I can get killed by breaking a single curse.  
That man has caused nothing but terror and let his men kill my favorite uncles. He even took an infant his parents and has been crazily hunting after a single teenager. Harry is obviously family to my brothers and I too have grown to like him that way. I won't hide from Voldemort and I won't deny what I belief, not if that can get my family killed."

The woman cries, but I can tell that William really has set some students to think and even I feel there is quite a bit of truth in his words. But then I wonder if that same man will say those same words after facing the Dark Lord himself. A shudder runs down my spine at the thought and I shake my head and continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 543 – GoF**_

"Wait what?" Draco asks, looking shocked like many other Purebloods at his table and even a few at the other tables and Harry, with quite a haughty voice, says: "Yeah, Voldemort, Honed Father of Blood Purity and murderer of Halfbloods and Muggleborns is nothing more than a Halfblood himself. Here I even have the proof."  
And after slowly letting go of Krum and Diggory, getting an extra hug from the Hufflepuff as he must have remembered the death of the boy, Potter stands up and grabs his wand. He aims it at the ceiling and starts to move it in weird shapes. I look up, see the shapes and orange light position themselves and see the words

 _ **Tom Marvolo Riddle**_

Being written above us all. Then Potter swishes his wand and the words start to change forming whole new a sentence.

 _ **I am Lord Voldemort**_

Everyone looks shocked and Lucius asks: "How do you know this?" And again Potter aims for the second book in the stack. I realize he had, in that year, gone to save the youngest of the Weasley kids and with a shock I realize something. The Dark Lord is also known as The Heir of Slytherin. This makes me shudder as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 543 – GoF**_

Now Diggory and Krum pull Potter back down and hold him tight, all of them furious at the mockery the Dark Lord makes of my beautiful Lily and the Bones girl, who has her hands fisted upon her table and isn't looking at me, but straight ahead in her anger, growls: "Making fun of family. How low can a person sink."  
But silently I think: "That man is no person. He's not even a man." I then take a deep breath, trying not to think of my beautiful Lily and how she was taken from me twice, once by Potter and once by the Dark Lord, as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 543 & 545 – GoF **_

This makes me inwardly turn my eyes skyward and I think: "Always with the drama. He never took any of us seriously." Then the Weasley twins speak up and one of them says: "Wow, even we're." and the other goes on: "Not that dramatic." Making my hold back a shudder of disgust as they said what I was thinking.  
Then Percival, who is sitting a little bit away from them, stands up with his hands on the table and shouts: "WILL YOU STOP MOCKING HIM! DO YOU WANT TO BE KILLED?" But the stern looks that suddenly appear on the twins' faces shocks the young man into silence along with everyone else as no one has ever seen them this serious.  
Then the left twin – who has no humor in his voice whatsoever – says: "No Percy, we don't." The Second, who's frowning more than his brother, goes on: "But we won't stop either." The left returns to say: "It's like Bill said.""He's after Harry for too long." And together they chorus: "And Harry's our brother and we protect our own.

Like uncle Gideon and uncle Fabian would have done!" I look at the two shocked, having never seen anything but ridiculous pranksters in them and Remus says: "You really are worthy of the Marauders." The two smile, not a wide, over exuberant smile as I had expected after them hearing this from their secret idol, but a grateful smile and Lupin goes on:  
"True Pranksters know who they'll prank and who they will protect. Your uncles would be proud." And while I can't help but agree – which is a first seeing it's Lupin I'm agreeing with – do I feel as if it's more the last sentence spoken than the entire statement and I know this is because of my own past with Lupin as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 545 – GoF**_

"I can't believe this!" One of my own Snakes, a girl I know is named Daphne Greengrass, says shocked and furious and she goes on: "He's trying to get a rise out of them. He plays with their fear to make them confess. He's just playing with them, trying to break them so he can punish whoever tries to beg for mercy."  
Everyone looks shocked and I sigh, whispering: "That's how it's always been." This makes Draco blanch and he looks at his father, who nods. "So you admit it!" Fudge shouts and I turn to him with a cold glare, but the man seems unwavering as he asks: "So you admit you're a Death Eater? That you served him? That you were once loyal to that monster?"  
To this I glare at the Minister for Fools as I call him in my mind and hiss: "You hit it right where it hurts, Minister. _**Once**_." The man looks confused and takes a step back by the biting tone I use to end my speech as Dumbledore look ahead and says: "No one would serve someone like Voldemort, if he kills those they love."  
I spare a glance at my Headmaster and mentor and the man smiles at me, while I feel worry as I have now officially admitted to having no more needs to serve that monster. I look at my Snakes and think: "I really hope they have learned to trust me. else, I'm a dead man." And with that, while hoping my behavior will work in my favor, do I read.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 545 & 546 – GoF **_

"Wait what? Avery?" Fudge now says shocked, his face white and his entire body slack in the chair he sits in and I smirk, believing the man's shock to be the perfect payback for him accusing me without proper questioning. He then goes on weakly: "He swore he was under Imperius, that he never meant to do what he did."  
To this, while the words break my heart all over again and make me long for the old days, before I turned 16 and made the one mistake that ruined not just my life but that of the one person I never wanted to hurt, I say: "To quote the words of a brilliant Muggleborn Gryffindor; Avery's sense of humor is just evil."

The man looks shocked, along with the rest of the school that I actually once considered a Gryffindor Muggleborn to be brilliant – especially because of how I treat Granger – and then I decide to see how Potter reacts and turn to him. His eyes are wide and he holds onto Krum's shoulder tightly. I look at him directly and says:  
"That Gryffindor – was your mother, Potter. Lily Evans." The firm grip on Krum's shoulder slackens completely and Potter sacks in against Diggory, his weak tone actually shocking me as he asks: "Y-you – you knew my – my mother?" I nod at him while part of me wonders how he could not have known about this and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 546 – GoF**_

Now the dog, I know is Black, smirks evilly – or as evilly as a dog can smirk and I too feel a grim pleasure at those words, mumbling: "That hand's cursed." And because no one else speaks during my reading, does everyone hear me and look at me and I say: "If that scumbag ever lives up to his life debt to Potter, that hand will instantly kill him."  
Everyone looks shocked, the younger years slightly shivering at the dark tone of my voice and then the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, who has had a notepad in front of her the whole chapter asks: "Mr. Snape, who exactly is this Death Eater." But Harry says: "Just wait a little longer, Miss –."  
And while some of those around are shocked that Potter doesn't know her name, does the woman answer: "Madame Amelia Bones, Mr. Potter. I'm the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Trials, questionings of underage wizards and the sentences of Death Eaters and other criminals fall under my jurisdiction."  
The young Potter nods and says: "I'm sure you'll soon find evidence against a convicted criminal, but not in the way you'll expect. Then Professor – I mean – Remus Lupin, Ron, Hermione and I will be pleased to explain you all about Wormtail and what we know of him." The woman nods and I go on reading, feeling curious.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 546 & 547 – GoF **_

Fudge now looks at the one man he claims his right hand man and close comrade in pure shock and so does Narcissa, but then with a hard look in her eyes that makes me wonder what the woman's thinking, while most of the Weasleys have looks of victory on their faces. And to my shock, does the woman say: "You better help him."

"Narcissa!" Fudge says purely shocked, but I understand who she really means and the woman confirms my theory as she turns her hard stare to the minister, making him squirm and she says: "I meant the Potter boy, Minister. He is the son of James Potter and with that the grandson of my great-aunt, Dorea Potter née Black."  
Now Potter asks: "I'm part Black?" The woman looks at him, slightly sternly, but also with a warm kindness shining in her eyes that I usually only see when I am privately visiting her and Draco back at Malfoy Manor and she says: "Of course you are, Mr. Potter. All Pureblood families are related one way or another.  
Dorea – your grandmother – was Walburga's aunt and that makes your godfather Sirius also your uncle. She was also the aunt of my mother, but mine was the youngest and so that makes you my second nephew." Potter looks absolutely gob-smacked, his eyes wide and his mouth open and Narcissa reprimands him: "Flies, Mr. Potter."

He shakes his head with his eyes closed and closes his mouth – while I personally would not have really expected better of the brat – before Draco asks: "Potter, please tell me your gob-smacked vision of just now doesn't mean you were never told about this? That you had at least some etiquette lessons worthy of your status?"  
But Potter shocks me, along with all other purebloods in the room, apparently even the Weasley elders, as he says: "I don't even bloody well know what that status of mine is." This causes a silence to ring around the room – enough that you could even hear a piece of hay fall on the stone floor – and Narcissa says:  
"As soon as the Tournament is over, Mr. Potter, will Lucius and I teach you all you need to know. You are after all the Last Potter alive and so the Lord of your family. My, my, this does explain why you never came to our annual Christmas gala's or the Ministerial Summer parties." But to this Potter asks: "The what and what now?"  
Narcissa shakes her head and I hear Lucius whisper: "And here I thought it was because of Dumbledore and his second year that Potter refused our invitations. But why did they never even reach him?" And while I agree with my friend, does his question pique my interest. Yet, knowing now is not the time, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 547 – GoF**_

"Mr. Malfoy, I wish not to be rude, but –." Potter starts with his arms crossed and a serious look on his face and he goes on: "But you left one of the clearest signs of that in the hands of an 11 year old girl." Lucius looks shocked and after Potter, again, motions for the second book making many people look at it as well, as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 547 – GoF**_

"N-n-no." The Minister stutters and he goes on: "T-t-that c-c-can't happen. It – it can't." But then Potter, after looking at Diggory, Krum, Delacour, Granger, Longbottom and the Weasley kids, stands up and while I try not to purse my lips and think of how he shouldn't do anything now, does the arrogant brat say:  
"We won't let it happen, Minister." The man turns to him, while the dog whines and Lupin looks at the boy with worry and pride – the dog more with worry than with pride while Lupin is more evenly mixed – and Potter says: "Voldemort killed my parents, Cedric and my best friend's uncles. No way will I allow him more killings.  
He must be stopped and if he wants to fight me – for whatever reason he has, I don't care – I'll fight him to the end and if I need to, I'll die for it too. I'm not afraid of death, I've faced it more than enough times and lived to tell the tale. And next to that will Death only give me back what Voldemort took from me years ago."

Everyone looks shocked at his words and Diggory, who seems motivated by Potter's silly little speech, stands up and loudly says: "And if that murdering, dramatic maniac thinks we're going to let him hunt down our little brother, he's got another thing coming." Harry smiles, but then he seems to contemplate something and says:  
"Headmaster, allow the Cup to be cursed. Allow it to become a Portkey." Everyone looks shocked and another silence rings through the hall for a few seconds before Granger asks: "Harry! Are you mad?" And the youngest Weasley male shouts in angered worry: "That'll get you straight to You – oh what the heck – to Voldemort!"  
"I know that." Harry speaks clearly and with such strength I almost want to take a step back, but then he smirks a smirk I have never seen on the lad. One that actually makes me want him in my House and also, with his dark hair and his fringe hiding his eyes, proves he has Black Blood running through his veins as he says:  
"But Voldemort thinks he can use my Blood and with that take the protection my mother gave me when she died for me all those years ago. Unfortunately for him, I now know this and know how to use it against him." He then crosses his arms while everyone looks at him for more and says: "All I'll need is Fawkes."

This confuses me, but the fact the lad has found a way he can use the Dark Lord's plan against him makes me wonder what he's up to. He then turns to Granger, who is almost teary-eyed with worry and with a sudden caring tone, does he say: "Hermione, I promise I'll go there, let Wormtail grab me and that's as far as Voldemort's plan will go.  
Before he'll try to attack me, I'll use the Summoning charm to get the Cup and get out of there unharmed. I won't even duel him. All I need is Fawkes and the summoning charm, trust me on that." The girl looks doubtful, but nods and while she wipes her eyes dry and while Potter smiles at her, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 547 & 548 – GoF **_

Now I look at Theodore Nott, knowing he and his mother, together with the Zabini's, prefer to be neutral and by the look of neutral fear on the boy's face, do I know he fears for his own and his mother's life if his father screws up. This makes me sigh as Nott sr. was known for his countless mistakes under the Dark Lord's service.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 548 – GoF**_

"The spy. The man that put Potter's name in the Goblet of Fire. That arranged this whole mess." I think vehemently and swiftly let my gaze fall over the school, trying to find whoever caused all of this, many of the adults and Potter's friends doing the same with fear and need. Then I see two things that are very disturbing.

Alastor Moody's seat is empty and the Antechamber's door is open. I look at the door, part of me feeling stupid for not realizing it was Moody all along and ask: "Mr. Potter, does the Time Freeze spell count for the Antechamber as well?" Potter looks at me and I keep my eyes on the book, trying to hide my suspicion.  
The boy then says: "I first believed so, Professor. Which is why I called the families here. I didn't want to risk them as I believed they deserved to hear this as well. But I'm not sure anymore now. I know for a fact that the kitchens are connected to the Great Hall, so time still goes there, but I'm not sure about the Antechamber."  
I nod and then decide to let Albus know of his missing friend and our missing co-worker later – if he doesn't know already, the old coot. Then I want to read on, but as I read the first next sentence, I hear the floo being activated and have my answer. Moody escaped, he's the culprit. This makes me read on with thin lips of anger.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 548 – GoF**_

"You mean – it's one of us?" Professor Sprout asks shocked, while everyone is now turned to the Head Table and then I answer: "Yes and I know who." Everyone turns to me, but then I smirk and say: "Not that we really have to worry about it. if I'm right, he's currently stuck in his own grate, thanks to Mr. Potter's spell."  
This causes a lot of students to calm down in relief and while I see the eyes of some of the students landing on the empty seat at the Table, do I then turn to McGonagall and ask: "Minerva, who of our co-workers is missing?" The woman looks at the Head Table and gasps, but Potter had taken a look too and shouts:

"Of course! He was constantly drinking from his hip flask and he was attacked on the morning he was to start teaching. I heard Mr. Diggory tell Mr. Weasley that! He was attacked by Wormtail and then impersonated with help of Polyjuice Potion. That's the ingredients he's been stealing from Professor Snape!" I nod and say:  
"Nicely thought out, Mr. Potter. But do you have any idea who our culprit really is?" Potter seems to think about this and says: "I – I – no, sir. I have no idea." I nod and mutter: "Then let's hope the book will reveal so we can catch our culprit once time starts running again." Everyone nods at this and Shacklebolt says:  
"Tonks and I will head for Moody's office the minute the book's over." I nod at him and suddenly see that Potter has his eyes diverted from the book and aimed at the table, his left hand over his chin and his voice mumbling things I can't understand. Wondering if the lad will figure it out before the book, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 548 & 549 – GoF **_

This shocks the school and then Harry stands up and says: "I faced Voldemort before. In my 1st year. He told me my mother had not needed to die. When the Dementors come close, I hear her begging him not to kill me. I hear him telling her to step aside. Voldemort attacked my family on Halloween, but I now realize something.  
I was born on July 31st meaning I was conceived on Halloween. Voldemort attacked me on the night of my creation and she must have combined that magic with her love for me and that – that is what saved me. What saved us all. If not for my mother, if not for her love sacrifice Voldemort would have killed me And we would not be here all today."

Everyone looks at Potter shocked, some of the younger years red at hearing of his date of conceiving and all that, while I have to bite my inner lip not to cry for the woman I loved and still love so much and then Potter goes on vehemently: "You all honor, worship and even scapegoat me whenever you please, but she's the real hero.  
That she carried me, that she wanted me, that she loved me enough to die for me – is what you should honor – not me, never me." Now tears are streaming down the boy's cheeks and my respect for the boy grows to a familiar love. A love I once felt for his mother, for my Lily. Wondering how the lad pulled this off, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 549 – GoF**_

"One or more?" I wonder and Potter, though with trepidation and a tremble in his voice, voices my thought and asks: "More?" But then he shoots his head up and says: "Wait, that diary." The Weasley girl gasps and Potter stands up, once more letting Black fall on the floor. This makes me smirk, but then I look at Potter.

He stands from the table and starts to pace, his eyes strong and fierce, the green almost dark with determination and his hands behind his back – one hand sometimes going through his hair – as the young lad mutters: "What did he tell me? Down there in the Chamber? Something along the lines of – what was it again?"  
He closes his eyes and Diggory gets up, but Weasley grabs his arm and says: "Don't. He's at his best when he does this." Diggory nods and Potter mutters: "What did he say he was again. A memory. A – a memory _**preserved in a diary for fifty years**_." His voice turns successful and his pacing turns more frantic, his mutters just slightly louder as he goes on:  
"But that doesn't make sense. I saw memories just a few months ago, they're nothing but silver wisps of magic, not real people. And – and that time he showed me the events of 50 years ago is the only resemblance to that. Yet Riddle said he was feeding off of Ginny's emotions, her fears, her very – her very soul – THAT'S IT!"

His shout shocks me, together with all those who have gone to sit closer to him to hear what he was thinking about, making them fall back as he says: "Fifty years ago Voldemort killed a young girl named Myrtle through help of a Mystical Beast. Dumbledore grew suspicious of him and he decided to preserve his memory in his diary.  
But he didn't just preserve that. He preserved his very soul – or at least part of it – in that diary, allowing it to portray him as his sixteen year old self. And when he gained his followers he left it with one of them for safekeeping. And what he just said – _**one or more of my experiments**_ – he must have more of those things!"  
He then blanches, his eyes widening and his arms lying slack against his side as if his conclusion to all his muttering is devastating instead of victorious as he looked earlier on before he repeats: "He must have more of those things. And – and as – as long as he does – those – those things will – will keep him alive."

Everyone looks deadly shocked and Potter says: "You can shoot a thousand killing curses at him, but it won't matter. Those rotten things will keep his soul alive. My plan – it's usel – NO!" He shouts, his magic actually seeping out and shocking us all as it makes a shockwave run through our hall and rattle all of the plates, glasses and windows.

He then starts to pace again, making me wonder how often he does so and as he paces, do I see the magic seeping back into him, as if the pacing calms him down as he says: "No, it can't be useless. I have to think of something. A way to let my plan work. A way to use his little trick against him. That diary – how did I destroy it?"  
He looks up, looking straight at me without really seeing me and says: "The fang." Confusing me greatly, before he continues pacing even stronger, his footsteps almost deafening out his words: "That fang almost killed me. The poison within it would have been my end if not for Fawkes. So only Phoenix tears can stop that venom.  
Which means that – using that venom in the poison – and then – hitting the snake or maybe the diary again – yes – with another fang – should not just get the venom in Voldemort's body, but – with a little Parsletongue – yes, I should be able to!"  
Now Potter smirks widely – a smirk I usually only see when he's about to win in Quidditch and says: "Everyone, just let the Cup stay a Portkey, don't start the Third Task until I'm back and leave Voldemort and his little snake to me. I'll use my plan, kill his snake, speak a little Parseltongue and get back here with the Cup. I promise."

And while I'm now onto most of his plan, but confused about just as much, do I decide that, looking as confident and strong as Potter does now, he really does seem to have a chance against the Dark Lord and that maybe the Prophesy can come true. I then sigh, still hating that thing for all it has done and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 549 & 550 – GoF **_

Everyone looks shocked, but Potter has gone back to sit with Diggory and Krum and all he does is hold up a finger to the books and say: "First book. You'll read all about it in the First book." The students nod, while most of the Ravenclaws and some of the more inquisitive first years look at the book and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 550 & 551 – GoF **_

This shocks all members of the Ministry and Bagman says: "No, he couldn't have." But Potter hangs his head and says: "Mr. Bagman, my nightmare, remember. Voldemort there talked to Wormtail, saying that he had found a Memory charm on Mss. Jorkins and that he had removed it, informing him of the Cup and of the Tournament, before he killed her."  
The man whitens and I close my eyes with my head low, my hand on the book as a sign I will read no more. All others also close their eyes with their heads lowered and for a single minute all is quiet in the Great Hall. Quiet for Bertha Jorkins. I then sigh, hating how someone was killed during time of peace and go on reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 551 & 552 – GoF **_

This shocks me senseless and I think: "But if that's true then – even at his Muggle home, Potter would be weak and defenseless against the Dark Lord. The Blood Wards would be nullified, useless." I look up at the boy, who seems to rub his scar unconsciously and whisper: "Please, let your plan work." Before I continue the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 552 & 553 – GoF **_

Now Harry smirks and while I feel fear coursing through me at the very idea and while Neville shouts: "NO!" But then Lupin shouts: "What the hell are you smirking about!" And Potter confuses me as he says: "If all goes according to my plan, Voldemort's speech will have been too long. That spell will have barely to no affect.  
If he'll even make it that far." Everyone looks deeply confused, but Harry shakes his head and says: "My plans usually don't go the way I want it and I'm still not entirely done with the whole organization. Please, just leave it be until the Tournament is over." Those around him nod and I just shake my head and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 553 – GoF**_

This makes everyone whiten and I can't believe that Potter, under one of the Dark Lord's most powerful and gruesome spells, still has the ability to describe such a terrible curse so perfectly. I look at him and think: "Can he actually resist the Dark Lord's power?" But decide I don't really want to know and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 33, page 553 & 554 – GoF **_

This makes me look at Potter and Potter nods: "As soon as he does that, if I won't be able to do it myself that is, I'll summon the Portkey and get the hell out of there." He then shrugs and says: "Of course, while killing Nagini with a little Parsletongue." Making me wonder all the more what he's up to before I read on.


	4. All Around Tears And Grins

_**Warning: Mention Of Past Attempt Of Rape! Sorry, I just couldn't cut this out, it was only mentioned once this chapter though, I think.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 04  
**_ _ **All around tears and grins**_

 _ **Lucius' POV**_

Knowing how hard the last chapter has been for my friend as he once confided in me that he still loved Potter's wife and that he felt he was the one to lead her to her death and knowing the next won't be any easier, I think: "The Dark Lord's nothing more than a cruel monster. No way will these students be able to read of his actions."  
And with that I stand up and walk over to my best friend since I was 15 years old. Severus came to Hogwarts in my 5th year, when I had become Prefect and I had easily seen that he had been devastated by the separation with his youth-long friend, Lily Evans a Muggleborn with quite a bit of raw talent, not to mention a fierce temper.  
I had taken to the young boy and had been, together with Professor Slughorn; my Potions Teacher and Head of House, the one to discover how much of a pure natural Severus was with Potions Brewing and how to deal with what ingredient.

It had been a proud day for the three of us. I had also been the one to constantly get back at the Marauders when they rounded on Severus and in less than three years, Severus and I had grown a brother bond only rivaled by that of those bullying Marauders, not that we ever saw it that way, seeing what they were to us.  
Of course I know pure well why Black went against Slytherins, and more importantly, why he constantly goes against Severus, but it angers me as it had been my work and my work alone. Yet I know that will never matter to the Lord of Black.

It had been in my Sixth year and Severus had to be initiated by the Snakes, as he was almost a year and a half overdue. Yet I had already seen that Severus lacked the cruelty that naturally came to some of those in our House and so I had convinced the elder Snakes that I would take the initiation for him and had kidnapped Lupin.  
The kidnapping itself had been quite simple and I had dragged him to a small side cave, near the Boathouse and there I had vanished the boy's cloths, whipped him, cast several burn spells on him to make sure the whip marks would never leave, cast the Cruciatus curse at him and then cast a spell to keep his mouth open.  
I had been about to mouth rape the young man, when Severus came running in, shouting that the Marauders were on his heels, believing him to have kidnapped Lupin. He saw the state of the young boy and had ranted at me, screamed at me and released the boy, but I had broken his legs and so Severus had dragged me, by my hair, out of the cave

Just before the Marauders found him.

Since then had Potter and Black pestered Severus endlessly and I had of course pestered them back just as hard, but I had been unable to stomach the flinches Lupin made whenever he was near me and I had seen him look at me in fear when I had arrived here for the reading, yet I have never more touched him with a single curse.

Not just because the gentle, kind and honest man – I know realize – never deserved to be my target in the first place, but also because I had not wanted to betray Severus' trust in me again. Yes, Severus had been officially accepted by the Slytherins after that, but it had taken me until Draco's birth to regain his friendship.

I sigh and spare a glance at Lupin, who notices and whitens, already fearing I will kidnap him again, maybe even finish my work of all those years ago, but that thought had been banned out of my mind years ago – banned out by a couple of powerful dark hexes shot at me from Severus' wand that ended me up in the Hospital Wing.  
I then look at Severus, who had seen my glance and Lupin's reaction and the Potions Master glares at me, actually shocking the school into silence by the venom shown in his eyes, but I know I deserve it. I nod and the man nods back, before sitting at my spot with Draco. I then turn to the book and softly start reading.

 _ **Prior Incantatem**_

This confuses me, as I know the spell can only be used to see what spells were last used by a wand, but then I think: "Maybe this spell can save the boy's life. Let's hope it." I breath in and look at the family at Gryffindor Table; the 3 Diggorys, Fleur Delacour, Harry Potter and Victor Krum – the last two having a large black dog on their laps.  
Lupin, Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, Krum's parents and Fleur's sister, Gabrielle, who had been hers to save during the Second Task sit opposite of the family and together they form a united front – united against the pain the book is bringing them. I smile at this sight and then I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 555 - GoF**_

Now, while I feel fear course through me at the idea of a 14 year old fighting that monster, does Granger gasp and look at her friend worried, but Potter has a stony face and says: "Like I said, I'll use Fawkes, get to the Cup then the Graveyard, use Voldemort's plan against him, use some Parseltongue to kill his snake and get out of there."  
The girl nods, while I still worry as the simplicity of that plan can make a lot of things go wrong and Ronald mutters: "And if that doesn't work, you'll always have shield charms, not to mention the Disarming spell. You've been a Master in that since 2nd, remember?" Potter smiles at his best friend and I feel some relief, before I read on.

 _ **GoF – Chapter 34, Page 555 to 557 – Gof**_

Reading this – how this man takes advantage of his younger victim – really makes me get a foul taste in my mouth, a taste I thought I could lose with the loss of that maniacal monster and his murder spree. But then I look up and see a small confident smile on the lips of Potter and his friends, along with on the face of Dumbledore.  
Dumbledore then explains his: "He still underestimates Harry. If he keeps thinking Harry nothing more than a weakness, he'll make a mistake. He'll actually allow Harry to escape." This makes some students sigh relieved, but I already know that's not the reason behind the confidence on the faces of the four Gryffindors. And so I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 557 - GoF**_

Now my eyes are wide as saucers as I can more than clearly remember how Voldemort had used the Imperius Curse to make powerful men do his bidding and Severus mutters my thoughts: "Potter – can actually – break the – the Dark Lord's – Imperious curse?" To this Harry shrugs and says: "I've been trained under the spell of Fake Moody.  
I was able to break his, so it must have prepared me for breaking Voldemort's." I can still barely believe it as the Imperious curse was a spell the Dark Lord used more for his murders than the Killing Curse as he could force his victims into suicide with it, which was exactly what caused the fear to spread through the people so quickly.  
I shudder as I remember the many, vindictive yet creative ways that monster had let his victims kill themselves, ways even my father would believe inhumane and then look at the young Potter Heir with new respect, finally understanding why even Dumbledore thinks him the only who can take down that monster. And with that I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 557 - GoF**_

Now I shake my head and read the small paragraph again for myself, while a deadly silence has fallen over the Great Hall, many mouths wide open with shock. I read the same words again and think: "Breaking his Imperious ánd dodging his Cruciatus? How many bloody talents is that boy hiding?" I look at the boy shortly before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 557 & 558 - GoF**_

Now, while this one sentence makes me feel as if my blood just froze up and my stomach turned into solid lead, does Potter close his eyes and whisper: "So I was right." This scares me as it means the Dark Lord just can't be killed and then I remember the boy's plan and him muttering something about some kind of fang.  
Suddenly I quickly glance at the Second Book, a book in which I know my most terrible crime will come to light and I think: "Dumbledore told me the Monster had been a Basilisk. Could it be the boy is planning to use its poisonous fangs? I did hear he killed it." This makes me feel a little more comfortable and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 558 – GoF**_

Now I shake my head slightly again, not wanting to believe that a fourteen year old could think like that, while these words caused quite a few gasps and when I look up I see teary girls and proud-smiling boys looking at the Potter Heir, while Krum holds him and whispers: "I can't lose you, Harry. Not both of you. You can't die."  
Potter smiles at the Bulgarian Champion and then he says: "Krum, if I had died, there would not have been books about my fifth, sixth and seventh. I guess I escaped somehow." This makes everyone around him sigh relieved and my eyes widen at how the boy can push his own worries aside for those of others.  
I look at him, as he seems not at all worried, even if I do read some confusion in his eyes and I think: "How can anyone be this selfless? Even when his own life is at stake?" But instead of wondering on, do I read on, feeling proud that the boy is the third cousin of my wife. For the first time ever feeling proud to be related to a Potter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 558 – GoF**_

This shocks everyone around – except for Dumbledore as the man seems to grow in confidence after hearing this – and Potter grabs his wand with wide green eyes, twirling it in his hand and looking at every angle intently, as if trying to see its very core. Then his eyes widen and he whispers: "Of course, the core. The feather."  
But he doesn't elaborate and just puts his wand back in his pocket before looking at me and while I wonder what could be so special about the feather in his wand as the boy suddenly seems to really feel as if he has a fighting chance – if the peaceful grin on his face as he looks at me is anything to go by – and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 558 & 559 – GoF **_

This same sound suddenly sounds from within the hall, sounding eerie yet beautiful and Dumbledore's phoenix appears above Potter in a burst of flames. He lands on the boy's shoulder and to my astonishment, Potter seems unfazed, even if I can't help but notice the quick sign of anger showing in Dumbledore's eyes.  
Harry, instead, simply smiles at the beautiful creature and starts petting it as if this happens every day. He then pulls out and holds up his wand to the phoenix with a wink and the bird thrills a soft proud tune, making me feel quite relaxed, even while I wonder how the two got so close and what they know of that wand, as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 559 & 560 – GoF **_

This shocks everyone senseless and while it makes the Diggory elders hold onto their son extremely tight, does it make me feel relieved that the book is lying on the pedestal. But then I understand and whisper: "Prior Incantatem. The reverse spell. All the Dark Lord's spells, all the murders he committed are being reversed."  
This shocks everyone, the younger students grabbing onto the elder ones and Professor Sprout not looking at me, but at them and Granger asks: "But how?" And Potter answers: "Because of Fawkes." The girl looks at him and he says: "I always hid this fact to the world, but – Voldemort and my wand – share a core."  
Everyone looks shocked and he holds up his wand and says: "This wand's core is a Phoenix Feather – a feather from a Phoenix who gave only one other feather for wand-making. And that feather is in Voldemort's wand." Everyone looks at him shocked and as he lowers his wand again do I continue reading the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 560 & 561 – GoF **_

Already does my wish to read diminish with every word I read and I feel disgusting for having to read about something this personal. Then the dog starts to whine as if he too knows who this woman will be and I look at Potter, only to see him look at me with tears glinting in his eyes – making it more than clear to me that he knows as well.  
I look at Lupin and Severus and while Severus has his head down, are there also tears in Lupin's eyes and I realize the werewolf still has trouble accepting the death of his friends all those years ago. The man sees me looking and for the first time doesn't cringe, but I know it's because of the pain he still feels for that night.  
Vowing to have my wife reunite with her sister, if only to ask Andromeda for help, do I look around, wondering how the other students will take this and then realize that that is exactly the reason I can let the teachers ask Andromeda for help. I take a deep breath, determined to have this plan executed before the next book and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 562 – GoF**_

Everyone who had yet to realize this gasps loudly and Lupin softly stands up, his eyes on me cautiously and his left hand on his side, where I know he hides his wand, as he walks over to the young Potter Heir. I know the man is afraid I will do something to punish him for interfering, but keep my own face neutral.  
Neutral to hide the pain of feeling dirty. Dirty, because I am reading about something Voldemort – that monster – turned from a personal heaven into a living hell. I then look at the Potter boy and think: "There has to be a way for Potter to know his parents, for them to meet with him. I will find it." And then I notice Lupin again.  
He looks at Diggory shortly and Diggory looks at Harry, but the boy only has hurting eyes for his ex-teacher and Diggory turns away to sit with his parents, sliding up a little to allow Lupin to sit with his cub and as Lupin sits down, does the dog again change his seating position, lying his head on Lupin's lap and most of his body on Potter's.  
Lupin wraps an arm around the boy and I look at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering why he doesn't do more, but then, after a few seconds, does the boy cradle against Lupin himself, making me understand that he has trouble with others touching him. This worries me as no kid should have that kind of issues and I go on reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 562 – GoF**_

I again look at Potter, Lupin and the dog and then at Severus, knowing he still hates the fact he lost his best friend – and the girl he has secretly loved his whole school life and afterwards. And indeed, under his curtain of dark hair hiding his face in shadows, can I see small crystals shining, proving that my best friend's crying.  
Lupin then tightens his hold on Harry's shoulders just enough not to make the boy cringe and whispers: "I have no doubt they're proud of what you're doing, Harry. I'm proud of what you've done. So is everyone who cares for you. It hurts, but I have to admit – Harry – not just your parents are your family – my little cub."  
Potter nods and with one hand grabs the dog's fur, to which the dog turns his head and softly licks the wrist, making Potter smile, while tears are strongly running down his cheeks, tears I know he normally wouldn't have shown the school. He then pushes his face in Lupin's shoulder and starts to whisper softly and then goes on repeating it, a little louder every time, before he shouts something that really makes me proud of the young boy.

" _ **I have family!"**_

And with that the two cling to each other, crying loudly and Lupin hiding Harry's face in his shoulder with a strong hand hidden in the boy's hair, but I know that Lupin is crying out of pain for losing members of his pack and out of joy for gaining new family members, while Potter is just crying because of the second reason.  
I smile at the small family and then look at my own, knowing we would have scoffed at this in public, but that we would have fully encouraged it at home. Knowing that the current situation makes it appropriate for us to treat this as a personal matter, do I wait until they've calmed down before I softly continue reading the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 562 – GoF**_

"Like I'd leave it there with those monsters." Potter sniffs, his voice still strong and determined, even if he hiccupped halfway through and the Diggory family smiles at him, while Lupin softly strokes his hair, his other arm tightly wrapped around the boy and the dog has most of his body snuggled up against the boy.  
Granger and Ronald are widely smiling at Potter, obviously proud of him and happy he has found a family of his own and when I look at my wife, I see she's thinking the same I am, making me proud I married her. "No one will ever break up this family. We'll go through hell to prevent that." And with that firm determination, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 562 & 563 – GoF **_

This makes the relief of everyone, the relief they felt when they believed Harry had a good chance to escape, disappear from the room as everyone fears for Harry's life once more and I think: "Potter, please let your legs be as quick as your broom." As I again remember Draco's many complaints about Harry's speed as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 563 – GoF**_

"No." Krum, Diggory, Delacour and McGonagall all gasp softly, none of them able to speak louder out of fear and I hear Narcissa whisper: "Please Lucius, please help him." But I have already read ahead and hold up a hand, silencing everyone as I say: "He's safe. They both are." And while everyone looks at me do I go on reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 34, page 563 – GoF**_

" **YES!"** Is heard all over the Hall and Lupin slightly loosens his grip on Potter, but keeps his arm around the boy, while the dog happily barks and there are now tears coming down from those that were, before, too nervous for Harry's health to cry over Diggory's death or are too emotional to control their relief.  
I can't blame any of them as I currently want nothing more than to go to my own family, get it all together if I can and hold onto them for all my life, if only to make sure we are nowhere near these events as even reading about makes emotions go loose all around. All around relief. All around happiness. All around tears and grins.


	5. But At What Price

_**Chapter 05  
**_ _ **But at what price?**_

 _ **Minerva's POV**_

"Now that my lion has come back to us all, would I like to be the next to read, Mr. Malfoy. I want to know who the scumbag is that is posing as a personal friend." I tell the Malfoy elder, trying to keep the anger out of my voice and keep up my strict appearance and the man nods in understanding, before stepping away from the platform.  
I walk over to take his place, glad that my stiff walk can make sure no one sees how angry I am at the current situation and look at the young lion I consider one of my favorite students. I see him being held tightly by Cedric, crying in the Hufflepuff's shirt, obviously hurt that his friend could have been killed had he not done this.  
Feeling relieved, as I always have one favorite in all of my years and Mr. Diggory had been the one for Hufflepuff for the last 4 years, I think: "Mr. Potter's a lot, but he sure knows how to prepare for situations out of his control." This makes me smile, even if I wish this situation had never existed and then I start to read.

 _ **Veritaserum  
**_ _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 564 & 565 – GoF**_

The young Hufflepuff now does the same to my lion still sniffling softly and I feel my heart break as he doesn't seem to be able to get over the fact that Cedric would have been murdered had he not cast the spell. This in itself makes me hate myself as I can only feel proud of the young lad for his unknowing rescue act.  
But when I see Potter's hands desperately gripping Cedric's shirt, almost tearing it, as if never wanting to keep Cedric where he is, it hits me and I realize that's not what Potter is really crying for. He's crying out of fear. Fear it will still happen. Fear he won't be able to save the elder boy. I smile in pride for my lion before I continue the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 565 – GoF**_

This makes Albus nod in pride and I too smile, knowing that now the Order will be brought back together in the book and we will have a fighting chance, one much better than during the last war, where the Order was easily overpowered every time we fought. Shuddering at the many heart-breaking memories, do I lie my focus elsewhere.  
I look up, hoping not to see the faces of the many people I lost, but of my own students and to my shock do I see them indeed and do I see determined and strong faces all over the Great Hall, on the faces of Hogwarts, Beauxbattons and Durmstrang students, that prove how much everyone actually wants to fight to keep that madman back.  
I look shocked at the unity I see in the hall, a unity I have never seen before – not when I was a student, teacher or Head of House – and when I see that this determined look is even on the face of Mr. Draco Malfoy, I know this book is the best that ever happened to Hogwarts. I smile, not afraid to show my pride and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 565 & 566 – GoF **_

This angers me as I can only think of one person who would go against the words of Dumbledore and Krum voices my thoughts: "The Fake Moody. He's going to try and take – Harry away." This makes Hermione gasp and she says: "He wants to kill Harry. He wants to know what happened at the Graveyard and then kill him."  
Instantly, while Molly tries and fails to hold back a shout of pure fear and while her sons all look white in shock is Harry switched and this time Krum is the one holding onto Harry so tightly, so protectively I know instantly the boy doesn't feel any brotherly feelings towards my little lion; that his feelings reach deeper than that.  
This makes me smile as I had been scared my little lion would not be taken seriously by his elder fellow Champions or that they would ban him out and would form their own little team, but apparently Potter has – yet again – gotten himself a place in the hearts of some good and loving people. And with my worries at ease, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 566 – GoF**_

Now Harry pushes his head into Krum's shoulder, showing the whole school just how scared and worried the boy really is and I know I personally can't blame as young book-Harry had already been through hell and would probably go through a hell almost just as bad in the supposed care of the impersonated ex-Auror.  
Krum seems just as worried and his hold on the young boy tightens, pushing his entire body against his own and when I look closely, I see the Bulgarian isn't holding him like a brother would hold a fellow sibling, but in the way a lover would hold his boy or girlfriend if he or she were afraid of losing their beloved.  
This shocks me as I had expected the Triwizard Tournament to at least create some close friendship bonds, maybe even a familiar bond between the 4 combating students, but had not expected romance to bloom between any of the Champions and certainly not between the youngest and the eldest of them. I smile slightly and read on

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 566 & 567 – GoF **_

This seems to make Snape relax, while the idea of my lion being fed anything by a person of who we don't really know his identity scares me and he says: "Pepper-up potion. No poison." But the fact the fake has a Pepper-up potion does nothing to make me feel any more comfortable as it shows how much he prepared for all of this.  
This makes me thin my lips in fury as no one touches my lions and gets away with it and I think: "I lost James and precious Lily to that mass-murderer, no way will I lose their little boy to one of his retarded lackeys." And with fury strong enough in my voice that I shock my colleagues do I continue the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 567 & 568 – GoF **_

"Нека си иде, вие отрепка." I hear the young Bulgarian Champion whisper, his voice full of venom and obviously aimed at the man keeping book-Harry captive, but I can't understand a word of it and apparently neither can Potter, as he looks at the elder boy questioningly, who then whispers: "I told him to let you go."  
Harry smiles and Krum lies his head back against his shoulder, softly petting through his hair and while my cat-eyes notice a small flinch coming from Harry's form when Krum pulls him closer, does the petting have an apparent calming effect as he peacefully lies against the Bulgarian. This both worries and calms me as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 568 – GoF**_

This makes me look at the Bulgarian Headmaster in question and while I see many of the other students look at him in disbelief and his own with indifference is it only then that I notice that throughout almost the entire reading, Karkaroff has been white as a sheet and has been almost tearing apart the table cloth in his worry.  
To me this obviously means that the Headmaster will indeed flee from Hogwarts the minute Potter's plan fails and I look at the boy, worried not just for his plan to work, but for his health to remain stable as he pulls through. And this is not just because I know what You-Know-Who is capable of, but also because of the Third Task.  
I had been against the idea of letting Hagrid put his creatures in the Tournament from the beginning and even more so when Harry had been named an unexpected fourth champion, but when I had tried to openly protest this, had Albus shockingly enough sided with Fudge on the matter and had I been forced to back down.

I now try not to look at the two with contempt, even if I had seen the guilt shadow over Fudge's face as we read about the dangers Harry had faced in the Maze and even more often when we read about the aftermath of the Cup being a Portkey, but – to my confusion – had this emotion been absent from Albus' face.  
The man had simply kept himself to a regal seating, with his back straight, his eyes aimed at the students instead of Severus and Malfoy and had kept his hands above the table, his fingers interlaced. Wondering how the man could not be worried over what I know is his absolutely favorite student, do I read on, determined to find out.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 568 – GoF**_

"Can't blame you, mate." Ronald finally speaks, sitting across the Champions and Cedric's family and the redhead goes on: "First seeing a friend get killed, then your parents killer returns, you fight him to escape and then you suddenly find out that the teacher you trusted betrayed you." He stops for a second to breath, shakes his head and says:  
"Nope, really can't blame you." Before he's hit on the head by Hermione, making him scream in pain as she asks: "Do you ever stop to think before you speak? How can you talk about Cedric dying, when Cedric only sits 2 seats away from you?" The ginger turns red and crouches his head in his neck, mumbling an apology before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 568 & 569 – GoF **_

"He better not try anything." Lupin growls, his eyes almost completely amber and his arms so tense, it's almost as if his hackles are raised in anger. I can really see the werewolf behind the ever calm and reasonable man and realize this is his anger for someone holding and endangering the only cub he has ever had in his pack.  
Knowing how important pack members are to a werewolf, I wonder if Remus ever really formed a pack with the Potters or Pettigrew – or maybe even – with Black. I shudder at the way the man must have felt when he heard what a _**possible**_ pack-member had done and smile, knowing he'll protect his lone cub, no matter what the consequences are.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 569 – GoF**_

This seems to anger the dog and Krum more than it angers anyone and while I wonder how that dog can be sentient enough to realize his – as far as I believe – owner is being insulted, do I feel an adored smile twitching at my lips at the thought of a protective Viktor Krum. Already knowing Potter will be well-loved by Krum, do I happily read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 569 – GoF**_

"Only by those who have no respect for anyone whatsoever." A young girl I know is named Luna Lovegood says seriously, the dreamy look I know she is known for gone and her eyes straight on me as I read. I smile at the girl, while most of the other Ravenclaws look shocked at the girl's amazingly well-said comment.  
This makes me sigh as it's not hard to see where their disbelief comes from as Luna has – and shows – a very different form of intelligence and while I know that she is often pestered for this, have I always treasured the girl, who – thanks to her different way of thinking – was always able to be the first to finish my projects.  
I then let my eyes sweep over her fellow ravens yet again and shake my head at how some of them are now looking from the girl to each other, obviously trying to see if any of their fellow ravens had expected the girl to be this bright and I think: "She is a fellow raven too, you know." But I ignore this thought and just continue the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 569 & 570 – GoF **_

"Long live Harry's pride!" The twins cheer, their loud voices making some of the students that had been paying close attention scream in shock and I want to reprimand them for their loud interruption, but then they say: "May it always muck up the plans of evil, twisted death-idiots." And the hall laughs at their comment,  
While I smile at their genius and their caring for the young boy. I then send a quick look at Molly, if only to tell her not to reprimand them for their well-placed comment, as I know very well how the woman's willing to try and keep her sons locked away from the entire magical world, just because of one small piece of evil.

I shake my head, hating how I had already seen the consequences of this stubborn belief of her and think: "She really believes she knows what's best, but her stubborn blindness in that dumb belief is exactly what made Bill and Charlie take the jobs they wanted so far away and will probably cause the same for her other kids."  
As I know just fine that Charlie could have worked at the South of Scotland, there being a reserve for the Welsh Green and other Magical Creatures that – sometimes – are smuggled into our nation illegally or are – more often than not – hunted into extinction and that Bill could have easily gone to work at Gringotts back in Diagon Alley,

But the two boys had talked to me during their Career advices and both stories had – sadly enough – been the same; the ideas and orders of Molly Weasley were too precautious or old-fashioned for the two eldest Weasley brothers and they wanted out of England, if only to live their own lives and grow into the men they know they can become.  
I had been proud of my lions, knowing that they indeed could be amazing and great, but had, after hearing some of the orders they were given, understood how their mother was actually driving them away from their family, from the siblings they loved so much they sometimes doubted their decision to leave the country.

This had saddened me and I had agreed with both boys that in exchange for them spending every possible holiday at home, I would help them pass all of their O.W.L.s and all the N.E.W.T.s they would later want to take. I had even vowed that I would personally make sure they would both be hired exactly where they wanted to work.  
I had never, in my life, been more proud than of how hard those two boys worked to achieve their goal and keep to their words. Yet, at the same time, had I never been more saddened by the reason behind their ambition and their hard work. Yet I try, again, to look at the positive side of it all and with a proud smile do I continue the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 570 – GoF**_

This relieves me, while younger students and those that don't know what a Foe-Glass is look at each other in confusion and Harry seems to understand as well as he says: "That means people know. They know Moody's a fake and they're coming. They want to catch him." This relieves everyone nervous for the young boy's fate.  
Even the dog seems to calm down, while he had been softly whining since Harry had entered the office and he now sits on the ground in front of Harry with his head on the boy's lap. I wonder how close the two are as I never before saw the animal and then decide to see if he comes up somewhere during the other books. And so I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 570 – GoF**_

Now Ronald and Hermione shake their heads, while I wonder why they don't seem as worried as Krum and the others and then Hermione answers my curiosity as she says: "If only you hadn't just had to fight off Voldemort. That would had made sure you had a clear enough head to figure out who that man really is."  
To this, while I wonder how the girl knows this and whether or not it's due to the other mysteries Harry had to solve to save the school, does Harry jump up and just like a few chapters ago, does he start to pace, this time the other Champions letting him do his thing. He mutters words I can barely hear, but there are a few words that I do hear.  
"World Cup – something – it – Winky – Crouch – Bagman." But these words mean nothing to me and then the boy seems to have figured it out, as he stands still with a suddenness that shocks those around him and almost makes the Hufflepuff next to him fall off his seat in shock, except Hermione and Ronald, who are of course used to it.

He starts pacing again, making Ron roll his eyes before the two of them share a proud smile and this time Harry clearly says: "Of course, it all fits. The Cup, Winky struggling, the secrets she couldn't speak off, Bertha Jorkins, the attack on Moody. All of it fits, except – how did he hide? What did he use? A spell – or maybe a talent – or –."  
Another sudden stop, his eyes looking at me while I can tell by his look that he isn't seeing me the way we are all seeing him and he says: "Yes, of course." Then Ronald says: "You know, mate. You and Hermione are really the same. You both mutter and think for yourselves, but what you're talking about, no one understands."  
Harry glares at him, as if expecting of his ginger-haired best friend to instantly understand his mumbling and says: "Remember that empty seat Winky was saving for Crouch? She wasn't. That's the secret she spoke off. The secret Bertha Jorkins discovered. She discovered it and then Crouch cast Memory spells on her mind and –."  
But then, just when some of the students move to sit closer to him does he shake his head and say: "The Chapter's called Veritaserum. I say we just read and I'll try to see how much of it I figured out." Everyone nods, Hermione and Ronald smiling in happy pride while some students look amazed and when Harry sits down, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 570 & 571 – GoF **_

"So that's why he joined." Harry mutters with a frown, making me wonder who he's talking about. Ronald and Hermione look at the boy confused, but Harry shakes his head, which the two seem used to as they don't voice their questions and instead listen as he says: "I just wondered how they could be that different."  
This confuses me, but I know the answer lies in the book before me. I then look back at my little Lion, now patting and softly stroking the fur of the large dog with a proud, loving grin on his face and I feel relieved he can use his talents and family to stay calm during such a tense chapter as I know others are worried plenty enough. And so I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 571 – GoF**_

This makes the tension that came up when I read about the fake wanting to conquer my little Lion calm down considerably, some students even taking some water to ease their worries and Albus says: "If that fake ever betrayed himself to be a fake, it was there. Alastor would never take his eye of his Foe Glass, not even around friends."  
I nod at him, while hating how the man that was once my mentor during the war with Grindlewald became the most paranoid man to have ever lived in the Moody family, even if I know that part of his paranoia was due to his family having all been renowned Aurors themselves, the job itself not being without risks. And with that thought do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 571 & 572 – GoF **_

This makes several students – especially the younger ones and the students of the other schools – and even myself tremble in fear and I think: "I barely ever saw him like that. The last time was – that fake attack on Hogsmeade." I shudder as I think back to that horrible day – the day You-Know-Who almost conquered Hogwarts.  
It had been in 1976 – the year Lily had been in her 6th and had only just started to get over her pain of losing Severus as a friend – and had been during the Christmas Hogsmeade Weekend. James had been pestering Lily that she should be hanging around Hogsmeade with him, his friends laughing behind his back and Lily snapping at him terribly.  
But then Death Eaters had attacked the small town and Albus and I had immediately come to the students aid. It had been the day where the McKinnons had lost their Leading Lady, Marigold McKinnon, where Lily Evans had proven herself a worthy Prefect and where James Potter had proven himself proper Head Boy Material.  
But while I had been fighting and leading the Students into the Three Broomsticks had Albus realized that half the elite of You-Know-Who's inner army was missing, had he rushed to the castle, only to release wave of his purest of magic as You-Know-Who had as good as breached the Hogwarts' wards and was trying to hold 1st years hostage.  
But then, just when Albus had made sure that the 1st year could escape into the school, had the Marauders shown up and had they showed why they were a pride to our School as the spells they fired at You-Know-Who and his men were beyond exceptional. Black had even, with a couple of spells, showed pride in his family's upbringing,

But it was James in the end that You-Know-Who was after. This in itself makes me shudder as only four years later had You-Know-Who's attention dwindeled from father to son and even now – 18 years after that awful day, is that madman still after the poor young boy. I shake my head at this and think back to that day, so long ago.

You-Know-Who had dueled James that day, actually playing with him, but James seemed to be holding back as well – I can only fanthom on his actual Potter heritage and the spells his father had taught him – and You-Know-Who had, throughout the duel, tried to convince the Sixth Year Gryffindor to join him.  
But that had been the first time James had defied You-Know-Who as he had shouted about how You-Know-Who had killed almost all of his family and had, while I can still very clearly remember the pain with which he had been shouting, banished him from the grounds with a powerful stag Patronus – the same his son can apparently conjure.  
I then look back at my oldest friend and know he vowed to do everything to make Harry just as strong and make sure he could make us just as proud as his father did. But then I look back at the young boy in question – the boy that has been pushed through so much he thought of all this and think: "But at what price?" Before reading on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 572 – GoF**_

This makes the dog glare at Dumbledore and I too feel angered at my friend for actually doing this to a boy, who had just seen his friend get killed and his parents murderer get revived, only to be almost killed by the spy, pretending to be a teacher my young lion actually trusted. I shake my head, knowing my answer and continue the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 572 – GoF**_

"Followed?" Remus asks furiously, his voice strong enough to even silence me and make many students look at him in shock and then he spats: "Albus, if you had followed you would have stopped them halfway the trip to that retched office, not when Harry was at wand point with a locked door and a madman in front of him."  
Severus of course glares at the werewolf, which makes me yet again wish that the Head of Slytherin would let go of a past that died along with James and Lily, but Remus doesn't back down like he sometimes does and I know that the werewolf within him must be amazingly strong now that it knows its cub was in so much danger.  
I smile at this, knowing that to a werewolf only 2 things are really important: its mates and cubs. And because Remus, for some reason I still don't understand, never gave himself the chance of a mate, he considers Harry even more precious. Not to mention the fact that he is the only adult of the pack left to take care of the young, lone cub.  
This makes me sigh and curse Black, just like I silently do every year on Halloween, when I retreat to my office after the Feast and where I spend the whole night – until midnight – going through my many photobooks of Lily and James, rereading their Transfigurations essays and crying over their deaths. I then shake my head and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 572 & 573 – GoF **_

About this I feel confused, but Harry seems to understand and says: "I knew it. The – . Wait a minute." He then says and turns to Albus and asks: "Professor, I know how I know of Winky, but how did –?" But before he has even finished his own sentence, he says: "Oh wait, the Pensieve. Never mind, sir." Albus smiles at him and I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 573 – GoF**_

Now the dog barks happily and I wonder: "Is it Hagrid? No, he was just as shocked when he saw it come in. But then whose is it? And how do Albus and Harry know about it?" I shake my head, deciding to just let the book answer my questions as it's obvious the only people knowing won't tell me and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 573 – GoF**_

This makes me sigh relieved as I had been worried for my friend since the start of the reading, but then I ask a question that has been bugging me for quite some time now: "How could anyone even have been able to capture him?" But Harry says: "Trust me, the man impersonating Moody's not alone and he sure is crazy enough to pull it off.  
Besides, Ron and I know exactly when they did it." This makes Ron look shocked and Harry says: "Sure you do. Remember that floo call, just before we had to leave for King's Cross?" And Ron seems to get his words as he says: "Of course. The false attack of those trash cans." Harry nods, I feel confused again and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 573 & 574 – GoF **_

"WHAT?" Everyone shouts shocked, the Ministerial members more than anyone else and Zacharias Smith says: "But that doesn't make sense. Crouch disappeared in the forest. He was almost found by Potter and Krum." But Harry shakes his head and says two words that make no sense whatsoever: "Different Crouch."

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 575 – GoF**_

"SON!" All the adults shout as all of us can clearly remember Junior's last act before his incarceration and then Potter's words finally make sense. But then Neville asks: "Wait, you mean – Barty Crouch Junior?" And when I nod, I can see an anger and hatred shining on the boy's face that almost makes me worried about the fake's fate.  
But then Harry, who sees the anger and hatred as well, lies a calming hand on his fellow Lion's shoulder and says: "Neville, like I told Lupin and his friend last school year in the Shack, I will tell you almost the same: your parents would not have wanted their son to be a killer, just to get rid of a piece of scum like that."  
Longbottom takes a deep breath to calm down, while many are shocked at Potter's responsible words and that he said something like that a year ago, but while I wonder why Potter had to say something like that to Lupin, does this only answers my question all the more and makes me know that yes, it indeed cost way too much.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 575 – GoF**_

"EXCUSE ME!" Remus and I growl at the same time, the man standing up and looking at Snape with the same hate filled glare he is often looked at, actually scaring Severus enough, but when Lucius raises an arm in front of the Potions master, for some reason, Remus draws back slightly, before his love for his cub overcomes his fear.  
He then seems to try and ignore Lucius for reasons I do not understand and growls: "No one threatens my cub. Especially not people who just don't have the guts to see past their personal grudge and harass an innocent child." And Potter shocks and silences any retort Snape might have wanted to give as he harshly says:  
"An innocent child who never got to know his father, because some maniac took him that chance way too early and no one ever told the child a single thing about his father." This makes me lower my head as I had always believed that Petunia had been Harry's source of information about his parents and I read on, not wanting to think further.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 575 – GoF**_

This alone shocks me, but then Harry nods and Ron asks grinning: "And pray tell how you thought of that?" To which Potter, with a very calm smile on his face, shrugs and says: "He used the Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Moody a little too expertly for my taste. He had to have used it before." Ron turns his eyes skyward and I read on

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 576 – GoF**_

"Any ideas, Harry?" Cedric asks teasing, but to my shock Harry nods and Amos, who is obviously still shocked that Junior had escaped, asks: "Oh come on! How did you figure this one out then?" And Harry answers: "I heard from a reliable source that Couch sr. allowed the Aurors to use the Unforgivables." Amos growls and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 576 – GoF**_

Harry shrugs and says: "No way would Crouch give that order to his Aurors if he didn't have any experience with it himself, whether he had been under it or knows how to cast it." I feel shocked at his amazing logic and while wondering if Crouch could have been under this spell before he disappeared and – possible died – do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 576 – GoF**_

To this Harry looks down, as if he regrets being right again and Fudge asks: "Mr. Potter, how on earth could you have known that?" To which Harry admits: "During last summer I had a nightmare where I saw Voldemort and he confessed that he had taken several memory charms off of her mind, making him know of the Cup and Tournament."  
And Ronald ends: "And he said it two chapters ago." Making Fudge blush, but making Harry smile at his best friend and I know that Ron didn't say it to make the Minister feel bad, but to make his best friend feel better. This makes me feel very proud of the bond the two boys have developed over the years and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 576 & 577 – GoF **_

"How on earth did you know about that?" This time it's Harry who is actually asking Albus and then Remus growls and says: "Albus, if you stayed behind that closed door, listening in, then so help me Merlin, I will make you regret endangering my cub for your curiosity." And personally I can only agree with the werewolf protective of his cub.  
I then sneak another quick glance at the man that became a friend of mine shortly after the War with Grindlewald and another small twinge of hate grows in my heart as the man is still avoiding the chance to look my way, but isn't looking at Remus either, looking directly over the man's shoulder instead. Sighing at his actions, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 577 & 578 – GoF **_

"House-elves can do that?" Malfoy junior asks, shocked enough to make me know he never had that done to him and Hagrid nods, shocking the blonde into looking at him as he says: "They can only do it to the children of families that own them. It's their way of protecting their families and ensuring the Family line to continue.  
If a child, no matter what the age, gets bound to a House-Elf by their own magic, only Light spells can hit the child and only if the parent is sure the spells won't harm the child or if the casters are people the parent trusts. Once the child turns seventeen or if the House-Elf is freed or accidentally killed, can the bond be broken."  
Malfoy looks shocked that his Care of Magical Creatures teacher knows such things, while he must also feel pretty stupid that there was something of a creature he had that he didn't know about, while Hagrid, who doesn't have a House-Elf, did know about it. This makes me smile as it proves that Albus chose wisely when he chose Hagrid as teacher.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 578 – GoF**_

"How can that be?" A Beauxbattons girl asks, her look at Hagrid clearly showing how little she thought of him and his knowledge and her smirk proving she thought she had proven him wrong, even while Madam Maxime glares at her to keep quiet, but Harry, who obviously also sees the look in her eyes, answers and says:  
"Mr. Crouch sr. was one of the casters at the time, meaning he trusted his fellow casters. And so the bond was broken as the parental bond between father and son was reinstated and the spells could hit Crouch jnr. Am I right, professor?" He asks in the end, looking perfectly innocent as Hagrid nods proudly and I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 578 & 579 – GoF **_

"That must have been one of the last moments he was completely in control of his own sanity." Harry mumbles, shocking Percy, while he looks worriedly at Krum, who nods in silent understanding of the boy's needs and yet again pulls him close, the way he holds his arms proving that the older boy has romantic feelings to his younger partner.  
But then I look closer at Harry and see that he doesn't see that Krum has a crush on him. Lily had been unable to see that as well, wanting not to see past the bullying toe rag she thought of James, but when the boy became Head boy and let something important to him slip, Lily saw the caring, helpful and ever loyal boy, James Potter was.  
This had been the start of their relationship, but as I look at Harry again, as I sigh at the single, very significant difference between the two. Where Harry allowed death and other troubles to emancipate him before his time, James went out of his way to keep his teenage years even as a 20 year old father of a son. I shake my head and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 579 & 580 – GoF **_

I look at the young boy over my spectacles, while several of his friends, like Hermione and Ronald, look at him openly and the students looks at him curiously, but the boy looks at me too seriously to make me think he's shocked by any of the things I'm reading, making me know he thought of everything like it happened this far.  
This makes me wonder how he could have known all of this and I decide to question him on his entire discovery after we have read it from the mouth of this monster. I shake my head, knowing how hard it must be for young Mr. Longbottom – seeing what this man did to his parents – and read on quicker – both to know and to help.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 580 – GoF**_

"The night ve met him at the Forest after seeing vhere the Third Task vill take place. The night I – I asked you about you and Hermione." Krum says with eyes showing his shock, while faltering slightly at the end and Hermione asks: "He actually asked that, Harry?" Harry nods and I see Hermione look at Krum strangely.

 _ **Hermione's POV**_

I wonder why Krum asked Harry about me and him, because at the end of the Yule Ball, Krum took me alone and told me he was gay, had been for 3 years now and only went out and looked at girls, because of his reputation as a Quidditch star. At first I had been hurt, but then I felt giddy, as Viktor explained me why he had asked me.  
He had apparently believed to have seen an angel when he saw Harry fly and now had a crush on him. I had felt flattered and honored that I was Viktor's way to get closer to Harry and had promised to let as much of him slip as I could to make Harry interested in him as well as the idea of those two together had pleased my inner girl.

Viktor had thanked me and we had laughed as he told me that if that didn't work, he always had the other Champion, who wanted for Harry to be happy. Then I realize why Viktor had asked this and giggle, making Ron glare at me, but I whisper: "Viktor has a crush on Harry and asked me to the Ball, so my friendship could get him closer to Harry.  
I also promised I would let attributes of his fall every now and again to make Harry interested and now – back at that conversation – Viktor didn't ask that question because he was jealous of Harry for supposedly having me – but of me for having Harry." The boy looks shocked and then he spares a glance at Viktor.  
The elder boy seems to have caught on, or at least understands Ron's shocked look, as he nods in agreement. Ron keeps looking at me a little longer and I shake my head at him in silent discontent, seeing how he has obviously not even thought of the idea of a boy liking another boy being possible – let alone his best friend.

 _ **Minerva's POV**_

I see Hermione explain the situation between Harry and Krum to Ron and the look on the boy's face makes me know he never even considered gay men, while that is a much more common pairing than straight couples in the Wizarding world, Mostly because others can easily see good pairings and then often help the gay-couples get together.  
I then turn my eye to 1 of the 2 people of a couple I have been trying to get together since James and Lily did and sigh. Remus and Sirius Black would have made an adorable, not to mention amazing and sometimes dangerously funny couple had something not been keeping Remus from seeking out a partner and had Black not –  
I then shake my head wildly, not wanting to think about that as the pain and disbelief in my heart are still too strong to face and had made me pull up every bit of my mental defences during the year Black was trying to get into Hogwarts, if only to make it easier for the last friend of the filthy traitor. With this do I lie my focus elsewhere and read on

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 580 – GoF**_

Now the twins and Harry whiten and Remus stands up and says: "I would like to admit that I know of what Map is being spoken off and would like to use this opportunity to say that this Map is an official Heirloom of Harry, left to him by his father, even in James' will and so cannot, under no condition, ever be taken from him. Is that clear?"  
Everyone nods, but I wonder what Map the man's talking about. But then I look from the twins to Remus and finally to Harry as I finally get it and think: "So that's how those three groups are so capable to staying out of our eyesight all the time. They must all have used it." I shake my head, silently proud and continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 580 & 581 – GoF **_

"He WHAT?" Most of the hall shouts while some of the students in the hall are just too shocked and revulsed to response, this not including one of the twins as he is one of the shouters and the other goes on: "HOW COULD HE?" And the other goes on: "HIS OWN FATHER?" And together they chorus: "HE'S BLOODY MAD!"  
And with that I know the two perfectly worded how everyone in the Great Hall thinks of Crouch jnr as no one else makes a single sound, the revulsed students not doing so out of probable fear that if they open their mouths they will throw up and others – mostly my own lions – just too furious to speak. I personally tremble in rage as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 35, page 581 – GoF**_

This makes me close the book, quickly marking the page with a flick of my wand, with thin lips, closed eyes and my head shaking as I just cannot believe what would have happened had we not decided to read these books and then Ronald, obviously trying to relieve the shocked tension all around the room, asks:  
"Well Harry, old buddy, how much did you guess?" And Harry, who doesn't smile at all, states: "All of it. I first thought of the Quidditch World Cup and the empty seat and then thought of Professor Snape stating he was missing Polyjuice Potions ingredients. Then it all hit me as I put all other parts of the puzzle together.

What I heard from Voldemort about Bertha Jorkins – the empty seat – Winky knowing secrets she couldn't speak of – the fact Moody constantly drank from his flask – what I saw in Dumbledore's Pensieve of the Crouch family – my missing wand – and it all fit." I feel amazed at how well the boy thought things through and he says:  
"Bertha Jorkins' mind was memory blocked and unlocked by Voldemort, because she had seen something Crouch sr. wanted no one to know about. And sr. is all about abiding the law, so he himself not doing that would allow his son freedom – or as much freedom as a man who gives his Aurors permission to use Unforgiveables is willing to give.  
Now I can just tell you all that I figured out, but seeing we just read all about it, I guess it's not really necessary." Everyone nods, some of the student looking at him with slight relief and Viktor says: "No, it's not. I'm just glad you're done vith all this." And while Harry nods, do I look at Albus, wondering if it would really be for the boy.


	6. Why The Anger Just Now?

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **I have good news for those that don't have Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire paperback edition published in September 2014. Starting this chapter will I be adding small bits of texts which I put into the CR parts to further prove how my – if you view him that way – OC Harry came to be and this will continue with all other books.  
**_ _ **Fun, right?**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
PS. WARNING! MENTION OF ABUSE AND RAPE! WARNING!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 06  
**_ _ **Why The Anger Just Now?**_

 _ **Fudge's POV**_

I can barely believe what just happened. You-Know-Who wants to use our precious Tournament to get, use and kill an innocent teenager, who is also our National Hero and caused our entire Tournament to become one big scam with all the trouble the Fourth Champion thing caused all those months ago.  
Luckily, the reading of what that monster did with his minions and enemies showed perfectly well how terrible it is to serve him and how important it is to fear him and while I can see from the faces of all students that they now hate the monster as well, do I think: "At least now the Ministry can help Hogwarts take a stand against that mad man."  
I then see Potter, the young lad being very courageous and strong seeing how he held himself through all these terrible event, looking at the scary large black dog, reminding me of the Grim my grandfather saw, 3 hours before he died of his cancer suddenly worsening terribly and the boy then looks at me and says: "Minister, I think you should read next."

This makes me smile, because I have quite liked the boy since I first met him in the Leaky Cauldron back before his third. The boy had shown a strange – but seeing how bad his relatives treated my men still slightly understandable – desire to never see those Muggles again and I wonder if the books will show me why on that.  
At the same time can I not help but feel overjoyed at getting to know a boy so little people really seem to know. I then again look at the boy and his tight-knit group of friends and know that although barely anyone really knows the boy, those that do know him, know him heart and soul, something I can see is truly essential to the young Potter Heir.  
With that I stand up, remembering how it felt when I was in school and with my friends and instead walk over to the owl stand on which the book is lying and as I walk, I look back at the other books and think: "Yes, Potter is secretive, but he has a good heart and knows when to open up." And with that I start reading, feeling glad Skeeter's not invited.

 _ **The Parting of the Ways  
**_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 582 – GoF**_

"I can assure you, Mr. Potter, the only thing making me sick was how cruelly that monster treated those around him and how little he thought of those important to us." McGonagall says sternly, but with a caring tone and while several adults look at her with smiles of pride, can I just not agree more with the stern, caring woman as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 582 – GoF**_

This makes me feel relief as it means Hogwarts and the Ministry can work together to prepare for the mass-terror You-Know-Who will surely cause. The thought that he came back during my reign as Minister does indeed worry me, but then I look back at the boy who faced him and was forced to be used for his return and think:  
"I hope he can stop this from happening." But then shake my head and think: "It might be his plan, but why on earth would I rely my fate on the shoulder's of a fourteen year old." And with that do I resign myself firmly. Would Harry's plan fail, then that will only stimulate me all the more to bring that monster down and with that do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 582 & 583 – GoF **_

"ALBUS DUMBLEDORE! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Lupin shouts furiously, actually shocking me as I know the man to be known for his reasonable calmness, but then realize the man's only shouting out of worry for his cub and quickly read on, hoping to Merlin that Albus knows what he's doing.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 583 – GoF**_

This seems to make the werewolf slightly calmer and he growls: "You better let Sirius comfort Harry, Albus, or I swear full moon will be nothing compared to how I will rip you a new one." Everyone who knows Lupin – mainly the teachers – looks shocked that the man actually threatens the Headmaster of Hogwarts and I think:  
"Who on earth is this Sirius person that Lupin thrusts him with his own cub?" I try to think of people that Lupin can know that have that name and instantly dismiss the first possibility – even if Harry Potter's behavior last year still leaves me with slight doubts about Sirius Black's guilt. But then I shake my head and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 583 – GoF**_

Now Potters' friends smile at him knowingly and proudly, as if expecting nothing less of the lad, while the parents in question thank him for caring with their own smiles and while Cedric smiles as well, obviously happy to know that Harry cares, does Harry shrug, as if his worry for them is to be considered nothing out of the ordinary.  
This makes me know that most of what Skeeter wrote about the boy is nothing but lies and I turn to the Aurors and say: "Shacklebolt, Tonks. You have official permission to investigate Rita Skeeter on ground of public lies and reporting lies of a minor." The two Aurors nod, Tonks looking ecstatic and I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 583 – GoF**_

I shake my head and read the last part of the sentence again, suddenly realizing who we have been reading about the entire time. I look up, again remembering how avidly Potter and his friend had tried to defend Black's innocence only a year ago and ask: "Mr. Potter, do you actually – trust – the mass murderer – Sirius Black?"  
And Potter, leaning back against Krum and examining his finger nails as if they're more important to him than the many shocked looks on the faces of the students around him, says calmly: "Seeing he gave me my Firebolt and that the teachers can testify for there not to be any curses on that broom, yes, Minister, I do."  
I look at this shocked, my eyes straying to a shocked McGonagall and Flitwick and Hermione says: "And if you read on, Minister, you will see that Sirius Black cares for nothing but his Godson and only his Godson." I look at the girl, who looks back at me with a look that dares me to contradict her, just like last year and so I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 583 & 584 – GoF **_

The Phoenix in question is of course also in the room, but since the Prior Incantatem chapter have I not seen hide nor hair – I mean, feather – of the bird. Then the creature softly makes a sound and to my shock, I see him leaning on the back of the gigantic dog lying on Potter's feet. Shocked at the strange union, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 584 – GoF**_

"ALBUS! NO!" Lupin shouts and he goes on: "Harry will not be your source for intel! He just saw a murder, for Merlin's sake! What he needs is a person who will first comfort him, help him get over what he saw and then, as he gets over it, help him relive it in a calm and loving environment – NOT SOMEONE'S BLOODY OFFICE!"  
"Remus –." Dumbledore tries, but Lupin won't let him and snaps: "No Albus! Harry has a memory that excels that of Lily and James, I saw that all last year when I taught him. He needs to let go and come at peace, so that he can peacefully analyze his memories and come up with ways to prevent it from reoccurring!"  
He then glares so ferociously at the man it's almost like the wolf within him is leering at a fresh prey or an enemy endangering his pack and he snarls: "If this happens again, I want your word Harry will be send to Sirius immediately and will be around only Sirius, until he is ready to openly talk about it. YOUR WORD, ALBUS!"

Lupin shouts in the end as Albus tries to yet again reason with the werewolf – something that makes me want to shake my head as I already know this to be fultile – and McGonagall says: "Remus, I will see to it that Black and Potter will get together if this does occur, but I need your word that Black can be trusted with this."  
Lupin smiles at the woman, while Albus looks at her as if she betrayed him and the werewolf, now calmly, says: "Trust me, Minerva, I wouldn't let Sirius get Harry after something like this if I wasn't one hundred percent sure my cub would come of it out alright." The woman nods, but then Potter looks shocked and asks:

"Cub?" And again am I reminded of the strangely difficult relationship of the boy and his relatives as Lupin smiles at him and says: "Yes Harry, you're the cub of my pack and the only one I have, so in werewolf rights, you're as good as my son. And you sure made me feel for you like that when your dad first showed you to Sirius and me."  
The boy smiles and Amos and Nella, who have been sitting close to Harry if only to be close to their son, make way for the werewolf to sit with his cub, who then hugs the boy and says: "We'll help you through this, cub. If your plan fails, we'll help you set things straight again, I promise." And internally do I promise too.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 584 – GoF**_

The glare the werewolf shows his old Headmaster doesn't lessen as he listens to me reading and I too think: "Albus, what do you think of this boy? A recruit in your army or something?" And for some reason this makes me fear how far Dumbledore is willing to push the boy. I send a worried look the boy's way and then quickly read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 584 & 585 – GoF **_

"I doubt it." Lupin growls, while he now has Harry very close against him with one hand in the boy's hair and Dumbledore asks: "Remus, why are you so adamant against Harry telling me this?" And Lupin snaps: "I'm not, Albus. I'm against the fact it happened so early on. When I first heard of Lily and James being killed, it tore me apart."  
This makes both Albus and myself wince but the man seems determined to make a point as he says: "But then Sirius was arrested and I was brought to the Ministry, questioned about my friendship with him and the Potters again and again. It gave me nightmares and I couldn't let go of Lily and James dying for three full years."  
Everyone looks shocked, some of the students looking at my coworkers in disgust and Lupin bites: "Had the Ministry waited two or three days, I would have been able to come at peace with myself with the fact that my friends were dead and I would have done everything I could to make sure they didn't die in vain."  
He then glares at Dumbledore, while I vow to never let such a thing happen again and he says: "You're being no better than the Ministry all those years ago, Albus and I swear I will eat all of the grass of the Quidditch pitch if Harry doesn't get nightmares of Cedric dying and Voldemort being reborn." And with that I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 585 – GoF**_

"Albus!" Lupin hisses softly, but so vehemently it would have sounded less frightening had he shouted it and he goes on: "If this is one of your terrible Greater good scapegoat plans, so help you, Albus, this entire Great Hall won't be full enough to stop me from killing you." This statement shocking me enough to stop reading.  
The werewolf then ends the rant with a furious spat: "No one and I mean absolutely no one ever endangers my cub." This makes me think of Black and I wonder what would have happened to the man had Lupin not discovered of the man's possible innocence before their meeting. Shuddering at the possibilities, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 585 & 586 – GoF **_

"WHAT?" Potter asks shocked, his voice louder than that of all the other students that now look between the boy and his Headmaster and Potter looks down at the Phoenix still perched on the black dog and whispers something I can't hear, but to which the bird lets out a melodious sound that the boy seems to take for a confirmation.  
He looks shocked and whispers: "Unbelievable, but that does make sense." And the bird happily chirps, while I wonder what he's talking about. And more importantly, why he's suddenly looking so intently at the second book of the row. Remembering how bad I screwed up at the end of that year, I feel embarrassed and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 586 & 587 – GoF **_

Now the dog whines, but Harry smiles and whispers something, his head actually bowed to make sure others don't hear him and the dog happily turns his head up to lick the boy's face, making the boy laugh and making those around him – Krum and Lupin – smile at the picture along with a few others, who I know are still slightly confused.  
Glad the boy has so much to keep himself calm during all these terrible and tense chapters and that there are so many people supporting him, do I think: "How much worse can this book become? We're only one more chapter away from the end. Surely it can't get worse." And I sigh and then read on, not knowing how wrong I am.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 587 – GoF**_

Now Potter lies his head down as if in deep pain and says: "Azkaban must have prevented him from ever coming at peace with what happened." This shocks me, but strangely enough not Lupin, as I wonder why the boy feels bad for something like this, seeing how it's mostly Black's fault it happened in the first place.  
Then suddenly McGonagall shocks me and says: "Wait a minute! Wormtail?" And Potter, Granger and Weasley smirk, while Lupin says: "I wondered how long it would take you, Minerva. You're losing touch." Do I see him cast a silencing spell at the twins, which makes me wonder if they know the Marauders as well.  
The woman glares at the man and Bagman asks: "What's so special about that name, Minerva? Sounds like quite the common Halfblood of Muggle name to me." And the woman answers him, her voice shaking more and more as she speaks: "It's not. Black, Potter and Lupin used that nickname. They used it for Peter Pettigrew."

This shocks me and Shacklebolt asks: "Are you sure, Minerva?" The woman nods, her eyes now locked with Lupin's who just keeps smiling at her in a strange sense of pride and says: "Positive, I lost count of how many times Black changed that to Wormy. They all had nicknames, but only Lupin's always made sense.  
Moony of course represented his lycanthropy as it stood for his full-moon problem, a problem I remember Mr. Lupin always knew how to hide away. But Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs I never understood, although I did often believe Black called Potter Prongs, because he could be as stubbornly proud as a stag or something."  
This makes Weasley, Granger and Potter snicker and to my confusion, I see the dog lying down and lying his paws on top of his muzzle, while – in some way or another – I can see an amused smirk on the mutt's face. Lupin then waves his wand again and the twins ask: "What did we miss?" But Lupin shakes his head at them.  
Then I focus back on the matter at hand and think: "But if Wormtail was the nickname for Pettigrew – then why does You-Know-Who use it for that servant? I mean, Black killed Pettigrew years ago, didn't he?" But for some reason – probably because of the book – do I not feel so sure about that anymore and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 587 – GoF**_

"And in return you just ordered him to report those terrible events as if you're some war general and he's nothing but a meager soldier or something to you." Lupin growls, obviously still furious at Dumbledore for not letting Potter rest and while I cannot help myself but agree with the angry werewolf, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 587 – GoF**_

"A right – TO EXPECT!" Weasley is the one shouting this, his face redder than his hair and his fist already clenched tight enough his hands are bleeding, while his mother tries to pull him down from where he has stood up and while everyone – mostly the teachers – now looks as if they've been punched in the gut.  
Most of them are gaping, while some of the French and Bulgarian are softly whispering in their native tongue and then suddenly Weasley's mother shouts: "Ronald Billius, have some –." But that's as far as she gets, before her eldest sons grab her arms and shake their heads at her, telling her not to interfere, as her youngest goes on:

"YOU ACTUALLY THOUGHT YOU HAD THE **BLOODY** RIGHT TO EXPECT FROM HARRY THAT HE POURS HIS HEART OUT AND RELIVES SOMETHING CLOSE TO – NO, TEN IF NOT **A** **HUNDRED** **TIMES** WORSE – THAN A NIGHTMARE ONLY BECAUSE **YOU TELL HIM TO**?  
WHAT DO YOU THINK HE IS? A COMMON HOUSE-ELF? THAT'S MY **BLOODY BEST FRIEND** YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! DO YOU REALLY THINK **WE WILL ALLOW YOU** TO TREAT HIM WITH SUCH DISRESPECT? STAY AWAY FROM HIM IF YOU THINK SO LITTLE OF HIM!"

Everyone looks shocked at the furious, steaming young boy, the white, trembling Headmaster he's glaring at and the furious mother who is only being restrained by the eldest two sons and then he spats something I can barely believe: "Years ago, Hermione, Harry and I suspected you had orchestrated the whole thing concerning the Stone.  
Don't make us believe the same actually happened here, Headmaster." And he sneers the title with a sneer worthy of the Malfoy Family. I look at Albus shocked, hoping the Weasley boy to be wrong about this and while Albus is now glared at by almost the entire population of the Great Hall, do I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 587 & 588 – GoF **_

"Great." One of the twins says silently, his voice filling up most of the hall as everyone else is too curious to speak and the other goes on: "Black." And while both look at the dog sitting with Potter, they chorus: "Dog?" And to my shock a grinning Sirius Black transforms out of the dog, the Phoenix on his back flying up to land on his shoulder.  
He takes his place on the other side of the boy, Krum moving away to let him and then he hugs the boy and whispers: "You have no idea how hard this was. The whole time during that duel I –." But he seems unable to find the right words and Potter, shockingly enough, hugs him back, holding him tightly as he says:  
"I know, Sirius, I know. It's alright." This again reminds me of how vehemently Potter had tried to defend Black last year and then I think: "Could Severus have been lying to me? But why would such a cunning man risk lying to the Minister of Magic?" And I spare a quick glance at the glaring Head of Slytherin House before reading on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 588 – GoF**_

Now Black glares at Albus, his glare almost as furious as young Ronald was minutes ago and hisses: "Filthy hypocrite." And the man lowers his head, while Lupin goes on: "Not allowing his friends to ask him careful questions that can help him overcome his pain, but still demanding our boy to report to him like some low-class Auror."  
And I shake my head, realizing how right the two are and how wrong Albus has handled the situation. I look at the man I so often send letters to with questions for information and wonder: "What happened to you, Albus? What made you want to lose our trust?" And while I hope that this question is proven wrong, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 588 – GoF**_

This shocks me and Nott snorts and says: "And that while she was the only one, next to Dumbledore, speaking." The woman flushes but glares at him, shocking the boy, but he doesn't back down, instead he looks back at her indifferently. The woman seems shocked that her glare doesn't make young Nott apologize and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 588 & 589 – GoF **_

"More like scared for you." Weasley answers the teen and Granger, with deep care in her tone, goes on: "He's right, Harry. We might trust Dumbledore, but that he didn't bring you to the Hospital Wing instantly would have made us really worried. We would have really wanted to help you get over what happened and then Dumbledore –  
in the book, that is –." She corrects herself before saying: "Comes in and says he already interrogated you and that you shouldn't be questioned again. As if we're the ones demanding to know everything." She shakes her head and I too feel myself doing so, while Albus now lowers his head, obviously ashamed at his mistake.

Then Mrs. Weasley spats: "Hermione Granger! That's the Headmaster you're talking about, young lady!" And while the girl looks shocked, Weasley glares at her, actually shocking the woman and he spats: "It can be the Minister for Magic of the entire world, mum, and still I would have cared less with how he treated Harry."  
And to this the twins seem shocked, while the eldest two smile in pride, their eyes showing a longing that makes it clear that they wanted to go against their mother like that for a long time. I wonder just how bad the relationship really is between the Weasley Matriarch and her kids and hope they can make amends as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 589 – GoF**_

This makes many people around the Great Hall sigh relieved, most of them having obviously felt tense since the Portkey incident and Nella says: "Finally he can get some rest." And Black growls: "Merlin knows it's heavenly overdue." Softly stroking Potter's hair as he holds the boy close to his chest, obviously not willing to let go.  
I then get almost blinded by something shiny and when I look up I see a small bottle of the same purple potion flying through the air. Lupin catches it and Weasley hands him a goblet of coco. He seems to smile at the Head Table and then pours the potion into the drink, before turning to the pair and saying:  
"Here Harry, this should help some." The boy smiles, not noticing the devilish grin Black gives his old friend over his head as the young man must have apparently missed what the werewolf did with the drink and the boy gets to drink half the goblet, before he sways and Black quickly takes the Goblet and lies the boy on his and Lupin's lap.  
The boy yawns, mutters indistinctively something that sounds like _**traitor**_ , before the potion becomes too much and he falls asleep, Black and Lupin going back to petting his hair and back to help him sleep. This makes me smile as I truly believe the boy has heard enough already and I read on, relieved to know that Black really is trustworthy.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 589 – GoF**_

"How is that possible?" Madame Pomfrey and she goes on: "My Dreamless sleep Potions always work for at least 7 hours to more." And Weasley answers: "Harry is a really light-sleeper, so even under the influence of that potion, something must have aroused him." The woman nods, looking worried and I continue reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 589 & 590 – GoF **_

This confuses me and Flitwick asks: "Minerva, weren't you guarding Crouch Jnr.?" The woman nods and Sprout asks: "But that's almost on the other side of the school. How can you be heard near the Hospital Wing?" The woman shrugs, seeming not to know and I continue reading, while wondering about the bad feeling in my gut.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 590 – GoF**_

This shocks and confuses me, but Granger and Weasley look at each other and Weasley asks: "Didn't McGonagall say the Minister had brought something into the castle? What could –?" But then both their eyes widen and mine do too as my mind too answers that question and internally I think: "What have I done?" Before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 590 & 591 – GoF **_

"Cornelius." Albus then speaks to me angrily, while his tone holds a hint of happiness I just can't place and he says: "I might have made a mistake regarding Harry and how to attain the information he holds, but I will never allow a Dementor near my students. My teachers are more than capable enough to protect everyone within this castle."  
I nod and vow to never more use those vile creatures, especially seeing how they have an extremely bad effect on Mr. Potter – actually making him relive the night his parents were murdered. I then shake my head, feeling terrible that I allowed for this to happen multiple times over the last year and hear Black mumble:

"Attain information, he says. More like demand things he has no right to." But when I look at him and Lupin, I see them petting Potter lovingly, keeping their touches soft and tender in their – now very obvious – need to keep the young lad asleep, even when their faces are grim every time they look up and glare at the Headmaster.  
I look on and see that while Amos and his wife aren't holding their wands aimed at the black-haired supposed criminal, is there a glint in Amos' eyes that says he'll attack at the first sign Potter's in danger of the man. And with this I again read on, while in my heart the evidence is starting to prove Black's innocence to me.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 590 to 592 – GoF**_

"Does this mean you realize your mistake?" Black spats, but Lupin grabs his arm as the black haired man almost goes to stand up from where he still has Potter in his lap, while Amos grabs his wand, but one look from Lupin, who glances first at Black and then at Potter, is enough to make the man calm down again, while Albus says:  
"No doubt have I already placed the entire memory of what Harry told me in my Pensieve, together with Barty Crouch's confession. It's now up to you, Cornelius." This makes me gulp as I know how much value I have gone to put in my position as Minister and I read on, now dreading the meaning behind the title of the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 592 & 593 – GoF **_

This makes several adults, under which Amos and Black, hit themselves on the head – Amos with his wand still in his hand – while Granger and Weasley glare at me, knowing their friend is right and I turn red, wondering why I believed the words of a reporter over what I witnessed from Harry during the few times I met him.  
I shake my head and then the young Lovegood girl speaks and says: "It's like the Nargles always say. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." To this I can't help but nod and I look at the young sleeping boy in apology, which makes the glares of the boy's friends change back to attentive worry, before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 593 – GoF**_

"And no cursed scar has ever before been created by a back-fired Killing Curse!" Bill Weasley shouts at me, before he goes on with a more clipped tone as he says: "Of course you couldn't have heard of it, Minister. Harry was the first to who something that terribly disgusting happened." I can't help but agree and sigh before reading.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 593 – GoF  
**_ _Harry wanted to scream at her, but held back – one because he had been doing so many times now, two because he didn't want the only other Weasley here angry at him and three because there were more important matters than the overbearing woman._

This makes the – I can't help but call her – overbearing woman glare at the sleeping boy and to this Black growls: "Do that when he's awake and –." He says loudly as the woman wants to open her mouth and he goes on: "When it concerns something you have evidence of to prove otherwise. If not, leave my Godson alone."  
The woman now glares at the black-haired man, while Amos – while still holding his wand – now has a proud smile on his face and the woman spats: "As if you're the Godfather of the year. With where –." But then Ronald hisses: "Finish that sentence and I will personally make you pay." The woman looks shocked and I hastily read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 593 & 594 – GoF  
**_ _Still Harry understood the new look in Snape's eyes as he looked at Fudge with a stare that expected the man to contradict Harry. And Fudge did.  
_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 594 – GoF**_

"You know, Minister, if there is one thing I have learned from everything I've been through with Harry, it's this." The Weasley boy spats angrily, his ears almost redder than his hair and his fists balled under the table and he goes on: "Magic's not good or evil until you've seen with what intention the wizard uses it.  
You-Know-Who is evil, everyone knows that and nobody, knowing the terrors of the last war, would deny that, but just because my best friend has a talent You-Know-Who had, does that not mean he's his follower or sidekick or something like that! He Bloody well used that Parsletongue to save my sister 2 years ago!"  
This shocks me and I again look at the books, the second book now eluding me more than ever as it seems to come back again and again throughout the comments thrown. Wondering what could be so important about that year and why Weasley's comment made his younger sister look as if she just turned into a ghost, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 594 – GoF**_

"I have evidence for you!" Granger shouts, just as furious as McGonagall seems to be in the book and while I just cannot believe that I am – indirectly – calling a child a murderer of another teenager, does she spat: "Cedric was killed after touching the Cup while the fake Moody was still in the Maze! So it couldn't have been him!"  
This logic shocks me enough to shock me out of my growing self-hate and my internal angry rant at my own actions and then I think: "Please let her use that logic in the book too. That will definitely force me to believe the boy's story and then we can work to protect the Wizarding World against that lunatic." And with that I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 594 – GoF**_

This makes me lower my head, knowing that the boy is right and yet feeling terrible over it and Madame Bones says: "Nothing can be worse but to lose the confidence of a child. After all, most of us live to protect and raise our children and the Ministry was essentially formed to protect Wizarding kids against themselves and Muggles."  
This shocks the Muggleborns, which makes me wonder what they know of our history and about the curriculum here, something that makes me look at Lucius with a curious wonder as to what he did as Governor as my co-worker goes on, saying: "The Ministry was formed when the Witch Hunts of the 1600's were at their worst.

Magical children, in their fear of their parents or those outside their families sending them to the stakes for their abilities, showed too much accidental magic and so the Ministry was formed to make sure Muggle and Halfblood parents were aware of their children's abilities and that the parents wouldn't sell out the children.  
During those dark and aweful times the Ministry, as it began to form, grew a close bond with Hogwarts and the Headmaster of that time agreed that parents not willing to raise their children would be memory wiped and that the Heads of Houses would then care for the children, until they were old enough to attend Hogwarts.  
Then the Houses and its students would take care of the orphans and most of the time the orphans found someone who they really bonded with and got married or were adopted into those families. Students that didn't have that luck often became the assistants of teachers they liked or started working in Hogsmeade in return for shelter.  
Later, as the English world of magic developed into what it is today, did the Ministry become more important, because of witches and wizards misusing their magic, causing crimes, terrorizing Muggles and slowly it began to grow its departments. I'd say around 1750 the Ministry was as wide and varied as it is today."

Everyone looks intrigued for the History lesson, some of the students having even gone to sit closer to the woman or getting notebooks and then Susan asks: "Auntie, would you like to do O.W.L., sixth year and N.E.W.T. History of Magic lessons? Then you can split your work." The woman smiles and says: "Only if the teachers will have me."  
But I can see by all of their faces that the teachers already wanted to ask the same question and that some of them looked shocked, but that might be because Amelia had more attention of the students to her lesson than Binns ever did. I shake my head at this as that ghost should have moved on eaons ago and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 594 – GoF**_

This shocks me, part of me wanting to rebel against such a drastic idea, but then I remember what Book-Voldemort had said and turn to Shacklebolt and say: "Inform the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures that they need to find a quick way to get rid of the Dementors without the prisoners noticing."  
The man nods, looking at me with a pride I normally only see when he looks at his chief and I turn to her and say: "Amelia, the same goes for your Department and Tonks, I want you to inform our top experts on Magic Creation to find a spell that can either cause the same effects as a Dementor or can keep a prisoner from the need to escape."  
Then I take a deep breath, remembering what the Weasley boy told me just now and says: "If need be, tell them to make a new version of the Imperious curse. I want that prison secure and if we have to take prisoners away their will to escape, so be it." Everyone, except for Albus, looks at me shocked and I think:  
"Albus, you better know what you're doing." Before I take another deep breath and think: "Please don't let me screw up my conversation with those two even worse." But as I read on, I already know in the book I will, as the small voice that was against the man's ideas is still whispering to me to just forget what I had heard.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 594 & 595 – GoF  
**_ _Harry personally believed Dumbledore was being stupid, because while his reasons for the action were valid, had Harry yet to hear where Dumbledore would want the Dementors moved to or who would replace them._

This makes the elder man look slightly flustered, while some of the students look at the man curiously and Mrs. Weasley glares at Harry, as if angry at the boy in the book for thinking such things through. She then wants to open her mouth, but squeaks instead and I see William pinching her leg, obviously to keep her quiet.  
The woman glares at her eldest son, but then Dumbledore says: "Cornelius, while I agree that my plan sounds only half-done, am I sure that my book-self just wanted to prove my trust in you by letting you think out the rest of my idea." To this Mrs. Weasley smiles superiously, but I personally feel slightly uncomfortable as I read on.

 _And by looking at Fudge, was that possibly one of the reasons he refused to believe in the probability of Dumbledore's suggestion. But apparently Dumbledore wasn't finished yet.  
_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 595 – GoF**_

This shocks me even more and actually makes the voice in my mind stronger, but then I look up, remembering again what You-Know-Who said as I look at Lupin and think: "He's a werewolf, yet he's the most caring and protective man I have ever met. I really have to judge people and magic by their characters and uses."  
Then I make another decision and know I will get a lot of hackles raised as I say this, but I turn to Tonks and say: "Arrest all werewolves, vampires and other magical creatures." Everyone looks purely shocked and Lupin whitens, while Black glares at me, obviously daring me to arrest his friend while here, before I say:  
"I want them all questioned under Veritaserum to see if they want to or ever will join Lord Voldemort. If not, the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures must make laws that can apply to them as Hogwarts applies to our students." The words take a few minutes to sink in and then Lupin – to my shock – is the first to start applauding.  
Black soon follow his lead, followed by the Weasley siblings, the twins even standing up as they applaud and soon the whole Great Hall is cheering for my idea. This, at long last, seems to make the little voice in my mind go silent and I smile, knowing this is why I became Minister in the first place five years ago and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 595 – GoF  
**_ _Harry believed this only right as Dumbledore was asking the wrong man to do this job. Hagrid was, after all a Half-giant, so why didn't Dumbledore offer Fudge to send him instead? Wouldn't he be the best man for the job? Harry wondered this as Fudge went on._

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! STOP QUESTIONING THE HEADMASTER! HAVE SOME RESPECT!" Mrs. Weasley shouts and Ronald spats: "Mum, shut it! He's a Light Sleeper! Give him his rest!" And this shocks the woman and while I feel relieved at seeing Harry only twinge, but not wake, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 595 & 596 – GoF  
**_ _Harry could not believe what he was hearing. What was Dumbledore thinking? Did he really think those words would convince Fudge? They even made him want to believe otherwise and he saw it happen himself? Harry held no grudge whatsoever as Fudge again tried to argue Dumbledore's words.  
_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 596 – GoF  
**_ _Harry's own mind, in the mean time, was racing with ideas, ideas that could indeed help Fudge keep Voldemort – and other lunatics – from taking control, but while his mind was working out the finer details, were the after-effects of the Dreamless Sleep Potion making it hard for him to focus on more than one thing at a time._

This makes me look at the young man intriguingly and Lupin looks at Black before he says: "I'll let Harry know what we read about and ask him if he knows what those ideas could be about." I nod and smile at the man, who whispers something in Black's ear, making the other man nod before I lie everyone's focus back on the story.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 596 – GoF  
**_ _Harry again, silently, chose Fudge's side in this as it seemed as if Dumbledore was knowingly digging himself deeper and deeper into a political grave with the man.  
_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 596 – GoF**_

"Actually Cornelius, there you made the mistake of forgetting something very important." Amelia softly reprimands me, her tone telling me she is disappointed in my book-self but still proud of my earlier decisions and I think for a second, before I realize what she's talking about and think: "Of course, the treaty."  
I nod at the woman and she explains to the students: "In 1829, the Minister for Magic was a real blind and selfish fool. He was greedy like hell and, to save all the money he could get his hands on, he wanted to scrape down the budget yearly given to Hogwarts for the maintenance of their halls, class rooms and the salary of their staff.

But the students – probably through the worried conversations they heard from the staff – knew this would cost them classes they didn't want to lose, mostly because it would even cost them a class that was quite essential to get further in life and so they, the teachers and, in essence, even the castle's magic in itself all went into strike.  
It closed off completely, students refused to study, teachers refused to teach, House Elves let go of all of their chores except taking care of the students and staff and Hogwarts sealed herself off so no mail or other people could ever again get in or out. This of course made many parents worried, but it also did the trick.

A little later the Minister tried to get into Hogwarts to get the contract of the cut back signed by the Headmaster, but no matter what spell, charm, hex or curse he cast, the castle would not open and the few students who had been set up at the borders to wait for him, told him he would never be let in, if he didn't tear the contract.  
The Minister refused to be taken down by some students, but then the summer holidays started and families wanted their kids home for the hols. But the students refused to come home before they were sure they would keep their classes and so – the Minister had to give in, as he was attacked – vocally, that is – by many worried and furious parents.

He decided to never more interfere with Hogwarts and to make sure no other high official would get it into their minds to go and try a thing like this, he created the Board of Governors, created out of families who were not only Pureblood and high in society, but also the most worried about their children stuck at the castle.  
It was then by the Ministry and the Board agreed that no high Ministerial official could ever more have a say in the come and go of Hogwarts and that if the Ministry wanted something done at Hogwarts, they would have to speak to the Board of Governors, who would work and stand up as a spokesmen for Hogwarts, its staff and students."

Everyone looks shocked and intrigued, all of the Ravenclaws now with their notebooks and several scrolls open in front of them and I hear one of the Seventh years mumble: "Never learned more about History of Magic then I did this chapter." And another Seventh year mumbles back: "You sure don't learn this much in Binns' class."  
I then decide to explain the reason behind this History class and say: "And that is what Madame Bones meant when she said I forgot something very important. I forgot that I, even as Minister have no say in the come and go of Hogwarts, because of the treaty signed centuries ago by the Minister, the Board of Governors and the Headmaster of Hogwarts."  
This makes many heads nod in understanding and while I, again, see that some teachers are shocked at how interested the students were in Amelia's History lesson and hear some students muttering about what they just learned – most of them positive and some even going back to the topic of Amelia taking the job, do I read on

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 596 – GoF  
**_ _Harry knew exactly how the man felt. Up until the point where he himself had spoken the words to Dumbledore, had a part of him been silently whispering in his ear that all of this was just another one of his nightmares. Yet, the nightmare was real and Harry saw something that he knew would not make it any easier for Fudge to accept this.  
_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 596 & 597 – GoF**_

Now everyone looks shocked and then Zacharias Smith, of who I know has his father's stupid arrogance, asks pompously: "And you, Professor? Did you too betray him?" But Snape's answer confuses me as he says: "No, Mr. Smith, he betrayed me." The Hufflepuff is as confused by this as I am and I shake my head before reading on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 597 – GoF**_ _, something Harry had been doing the entire time – unnoticed because everyone's attention was on the tattoo on Snape's arm_ _ **. GoF – chapter 36, page 596 – GoF  
**_ – _while Harry knew he had made a terrible mistake and didn't blame him for it –_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 596 – GoF**_

I shake my head, feeling terrible as it seems that I – in the book – listened to that strange tiny voice in my head and say: "I never should have forgotten the treaty." I then turn to the Hogwarts student body and with finality say: "I just want to apologize beforehand for all the terrible things I will surely be doing in the next book.  
Only in my own stupid need to keep my office and keep my head in the sand, regarding the matter of You-Know-Who." The students nod and a boy I know is named Creevey and of who I know was attacked two years ago, asks: "Does that mean you will promise not to do anything of the things you will do in the future book?"

I nod and while determined to finally be the Minister I dreamed of being, do I say: "And any crimes any of my men commit in the future will also be dealt with as if it's a crime committed a week to a month ago. They will be punished as if they had done it during the last war against Yo – oh, screw this – against V-V-Voldemort."  
This shocks the students and then Amelia stands up with a large smile and starts applauding, making me blush a little, but he is soon followed by her niece, who is followed by the rest of the table of Hufflepuff standing up and applauding and soon it sounds as if they're an orchestra of drums being played as everyone applauds loudly.  
Making me proud of myself and proud to be their Minister. I then look at the Potter boy, who seems slightly disturbed by the applause, but sleeps on and think: "I will give him everything he deserves for going through what he did. He will win and I'll make sure his plan will work – no matter what." And with that I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 597 – GoF  
**_ _Harry wished the man would look at him as he tried to rely to Fudge with his eyes that he did not blame him for his disbelief, but Fudge looked out the window positioned over Harry's head as he said,_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 597 – GoF  
**_ – _Harry tried to hide the disgust at Dumbledore for his retarded actions out of his eyes and mind, but Dumbledore seemed focused on other matters_ _ **.**_

"Harry JAMES!" Mrs. Weasley finally tries to shout, but Black hisses: "Wake him with your shouts and you'll understand why I was arrested in the first place." The woman whitens, while Lupin shakes his head and rolls his eyes and while some students now look at the man warily, do I decide not to intervene and instead read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 597 & 598 – GoF **_

"The envoy to the giants." Granger gasps and while I feel angry that Albus is, behind my back, working with men of my own work station, do I feel glad he is doing the things I should be doing. Then I think back to my own plans and hope they'll work as well as the ones Albus tried to present to my book-self.  
But then one of the Ravenclaws asks: "Did Dumbledore perhaps read Harry's mind when he was talking with Fudge? I thought that was Harry's idea?" And the elder man looks flustered again, making Lupin and Black glare at him and making my eyes widen as I wonder what man would read the minds of his own students.  
"How dare you accuse the Headmaster of such a horrendous thing, young lady. Apologize –." Mrs. Weasley tries to say, but then the same girl asks: "Are you his mistress or something? You're more loyal to him than we are." The woman turns a different shade of red and sputters indignantly as I quickly read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 598 – GoF**_ _, while Harry tried to recall if Dumbledore had looked at him at any time while he was offering Fudge his suggestions, because that sounded like what he had thought about just minutes ago_ _ **.  
**_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 598 – GoF**_

"Wait." Weasley says suddenly and everyone, except for the still sleeping Potter, looks at him and he asks: "Isn't professor Snape still in the room?" And Snape, who seems to have caught on with what the boy is thinking about, angrily says: "Yes Mr. Weasley. I indeed am." This seems to confuse the Weasley boys and he asks:  
"But you and Sirius hate each other, don't you sir? So why would he ask Sirius to transform if you're still there?" And while Minerva now looks at her co-worker with the same confusion as her student, does Albus answer: "I am sure my book self is trying to take down the feud between Severus and Sirius, Mr. Weasley."

And then I hear Black, who has a death glare worse than when he was furious with Albus on his face, growl something that shocks me and makes Lupin whiten and Lucius look down as it's growled loud enough for everyone to hear. "Either when Hell freezes over or – _**he growls –**_ when he apologizes for that cave incident. Filthy torturer."  
But then Lupin, who is still white and seems to take bravery out of the boy still lying peacefully asleep in his lap says: "Sirius, that wasn't Severus." And Black says: "What? Of course it –." But Lucius interrupts him and says: "No Black, that was me." Black turns to Lucius so fast I'm sure his neck cracked and he asks: "You?"

Lucius nods and says: "We Snakes have – or rather had – an initiation where we had to cruelly, painfully or in any other dark way prove ourselves superior to Lions, Gryffindors. By Second year Severus had the near problem to be out casted by the elder snakes and I – I decided and convinced them to let me take his place.  
By then I and professor Slughorn – you remember him, our old Potions Teacher –." Black nods, his confusion apparently strong enough to subdue his anger and Lucius says: "were very fond of Severus, because of his amazing knowledge with Potions and its ingredients and because he had the amazing ability to use Dark Spells for light purposes.  
I knew that ability would make him muck up his initiation, not to mention that he didn't want to hurt any Gryffindors too badly, because of his friend, Potter's mother, Lily Evans. I also knew that it was already making many elder Slytherins willing to, instead, initiate him by hurting him. So I took his place and kidnapped Lupin."  
The man then makes his son gasp and makes me look beyond horrified as he says: "I hereby admit that I whipped him, cast a burning spell to make the whip marks permanent and that I even cast the Cruciatus curse and a spell to keep Lupin's mouth open, but Severus found me before I could finish his initiation; mouth rape your friend."

Even Narcissa now looks as if her own husband betrayed her and Lucius goes on: "I know you hate Severus for what I did all those years ago and I know I left a trauma with your friend and for that I admit to be sincerely and magically sorry. By the end of this book will I accept any punishment you wish to give me as revenge."  
Black now has his hand on Potter's so tightly I wonder if he's not breaking the boy's hand and his lips are less than a thin line while his grey blue eyes turned black in his fury, blazing in silver rage and staring directly at the Malfoy Lord in such a way that everyone who sits between the two is cowering in pure fear at anger not directed at them.

But I myself feel shocked that the man, my old friend, who has – like Albus – helped me since I was first elected and who's mansion I visit almost every week, was able to cast a Cruciatus curse at age 16 and that he actually tortured a 12 year old like that and – worst of all – that he wanted to mouth rape said 12 year old.

Black then turns his head swiftly and almost at breakneck speed to Snape, obviously going over the part of the confession concerning the initiation and Lucius says: "Severus knew nothing of this, Black, that I swear on my magic. He even ranted me out of ever doing that again and was the one who convinced us to break up that initiation.  
I ruined our friendship and betrayed his trust and it took me until Draco's birth before I got it back, but I swear again that Severus knew nothing of this and was absolutely furious when he found out." Black nods and says: "Promise you will keep your nose out of Gryffindor business and I promise to work on that truce Dumbledore wants."  
Snape nods curtly and Black nods just as curtly, his thumb now rubbing circles on Potter's hand, which he is still stiffly holding onto and I know the rubbing is only for him, to help him calm his fury. I then decide to talk to Lucius later and while I see that the students between Black and Lucius now look relieved, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 598 & 599 – GoF **_

"Seeing I misunderstood what you did to Remus and that you misunderstood my reasons behind that Willow incident, I guess we can make truce on ground of several stupid, dangerous misconceptions, in which we or our friends got badly hurt or close to death to be acceptable or not held accountable by the party responsible for his actions respectively."  
Black says with a curt tone, his words shocking me as I had known about the infamous grudge between the Marauders and Potions Master Severus Snape and to my shock, the Potions Master nods and says: "Can I then be assured you will explain me your reasons behind that incident, Black?" And with Black nodding, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 599 – GoF**_ _ **.**_ _Harry personally voted on this whole truce thing going wrong before the summer was a quarter way through, but kept quiet nonetheless.  
_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 599 – GoF**_ _, something Harry thought was more to keep the two from silently cursing each other than to regain everyone's attention_ _ **. GoF – chapter 36, page 599 – GoF**_

"Not. A. Chance." Black growls, his anger at Dumbledore's words obviously fueled by the fury he must now be feeling for Lucius and he turns to the ancient Headmaster, sending a short furious glare to Lucius as his eyes pass over the blonde in the process and he says: "If you think I won't be there for my godson."  
But then, from the corner of his eye, does he see me wince and blanches in shock, turning to me with wide eyes and his anger obviously being replaced for shock, before he mouths: "No way." But with growing dread as I can tell that this reading has already really changed the man and his beliefs, do I read the rest of the story.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 599 – GoF**_

Now Black looks down at the young sleeping boy on his lap and whispers: "How? I mean, I know the Order's important, but – Harry – he – he just went through hell. How could I – how could I?" But Lupin, who's been white and quiet since Lucius started his explation, lies a hand on the man's shoulder and says:  
"You just want to protect Harry, Sirius. You know the Order can do that and you know you need their help." To this Black nods, but then, with a voice that proves to me he doesn't really believe his friend's words, does he say: "In protecting him, yes, not in helping him get over what he's just gone through. I should have stayed."  
And while the man looks at the young boy as if he betrayed him, do I feel for him and know that he won't do that if Potter's plan fails. Then I again wonder what the boy is planning to do to keep Voldemort from coming back and while again determined to take on the madman myself if the boy's plan fails, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 599 – GoF  
**_ _Harry personally felt a new wave of fury for the man and wondered what else he had planned because he could already see all of these plans backfiring one way or another. Dumbledore might think he was keeping the war from turning into a living hell, but Harry only saw more and more problems piling up onto each other the longer the elder man spoke and wondered when someone with more social skills would step up and take the man's place._

This makes an anger and resentment I have never seen before be shown on Dumbledore's face for only a second, before the calm mask hides it yet again and he says: "Molly, no need to get upset. I am sure it's just Harry's fatigue that's talking right now." But I personally doubt this – and see that others do as well – before I read on.

 _Yet, this didn't happen and Harry tried not to grind his teeth as Dumbledore went on.  
_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 599 & 600 – GoF**_

"What did he ask of you, uncle Sev?" Draco asks, shocking quite some Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs with how he called the Potions Master and the man seems reluctant to answer. He then looks at Lucius, which makes Black growl before he says: "He asked me if I was willing to go and join the Dark Lord. To spy on him for the Order."  
"You spied on the Dark Lord?" Lucius asks shocked and Snape nods, making Lucius asks: "Since when?" And Snape answers: "Since Lily was 2 months pregnant." This makes me wonder what kind of significant event could have occurred then, while Lucius seems to understand the answer behind the answer and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 600 – GoF**_ _and Harry wondered if this was because Snape meant more to Dumbledore than Sirius or because Snape was taking a bigger risk in Dumbledore's eyes than Sirius_ _ **.**_ _As Harry didn't know what Dumbledore had asked Snape to do, was he unable to find out and so he simply listened.  
_ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 600 – GoF**_ _He personally felt more exhausted of realizing how bad and unfinished Dumbledore's plans were than of everything else that had happened, but didn't say a word, even after he was sure Dumbledore was many floors away._ _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 600 – GoF**_

"MUM!" Ronald shouts, his voice loud with anger and still high with shock and he looks at her as if she's lost it to Azkaban and asks: "How can you even think about that yourself? Harry just saw a friend get killed and all that and then had to say goodbye to the only father figure he has and you want him to think of money?"  
But then the Weasley Matriarch shocks me and spats: "Black's not Harry's father figure! Arthur is!" Everyone looks at her shocked, the Weasleys seeming most shocked of all and Arthur asks: "Molly, what on earth makes you think that?" And the woman, who seems not to have listened to her surroundings at all, says:

"Of course you are, dear. And Harry is going to marry Ginny – after they graduate, of course – and then he will be our family for life and Ginny will have her dream come true and then he can come over to our birthdays with expensive presents and become an Auror and earn all the money that Ginny deserves and –."

But then a male voice, that is so filled with fury I am shocked it doesn't wake Potter and female voice, that is almost as shrill as a banshee shout and the female shouts: "MUM STOP!" While the male shouts: "Не, това никога няма да се случи!" The woman sits back shocked, while the shouting seems not to have awoken the Potter boy.  
And that while Krum was the male voice shouting; him sitting only a seat away from the young boy and glaring at the woman in undiluted rage. Then Ginerva, as I was told is her name, says: "Mum, Harry didn't even think of asking me to the Yule Ball, he obviously doesn't look at me that way and I happily accept that."  
"B-bu-but you – you deserve –." Molly sputters shocked, her eyes making me wonder what goes on in that diluted mind of her and then Williams, the eldest, spats with crossed arms: "And this is why we left." The woman looks at her son shocked and Charlie tells her with a stern, angry tone that I know he inherited from her:

"We could have easily taken jobs here in England, mum, and still have the jobs we have. Bill could have been Curse Breaker or Expert for the Gringotts in Diagon Alley – anyone knows that and especially with all the tunneling Goblins do for their Vaults – and I could have gone to work at the Reserve in the South of Scotland.  
But while we have known this since we both prepared for our Carreer days, did we chose to go abroad, to look for our luck way beyond the boundaries of England and – in Bill's case – Europe, because we wanted to have a distance from you, mother. Not because we wanted to live abroad or leave the family and siblings we love so much,  
But because both Bill and I have and always will be sick of your favoring of Ginny, of how you constantly try to turn her into some princess and your blind, stubborn, stupid, old-fashioned beliefs and orders concerning us and our lives. You tried to control us in a way that would ruin our lives and we wanted out."

The woman's deadly shocked, while many of the other Gryffindors now look at the other brothers and sister with sympathy and then William turns to his father and says: "We're sorry we only saw you once a year, father. We just didn't want to fall back in the ordering, old-fashioned clutches of your wife." The man nods and I read on.  
While the school looks shocked at what they just heard and the twins mutter: "That Family meeting is getting more important with the minute." To which their siblings, especially William and Ronald nod in vehement agreement. I then spare a look up and see that these two are also glaring at their mother and quickly look back down.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 600 – GoF**_ _, wishing Sirius was here to comfort him_ _ **.**_

"Him? Why him? Why not Ar–." Mrs. Weasley starts, but then – while William and Ronald glare her silent – does the Patriach turn to Black and he says: "If what you've shown us here is any indication, do I know that Harry has all the reason to want you there, Black." The slightly younger adult smiles at him and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 600 – GoF**_

"See! He cares for me! He knows! He knows I care for him! That I love him like a mother!" Molly shouts, her voice almost sounding hysterical, but then William shouts back: "You don't care about him! You care about yourself and yourself alone! Only what you want matters and only what you believe is right!"  
"And what is wrong with that? What's wrong with wanting to believe that I know what's right if it holds you all safe!" The woman now screams at him and while I cannot believe her words does William retort: "It never held any of us safe! You didn't want us safe! You wanted us to stick our heads in the sand and be like everyone else!"  
"AND SO WHAT?" The woman shouts, obviously out of her mind with anger and while I wonder how this had yet to wake up young Mr. Potter sleeping so close to them, do the Weasley siblings all stand up as one, towering over the woman for – probably – the first time in their lives as they shout in perfect, furious union:

"WEASLEYS ARE BORN DIFFERENT! IT'S OUR BLOODY FAMILY MOTTO!"

The woman sits back, white with shock and while I want to spare a quick glance at Harry, does Ronald state: "Cum tibi sit alius. Being yourself is being different. The Weasleys have always valued their own personality and their difference from what others think, especially those that easily follow the words of those high in power."  
And all other Weasley siblings nod, their union more creepy than when I saw the Weasley twins do twin speak, before one of the twins says: "And if you can't accept that, Prewett." And the other ends: "Then you shouldn't want to be a Weasley." And together they chorus: "Merlin knows we're ashamed to be your sons."  
The woman looks shocked, while – like always – I have to shake my head to get rid of my confusion and then a soft mumble is heard. Black and Lupin look down, only to see a young Harry Potter with his eyes opened slightly, just enough for slits of his emerald green irises to be visible and Black asks: "What was that, Harry?"

And the boy speaks a little louder: "Now I know what I'll do if I win the Tournament." We all look shocked, as this is as far from the current topic as possible and then Potter shocks us and says: "Donate it to the funding of building the Joke Shop of Fred and George Weasley. Merlin knows those two will make the Marauders proud with their Prank Items."  
This shocks the school, some of the students instantly starting to gossip about this in their shock and others looking on with shocked pride and Bagman asks: "You would actually give away money to something that doesn't even exist yet?" But Potter answers: "I would, because I know those two will go to their deaths to create their Jokeshop."  
The twins smile proudly, while I can see in their eyes that they won't just go down and accept that money as easily as Harry offers it and then Black says: "And if you don't win, we'll use our Special Vault to fund their Jokeshop construction." To which the twins and some of the teachers ask: "What Special Vault?"

Black nods, his smile proving how relieved he is that the shouting is finally over and while Lupin waves his wand again, does he say: "Back in our Fourth a lot of students started to notice that most of our prank-targets were those that had, before we pulled one over them, pestered hurt or otherwise harmed one of our fellow students.  
This was what made them love our pranks so much, even those that actually had friends with our targets and they started paying us for our pranks, which made us decide to make the whole Prank thing a real business. It took us a while – and about ten to twenty pranks – but in the end we managed to put up a perfect prank schedule.  
Prongs and I would plan the prank, set the construction of it and see how largely scaled the prank would have to be, that scumbag rat would arrange the products, get books on the charms we would need for our pranks and keep an eye out on our targets so we would know when to strike and who to avoid, like teachers or innocent bystanders.  
And Moony would set up a date and contract and would summarize how expensive the prank would be, depending on our prank-date, the scale and the number of people involved in the prank, not to mention how much time it would cost us to put the prank together. He would then, before the prank was pulled, show this contract to our clients."

Everyone looks shocked at the actual brilliance the four boys thought off all those years ago and then Lupin goes on and says: "Once we received the money, we would use half of it to restock our products and the other half would go in the Special Vault that was under guard of the Potter and Black family ownership."  
Then Black turns to the twins and while his friends again waves his wand, does he say: "And now you boys have the same idea, but then larger scaled as you want to do it outside school and for that, we know the Marauders will be only too happy to help you. So count on our Special Vault to fund anything you can't afford yourself."  
The twins seem to smile as if Christmas has come early and I can tell that the two men in front of them have just become their idols, if the grins are anything to go by, and while I hear Minerva muttering about _**never knew – that organized – pranks!**_ and while I know that they still don't know who the Marauders are, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 600 & 601 – GoF**_

"What the hell, Hermione?" Ronald asks, shocked and obviously slightly angry, probably because he believes her to have ruined the only chance Potter had to let go and while the girl looks just as angry with herself, does her face change to thoughtful as she says: "I don't – no wait – I might have an idea why I did that."  
But the girl doesn't elaborate, just lies her hand on her mouth and looks thoughtful. I wonder if she does this more often and then, when I see Ronald and Harry shrug as if used to this behavior of their best friend, do I decide to just let it rest for now as I'm almost at the end of the chapter anyway and so I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 36, page 601 – GoF**_

This makes many sigh in relief and I say: "There's just 1 chapter left." To which we all look at each other, but then Potter turns to Krum, who still seems to try to calm down and asks the one question that was on my mind since his fury came out after the Weasley matriarch said those ridiculous things: "Why the anger just now?"


	7. How Bad It All Was

_**Translations: *You're a good man, but he is my son, do not forget that*  
**_ _ ****ban me from Harry**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 07  
**_ _ **How bad it all was**_

 _ **Viktor's POV**_

"Why the anger just now?" The question scares and worries me as I am not yet ready to tell the beautiful, black-haired angel in front of me about how I feel, especially not in front of such protective, loving guardians. I first want him safe and the Tournament over, so we can focus on seeing if he and I have a chance together.  
I then decide to sidestep the question in such a way I won't lie to him – as I know from the articles how much he hates that – and say: "Vell, ve Champions care for you, Harry, and I guess I vas just the first to shov hov angry ve are." And the boy toughens it up for me and says: "But you spoke Bulgarian. What did you say anyway?"  
I look up and see Black smirking, making me know he too can speak Bulgarian and heard what I said. This makes me whiten as I really don't want to know what the famous man can do to those he dislikes, but then Fleur comes to my aid and says: "'arry, we were all really angry. I too would 'ave spoken French 'ad I been first."  
The boy nods and then Black says: "Well, now that that's settled, I want to read next. I want to see if I get it into my thick head that I need to be there for my Godson." Everyone laughs at this and Black walks over, but not before he whispers something in Bulgarian to me: "*Ти си добър човек, но той ми е син, не забравяйте, че."

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

Knowing Krum to be a good person, if only by how angry he was at Molly wanting another person for Harry – without taking what Harry wants into regards for her so-called plans at all – and by how he treated Harry throughout the reading, I know he'll listen to my words and that he wouldn't easily try and hurt my baby boy.  
I then nod at Fudge, who nods back and steps back, his eyes still wary and confused, sitting with Amelia and Kingsley at the Head Table and I take my place behind the owl stand. I see that many students are still wary of me and decide to show them I mean them no harm. And so with a calm voice I start reading the next chapter.

 _ **The Beginning  
**_ _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 602 – GoF**_

This confuses the people in question, but while some of the Hufflepuffs start to glare at my little boy over this, does their son seem to understand as he says: "Harry, in the book, has yet to forgive himself for my death. To see you guys so early after that incident must have hurt, because he felt guilty for what happened."  
The two nod and I look at my little boy, who has his head down, but the same glint in his eyes as his mother always had when she was working on a new Potion or Charm and know that he will do everything he can to keep Cedric alive, while the students that had been glaring now look regretful for not realizing this.  
This makes me smile, the second thing a little less as those students shouldn't judge someone they don't know, but I still worry as I know nothing of his plan to stop Voldemort from coming back to the power and I think: "As much as I worry for Cedric not dying, I sincerely hope Harry will come out of this alive too." Before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 602 – GoF  
**_ _As they left, Harry felt as if Cedric had died all over again as just by looking at their defeated backs made him know he would never see them again. This made him ask Madame Pomfrey to hide his bed from view and made him silently cry for the rest of the morning._

This makes me want to go over and hug my little boy close, but then Ella does the job for me as she pulls Harry close and whispers: "You can come by our house any time you like, Harry. You, Black and Lupin are always welcome." And when Amos and Cedric nod in agreement, does Harry show them a small smile.  
This makes me sigh in relief and then Hermione says: "We really need to expand on Harry's staying arrangements. So far he's only been at the Burrow, his own place and Hogwarts in the last four years. Even I've stayed at more places than him." Everyone around her nods, but then Dumbledore says: "Harry cannot –."  
To which Ella jumps up and shouts: "If you dare to hamper that poor boy's summer holiday by deciding where he can and cannot go, you have the entire Diggory line on your neck, you hear me, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore?" And just by hearing his full name does Dumbledore nod in shock before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 603 – GoF**_

This at first makes my anger at the man lessen slightly, but that is short lived. "Albus!" Minerva says tiredly, but angrily, showing how she is against his way of acting and she says: "You should have vowed that Harry had nothing to do with Cedric's death. That him bringing the body back shows he could not have killed the boy.  
Now they'll all believe those stupid lies of Skeeter and who knows how that will escalate. Especially with the Ministry in the book acting as they do." This makes me worry for what my little boy will probably soon have to go through and with anxiety and my anger at the man returning to its original peak, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 603 – GoF**_

This makes students lower their heads and Ron shouts: "I don't believe this! It happens every year!" This worries me and Minerva asks: "What are you talking about, Mr. Weasley?" And Ron grumbles: "Just that those gossip loving hyenas always blacken Harry's reputation without having the stupid guts to ask him a single question.  
It happened in First year after that Norbert incident, in Second after that Dueling Club incident, luckily enough passed by last year, but now they've doubled it, only because some famous writer decides to write crap about my best friend." He ends, his tone becoming more and more furious with each event he rants about.  
This makes most of the Great Hall, but most of all the years above Harry's, lower their head in shame and I think: "I wonder what those incidents are about." I spare a quick glance at the first and second book, the second one slightly scaring me because of all the already thrown hints about it and then go back to the fourth.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 603 – GoF**_

"You shouldn't even –!" Molly wants to snap, but Ron seems to have had enough of her stick-your-head-in-the-sand way of life and while I cannot understand how she thinks a teenager would accept that, does he shout: "I should, because that could also be news that my brothers were killed or that Voldemort kidnapped you or dad!"  
This makes the woman whiten and makes Arthur grab onto her in fear of losing her as Ron rants on: "And Harry and Hermione care for that as much as we do, so as long as Voldemort is out there, we will worry for what he could do to our family and that will give us the right to want to know what happens outside Hogwarts!"

His brothers nod, the twins smirking at the boy in pride and Percy smiling at his little brother gratefully, while Molly looks shocked at, again, being talked back to by her youngest. But I myself look at the young, strong and ever stubborn fourteen year old as he stands there and think: "Yep, Harry found his Padfoot."  
As Ron taking the lead in his sibling's disgust of Molly's way upraising and him going against his mother's stupid way of life and her need to follow only those high in power and keep your head low is very much like me going against my mother and her stupid ideals of pureblood supremacy and Muggles being scum.  
I shake my head, not wanting to think of all the ways I was abused and tortured for not behaving, as my mother said, _**like a true Black**_ and instead I focus back on my boy for a couple of seconds, Harry seeming to look more and more hurt and worried the longer the Weasleys fight each other, before I turn back to the book.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 603 – GoF  
**_ _The thought of going back there sure as hell didn't sit well with Harry, as he feared his uncle's repercussions for what happened to the living room last summer. Not to mention a repeat of the night before the Weasley's picked him up._

This confuses all Weasleys and William – the one Weasley I know best thanks to all the times he came over to see Harry after he was born – asks: "What happened that night, Harry?" But Harry shakes his head, his face whiter than mine after twelve years Azkaban and when I see him hiding away in Ella's embrace, do I know something's up.  
I look at Dumbledore and think: "Who the hell do you have watching those Muggles?" But the man seems to have turned a blind eye to the fear Harry is so openly showing and my anger for the man, that has been growing since Book-Harry entered his office, finally switches to pure hatred as no one treats my pup with such disrespect.  
Hating the man and silently vowing to make him pay if he is responsible for whatever happened that night, do I send a look at Amos, trying with my eyes to let him know of what I decided. My intense stare gets his attention and when I motion for Albus is one look enough to make Amos understand. The man nods and I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 603 – GoF  
**_ _But Harry didn't. He had begged Dumbledore not to send him back in his First and when Dumbledore had refused to listen to his pleas, his trust in the man had been severely diminished._

This makes Dumbledore lower his head and I glare at him, trying to look under his beard to see his expression, while wondering what exactly happens to my baby at those Muggles. Other students also look either worried or confused or intrigued and I know some of them believe Harry to be pampered at his family house.  
But only risking a single look at the pale, thin and small boy, who is almost easily able to hide his entire frame in Ella's embrace, makes me know that this is not – and can never be – the case, not to mention how easily and quickly Harry accepted to come and live with me when I offered the chance to him back in his Third.  
Back then I had been ecstatic that my Godson wanted to come live with me, especially because it felt like the cherry on the cake of everything going so amazingly well, but once I had fled, I had over thought that over-eager reaction and wondered why Harry had wanted to leave his so called loving aunt and uncle so badly.  
I had decided to keep an eye on Harry – and on possible chances to get my freedom back – and vowed to have Andromeda contacted once Harry and I both had a place to stay, if only to have some serious help finding out why my little boy would want to live with an escaped convict over his family. Shaking my head, I quickly read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 603 – GoF  
**_ _To see someone so big and yet so gentle with him in such a different way from all those other students or even his friends lifted Harry's spirits a little and he knew it was a good idea to visit the one adult he had always been able to trust – the only one at Hogwarts._

This seems to shock the other teachers and while Hagrid swells with pride and Madame Maxime looks at him with newfound respect, do I notice worry shining in Dumbledore's eyes – hidden by the fake-happy twinkle he shows the school. This raises my so-called hackles and makes me glare at him shortly before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 604 – GoF  
**_ _He didn't want to talk about what had happened, not just yet and part of him wondered if he ever would. Still, deep down inside, he knew that if he would ever tell another adult the story, it would be Hagrid._

Now the big guy has tears in his eyes and the worry in Dumbledore's seems to grow, which makes me want to hold back a growl like only Padfoot can as it seems to me as if the man wants Harry's trust in adults to lie solely with him, something I would rather avoid at all costs, seeing all of the man's earlier mistakes. Taking a deep breath, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 604 – GoF**_

To this I nod, feeling that Hagrid's words are the way to think in those oncoming dark times, as they had been what kept most fighters for the Order up back during the last war and I smile at Hagrid in pride. Yet, because of what has just been read, do I slightly hope that the big guy won't trust Albus as easily as in the book.  
I then spare another glance at Dumbledore, faking to wipe some candlewax off one of the pages and the man's earlier worries seem to have vanished. This makes me thin my lips as I just know that he has been set at ease over the fact that Hagrid just restored book-Harry's trust in him. Hoping this won't happen here, I quickly read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 604 – GoF**_

This makes me raise an eyebrow as I think back to James and what he had done while fighting Voldemort. I then look at Harry and say: "I have to give Hagrid half right there, Harry. James would have dueled a little more fiercely, but that was only because he knew the family Voldemort was taking from him.  
You didn't and yet you fought harder and with more strength than he ever could have done. You didn't do as much as your dad did, Harry. You surpassed what he would have done." This makes the boy smile with tears in his eyes and Remus pulls him out of Ella's arms, only to pull him close as I proudly read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 604 & 605 – GoF**_

"You really don't like them, do you?" Hagrid asks, looking slightly hurt and the three shrug, before shaking their heads, Harry looking most torn up for having to admit this. The big Ground's keeper then sighs and softly says: "Well, I guess it's like with old Aragog. There's creatures for guys like me and people like you lot."  
This makes me feel relieved, while I still can't help but worry if Harry had ever met Aragog as he and Ron seem a little too familiar with the name for my liking. And while I know Ron fears spiders, was his reaction to Aragog's kid being in the maze not something I liked seeing. Fearing the worst and hoping I'm wrong, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 605 – GoF  
**_ _He had also taken to using the map every day just to avoid meeting any Hufflepuffs of Cedric's year – purely out of fear of them getting back at their dead year-mate._

The few students in question wince and look down before one of the girls asks: "Why do you think we'd do that?" And Harry answers: "Out of anger that I – the unwanted Champion – won a Tournament Cedric had willingly tried his very best in to win." The elder girl winces at the logic and then I ask:  
"But what on earth made you think they would come after you so badly you try to avoid them?" And Ron says: "The same reasons I ranted about at the start of the chapter, Sirius. Trust me, my buddy has experience with people scapegoating his fame." This makes more students wince at his harsh tone and with worry in my heart, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 605 – GoF**_

This makes me look at the empty seat in pure contempt and then I ask: "Minerva, do you think Alastor would mind if Andy were to visit him sometimes?" And the woman answers: "While her daughter is now his Trainee, do I think it would sooner have the opposite effect on her, Mr. Black." To this I wince, nod and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 605 – GoF**_

The man in question shivers at the idea and I just know that he will try and bolt first chance he gets. Shaking my head, do I say: "Don't think of running, you coward. We need you for the spell to work and my boy has a plan to stop that maniac, remember?" The man scowls at first, but then sighs in relief and nods at me.  
I then turn back to the book, hating how everyone here will be needed for the rest of the reading as I just want Lucius dead for what he tried, not to mention for Dumbledore to pay for his mistakes and for the way he just looked when book-Harry described his loyalty to Hagrid. Deciding not to think about this, do I hurriedly read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 605 & 606 – GoF**_

This makes me look at an impassive Snape, of who I know is angered at Voldemort for killing Lily, just like I hate him for killing James and James' entire family and I know that's what the sour man meant when he said Voldemort had betrayed him. Hoping this will stimulate him into staying on our side, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 606 – GoF  
**_ _Part of Harry wanted to go over and sit with them, at least those of his year, but he still remembered Second year and decided it was best to let them make the first move._

This again makes everyone, except the Hufflepuffs in question, look at the second book, the first and second years and the foreign guests and Ministerial officials with curiosity, while those of Ginny's year and older look at it with a guilt that just doesn't sit right with me. Feeling worried for their looks, do I read on with trepidation.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 606 – GoF**_

This makes me raise an eyebrow and under my slight fringe, I raise my eyes at the girl, who smiles as if proud of something, while her eyes leeringly seem to look at my Godson. This angers me as she should show her affection for her old boyfriend, especially now and I know in the next book, she'll be vying for Harry's attention.  
I send her a ferocious glare under my fringe and the girl shudders, but doesn't take her eyes off of my godson. Vowing to get back at her later, as she's nothing more than an intelligent slut in my eyes, I pull my attention away from her, knowing I will only make a mistake if I don't and read on, if only to distract myself.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 606 & 607 – GoF  
**_ _Had he heard that right? Had Dumbledore seriously left the students in waiting for that vital information for a whole week? Had his age really addled his mind and common sense that much that he didn't realize how easily teenagers draw their own stories if they don't get all the facts right off the bat?_

The man looks down, but I was looking at him this entire time, gazing secretly over the top of the book and I saw the anger growing in the man's eyes, growing so strongly the man only lowered his eyes to make sure it would not become noticeable through his usual twinkle. Understanding his anger, I still feel furious at him.  
While Harry was indeed rude in the books regarding his thoughts, was he still stating a truth I cannot help but believe that Dumbledore should just accept instead of getting pissed over a student thinking freely. Wondering how much more the man will try and change Harry's ways once this is all over, do I read on with angered unease.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 607 – GoF  
**_ _Harry wanted to shake his head at the man's idiotic bluntness. You don't hide such important facts from those with the rights to know and then throw it at them so bluntly, that only worsens the whole effect of keeping it from them in the first place.  
_ _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 607 – GoF  
**_ _Harry knew that the man was right about Cedric and his death, yet was angered that about this, Dumbledore was willing to speak truthfully – yet not about the reason Voldemort hunted him down all those years ago, like he had asked the man in his First year.  
_ _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 607 – GoF**_

"Draco! Show some respect!" Narcissa shouts at her son, her anger almost breaking her usual mask of indifference – a mask I know she was forced to wear by her father's orders, because he wanted a real lady out of her – and I smile as Cissy had always, even when we were kids, valued family, especially her estranged sister Andromeda.  
I know the woman's angry for Draco not showing proper respect to the dead member of an Ancient family – something I thought Lucius would have taught Draco himself – and think: "She might be married, but she sure hasn't changed a bit. Unlike Lucius and his _**disgusting methods**_ she'll be a good teacher to Harry.  
Merlin knows I never paid attention to all those Pureblood Etiquette lessons mother forced on me and – and on Reg." I lower my head, still hurt that my little brother was killed all those years ago, his death being told to me only two days after I heard Lily was pregnant with Harry. Trying to use that happy thought to cheer me up, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 607 & 608 – GoF**_

Now Narcissa really glares at her son, a glare I know her mother taught her and that she often used on me when I went too far with my pranks and hisses: "We will talk of this later, Draconus." The boy whitens and I smile, knowing Narcissa considers Harry as much family as I do, seeing his grandmother to be our Great-aunt.  
I then turn to Lucius and hiss: "Narcissa will teach him. Stay away from my godson unless you're willing to hand your wand in to me." The man looks shocked, but after hearing what he had done to Remus at age 16, I know I can't trust this man around my godson. I keep my glare on the man a little longer and then read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 608 – GoF**_

"I probably feel guilty for what I did to Cedric before he touched the cup and feared he would ban me from Hogwarts. **ще ми забрана от Хари." I hear his last words, even if he tries to whisper them in this mostly silent Great Hall and shake my head at how helplessly the elder boy's in love with my godson, before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 608 & 609 – GoF**_

Now a lot of girls are in tears and Cedric and Amos are comforting a softly crying Nella while Harry has thin lips and I know they're not of anger, but then Albus says: "I could not have read that out better myself." And he starts to applaud for me reading out his speech, the teachers and students soon following.  
I shake my head at this, but have to give the man right and think: "I sure hope the French and Bulgarian will help us fight." And when I look at Fleur and Viktor, I know we will at the very least have the most powerful and talented students of Beauxbattons and Durmstrang at our side, making me smile in relief before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 609 – GoF –**_ _charmed not to let anything harmful get through the bars –_ _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 609 – GoF**_ _His most precious belongings were highly warded and protected against fire or other forms of destruction._ _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 609 – GoF**_ _as he knew his aunt would force him to work on them and get them back in top shape like only he could._

"Are you really that good, Mr. Potter?" Pomona Sprout asks and Harry lowers his head as he says: "I – I think the next book will give more details, Professor." The woman nods, but I feel worried over the fact that only Book-Harry will admit to his talents. Hoping to get my little boy out of his shy little shell, do I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 609 – GoF**_

Now, while many of the other French girls nod in agreement with their fellow student's statement, does the girl smile at my young boy as she says: "I really zought you were nothing but a small boy when you were enzered inzo ze Zournament. You really proved me wrong, 'arry and I am really glad zo have gained anozer sibling."  
The boy smiles at her at first, but then looks shocked and Cedric says: "I told her how you helped me with the Dragon. Since then she's been growing to see you as her little brother. We've all grown to love you." And I see him send a secret wink at Viktor, making me smirk as the Bulgarian's feelings are quite deeper than the rest.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 609 – GoF**_

This makes Hermione and Viktor share a look – while Ron scowls at the two of them – and Viktor makes a writing motion with his left hand on his right, before motioning with his head to Harry ever so slightly. The girl giggles and I too understand what the boy is referring to, making me fight hard not to snicker myself.  
Viktor Krum – famous Quidditch player – wants Hermione to grow a close friendship with him through letters and in the mean time tell him how Harry's dealing with everything that will happen. He asks her to be the bridge of communication between them. This makes me smirk and I read on, hoping the plan will work.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 610 – GoF**_

Now a lot of people snicker and Hermione hits Ron on the back of the head, making him yelp, before Viktor says: "That is vhat I like about Harry and Hermione. They knov I'm vamous, but don't seem to care vor that at all." The two smile at him and Harry asks: "Why should I care for you fame, if I already hate my own?"  
I smile at my godson, glad the fame has never and will never rise to his head and – more importantly – that he has found someone who loves him and cares just as little about fame. I then look at Viktor yet again and think: "If anyone can help Harry get the right kind of attention, it's someone who's famous for the right reasons."  
This makes me smile widely as I have been against the whole Boy-Who-Lived idiodicy since I first heard about it, back in Azkaban. Then, just like every other time when I think about that place, does a shiver run down my spine and I take a deep breath in order to focus my attention back on the Great Hall before reading on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 610 - GoF**_

Ron lowers his head and says: "I never learn." Making me wonder when he did this before and why he regrets it in the first place. But then Harry comments: "I'm buying you new dress robes for Christmas." The boy turns red and wants to object, but Harry says: "Hey, you can't decide what I give you for Christmas."  
This makes the boy hit himself on the head, but I see a grateful smile peeking out under the hand and smile at the generosity and quick-witted way Harry played on Ron's embarrassment as I know all about the Weasley need to prove themselves and make their own fortune each, before I focus back on the book and continue with the chapter.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 610 - GoF**_

This makes me sigh in relief as the reading about how Harry was not telling anyone else of what happened had me worried all chapter, especially because I know that Remus is right and that Harry will suffer from nightmares due to him being forced to relive that terrible event so quickly after actually witnessing it.  
Hating Dumbledore yet again as no one hurts either Remus' cub or my pup, I try to push my anger down by thinking back on how I actually feel about the brown-haired werewolf, but then shake my head and think: "No! Now is _not_ the time to think about that. Not when your godson needs you." And I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 611 - GoF**_

This makes Amos glare at Fudge and he asks: "You didn't even mention that my son had been murdered? I thought my family meant more to you, Cornelius." The elder man lowers his head in shame and he says: "Again my apologies, Amos, but you're probably wasting your time." This infuriates the man and he spats:  
"WASTING MY TIME?" But then Fudge says: "I don't think you'll get any reason to be happy with me until my book-self accepts Voldemort's return." This calms Amos down as the man must have believed that Fudge meant his anger for Cedric not being mentioned and he nods, accepting the apology before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 611 - GoF  
**_ _Yet again, like so many times before, did he feel blessed to have friends like Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.  
_ _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 611 & 612 - GoF**_

"YES! NOW I GOT HER!" Tonks shouts and everyone looks shocked first at how happy the young Auror looks and then at the brilliant girl, but Hermione shrugs and says: "What? Sirius, Harry's dad and that rat did it to help professor Lupin. I just thought she would be devious enough to do it as well, but then for more hurtful purposes."  
Everyone nods, while students are shocked that the girl had actually figured that out and then Fleur shouts: "So zat's what he was doing!" Everyone looks at her and she looks at my young nephew as she says: "In the first chapter, Malfoy was talking in his own hand, he must have had Skeeter there. He must have known too."  
Everyone looks at the Champion first, some of the Ravenclaws and elder boys – of who I am sure were under influence of her Veela Allure – in shock that she figured that out and then at the blonde Slytherin and I glare, knowing this proves that he was the whole cause for that atrocious article on the morning of the Third task.  
"The article that will surely come once time starts running again." I think, trying not to snarl at the very idea. Then Fudge, who seems to be on the same wavelength of thought as me, turns to his Aurors and says: "As soon as time starts running again and that article arrives, search the grounds and arrest that woman. And Lord Black."  
I turn to the Minister and he says: "Seeing your 12 years imprisonment, you will not be trailed for being an Illegal Animagus, but as an ex-Auror I must ask you to register as soon as possible." I nod at the fair words of the man, while I quickly spot the worried look in Dumbledore's eyes and the proud one in Amelia's and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 612 – GoF**_

This makes me hold back a snort as I know all about how Rita Skeeter works and I say: "Hermione, Rita has been writing lies and idiotic tales since she left school and that was in 1970. I can still remember that idiotic book we had to read from her, because she kept sending it to us in 1974; _**Armando Dippet; Master or Moron?**_ "  
I shudder and say: "So you'll need a little more than knowing her secret about being an Animagus to keep her from writing lies." But then Tonks makes my day and says: "She does have more. I have Fudge's permission to arrest Skeeter. That woman's not going to see the light of day for a long time when I'm done with her."

This makes me smile at the young Auror – who I know is hiding her anger at the woman with her glee at the chance she has been offered – mostly because I know the true reason behind her absolutely distaste for Skeeter. It was because, when she got to Hogwarts, Rita Skeeter wrote an article about her being a Metamorphmagus.  
The article had not just caused an even bigger rift between Andy and Narcissa, but had also been a true disgrace for her and her parents, saying that her crazy talent to change form would either make her the slut of Hogwarts because she would transform to suit her men or would land her where I had been at that time – in Azkaban.

It's soft to say that the article had not been taken lightly by the fiery-tempered Black-heiress and I know that she still remembers the article as well as I do as the Minister of that time, Millicent Bagnold, had been kind enough to give me this article while she was on her fourth annual visit to Azkaban that year.  
This makes me remember how Fudge had done the same in 1993 and I thank the man mentally for doing that as I would not have been here tonight had he not given me the article that gave me back my will-power and need to live. Shaking my head to get my mind out of that dark place, do I focus on my surroundings and read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 612 & 613 – GoF  
**_ _He had no doubt they had been waiting for some sort of witty entrance, but with those two looking as if they were just there without knowing why, it was a lost cause._

This makes young Draco turn red and Narcissa turns on him as she says: "Draconus, if you waited outside that compartment solely to cause trouble, you will be in big trouble yourself, young man." The silver-blonde haired boy nods and I sigh, wishing Narcissa had done more about his upraising than Lucius apparently did before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 613 – GoF**_

This whole speech makes my blood boil under my skin and makes me want to stop halfway just to rip that little bastard a new one and throughout it is the only thing keeping me from turning into a real murderer the book itself, but then a roar of absolute fury shocks me out of my angered stupor and I look up to the Hall.  
Viktor and Cedric are holding Harry back, while the twins each are holding back Hermione and all four of the restrainers seem to have a lot of trouble in doing their work. All other students are also furious and many Ravenclaws and Gryffindors have run over to the Hufflepuffs to restrain them from attacking the blonde.

Harry is the first to calm down, or at least stand still in the arms of his restrainers – which I consider quite a feet seeing his mother's actual temper – and he spats: "And THAT is exactly the BLOODY reason I refused your hand all those years ago, Malfoy. Ron was my first friend and you insulted him before you even met him.  
You even stood so _**tall and mighty**_ it was clear to me you believed yourself even better than me and when you said you could _**help me pick the right friends**_ I knew I should never even want to hang around with you. You were arrogant and spoiled, Malfoy and you obviously believed you could pick out my life for me.  
Sorry, I don't live that way. I don't think anyone here lives that way and there are certainly enough people here that – even if they do live that way – won't depend on you to live that way as they are much better people. And personally I think you nothing more than a stuck-up arrogant jerk, who's head is way too big for even this hall."

Everyone looks shocked at his speech and for some reason I get reminded of the many times Lily shouted the same at James before the two got together. Then Harry sits back down, followed by the rest of the students as they obviously believe Harry has said everything they feel and he mutters at the blonde in a furious tone:  
"Insulting a boy so close to his death. Actually mocking his murder. Arrogant, heartless bastard." I then look at Malfoy and see him with wide eyes and a paler complexion than normally, while neither of his parents seem to feel the need to defend him. Fearing that Lucius might plan a payback later, do I read on, hoping I'm wrong.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 613 & 614 – GoF **_

"Blackmailing?" A lot of people shout shocked and I turn to the Weasley twins suspiciously, wondering why they would even think of doing that. But then, while their mother wants to stand up and shout at them, do the two stand up with their hands raised and chorus: "We had a reason. I repeat, we had a reason."  
And while they sit down, do I see them glancing at Ludo Bagman, who whitens when he notices the glances. Now I sigh as I know the man to have a gambling problem, mostly because he was the one who started the Gambling pot on when Lily and James would get together and who would win when the two had another infamous argument.

Fortunately for him had James been too immature for years to realize how to properly court Lily. Unfortunately for him, Lily and James didn't get together until after Ludo left Hogwarts as our Fifth year was his Seventh and that while he had been the one to state they wouldn't get together until their Seventh year or at least Graduation.  
Ludo had never been able to collect his money, but had been able to make quite the fortune out of James and Lily's bickering, something which neither left lying down as Ludo was afterwards often cursed for using other people's problems for his own fortune, Lily holding the record over James of having done this the most.

I shake my head again, having hoped that playing Quidditch and later getting a fine job at the Ministry would keep the man from gambling and would help him get a better more responsible hobby, but that was not to be, as I can now see. Then, realizing that the Tournament could be a good gambling opportunity, do I read on with dread.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 614 & 615 – GoF **__and Harry couldn't blame him, even while he knew that Hermione's question came from an instinctual need to trust in adults – one he had lost a long, long time ago_ _ **.  
**_ _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 615 – GoF**_

This shocks me and Minerva says: "So that's why he was so eager to have Harry in the Tournament." Which makes me turn angry as no one should bet on a fourteen year old, let alone in something like the Tournament. I then glare at the man and say: "Gambling on the problems and arguments between Lily and James is one thing, Bagman.  
But gambling on Harry – my godson – to win a life-threatening tournament that could get him killed, especially with all the terrible and dangerous tasks you idiots set up and that you didn't even thought of changing when someone much younger entered – you better pay up the twins, because then – you have me to deal with.  
And I don't take money for an answer." The man gulps, knowing how I deal with those harming or endangering my friends and those I consider family and I hiss: "This isn't over, Bagman." And I read on, knowing full well how much I acted like a true Black there. And just by thinking of why, do I believe it to be fully worth it.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 615 & 616 – GoF **_

Now Kingsley and Tonks, who are both as furious as many of the Gryffindors – especially friends of Harry and the twins – go sit next to the man and both hold up their hands in front of him, Tonks saying: "The twins' money, please." The man sweats and whimpers: "Don't have any?" But Kingsley aims his wand at the man and says:  
"Accio Bagman's savings." And while the man squaks, do I see over 3 000 Galleons shoot out of the craziest places; Bagman's empty gums, the coins almost ripping his lips apart, the sowings of his robe which causes the fabric to almost fall off of him, secret pockets hidden in his pockets, the flap of his shoes, the collar of his shirt.  
I even hear clinging of Galleons that I don't see and when Tonks undoes a Disillusionment charm hundreds of Galleons appear on top and stuck in Bagman's hair, most of them tied down by the multiple curls in his hair. Tonks shakes her head and mutters a soft: "Pathetic." Before summoning each Galleon to her separately.  
In total, after Tonks has organized all the golden coins in neat piles of 20 or some even 40, does a small sum of 5400 Galleons appear on the table and Kingsley, his wand still raised, asks: "How much did you bet on, boys?" And the twins say: "Thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen sickles and three Knuts, sir." The man nods and says:

"And seeing that seventeen sickles are one Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts make a Sickle, we'll just add a Galleon to your prize money and hand you – how many people did you bet with, Ludo?" The man gulps, sweating and obviously scared now, and the twins chorus: "Four, sir. Rodney Pontner, Agatha Timms, our dad and us."  
The man nods, his eyes friendly as he looks at them, but furious while he glares at his co-worker and he says: "So we'll just let the fifteen sickles and three Knuts count as another Galleon and hand them the prize money times four and we'll leave it at that. Is that okay with you boys?" The twins nod and Harry says:  
"Accio one-hundred and fifty-two Galleons." And the correct amount flies into the happy hands of the twins who quickly fill their pockets afterwards, while Bagman lies his head in his hands and Kingsley says: "And you, Ludo, are hereby arrested for illegal gambling and holding back money, which is also known as embezzlement.  
You understand that you're hereby removed from your position as Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports and that you are to stay here under watch of Aurors until your trial." The man nods, with his head still in his hands and while I feel that justice has been served, do I still hate the pathetic little man as I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 616 – GoF**_

"Guess that's down the drain now." Ron snickers, while Mrs. Weasley has her lips thin and glares at the twins as if angry at them for taking the money that hasn't even been awarded to the winner yet, but Harry shrugs and says: "I agree with what I said in the book. With Voldemort back, we're going to need some laughs.  
And seeing that the Marauders don't really seem eager to get back into their Prank robes, we need the new generation to cause laughter all around, especially at Hogwarts. And don't worry, you two." Harry smirks at the twins, before he goes on: "Once you guys graduate, I might just step into Prongs' footsteps. If I get the chance that is."

This makes the twins smile widely and the teachers groan, obviously fearing what will happen if James Potter's son starts to pull pranks. Then Remus states with a grin: "Glad I'm not teaching anymore." But Harry leans back on his seat and says: "Oh I don't know. I might just find a way to convince you, professor."  
And the man blanches as the boy says it with a devious grin on his face, obviously determined to make true to his words. I snicker at my best friend's misfortune, before I look up and see Harry smirking at me. I gulp, trying not to show fear in front of my Godson and he says: "And who better to practice pranks on than on a Master Prankster."  
And instantly I know my fate is sealed and a shiver runs down my spine, while pride fills my heart that Harry puts so much pride and effort behind his family's history and his father's favorite hobby. I sigh, knowing I'm probably screwed, but then think: "I'll show him no eagerness to get back into my Prank robes." And read on, feeling giddy.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 616 & 617 – GoF **_

"Speaking of him, Harry." Arabella, a woman I remember from my time with the Order, even if she was barely ever there due to her cats, speaks and when the boy turns to her she says: "You know your aunt threw that saucepan at me when I invited her to come read along. Well, she also said something quite shocking while I ran."  
The boy looks confused, while my keen dog eyes spot the worry and slight hint of fear shining in his green depths and she says: "She screamed: _**Why would I want to listen about that useless brat's life? He's not even related to me and neither is that useless mother of his.**_ I just wonder if you know what she meant."

But by the shocked look on Harry's face, I can tell he has no more idea what his aunt spoke of than the woman does and while going over everything I've known of the girl my best friend was after for so many, many years, do I think: "Lily's not an Evans? Who was she then?" But then Narcissa sighs and everyone turns to her.  
She looks up and then says: "As you all know I am 5 years older than Sirius and when my aunt, Walburga Black, was pregnant, I was the only one to who she told she was pregnant of twins. But when she discovered that one of the twins was a girl, which was 10 minutes after giving birth, she instantly set her up for adoption.  
She told me when I tried to convince her otherwise or tell her my mother would take in the little baby that she only wanted sons as those would be strong and would proudly hold up the Black line and etiquette. I never saw my little niece, but I have to admit that whenever Lily was angry, I thought I saw her looking like a true Black."

This shocks me as Walburga is my mother and I quietly ask: "Wait, are you absolutely sure, Cissy?" The woman nods, showing a small smile at her nickname while a tear of relief runs down her cheek at the chance of finally coming out with this secret, do I ask: "But then why was she never shown on our Family tree?"  
And the woman, while sending me a look that asks: "You actually forgot?" answers with a soft tone in her voice: "Because Blacks aren't placed on the Family tree until they're a year old, in which the parents have the chance to decide whether or not to keep the child. Because Lily was adopted, she never showed on the family tree."  
Then Harry, with wide eyes, a pale complexion and tearful eyes asks timidly: "So – Sirius is my – my – my uncle?" And the woman nods with a loving smile at the boy, who turns to me and when I look back at him, I see that what I know I am showing him. A deep love only for me. His new uncle. This makes me smile at him before I read on.

 _ **GoF – chapter 37, page 617 – GoF  
**_ _But he did know – and fear – that before he would have to face whatever Voldemort would throw at him, he would have to survive his uncle's wrath._

This worries me greatly and I wonder what on earth the man could do to my Godson, but when I look up I see that Harry is being held by Remus tight, the boy white as a sheet in fear while Ron and Hermione share a knowing look with each other before looking at him worriedly. I look confused and worried and think:  
"He can't be abused, can he? I never saw a single scar or wound, but –." I then look at Harry's small frame and remember what James once told me: _**"We Potters? We're tiny little buggers, but with a huge guts and our bodies grow to adept to that courage when we turn thirteen. Trust me, Pads, I'll be taller than you by our Fifth."**_

But now Harry's a fourth and still he's almost the size of a Third or even Second year and this alone proves to me that yes, my poor godson has been abused by that fat Muggle. Bad enough apparently, that he fears staying with the man. This fact hits me like a ton of bricks and makes me hate my time in Azkaban all over again.  
I shake my head, my eyes closed and close the book with a resigned sigh, knowing that now, I shouldn't only be there for Harry concerning the Tournament – I also have to help him fight off the aftereffects of his abuse. I nod at this new plan silently, but then think: "But first I have to know how bad it all was."


	8. Interlude - Thoughts And Beliefs

_**Interlude 01  
**_ _ **Thoughts and beliefs**_

 _ **Dumbledore's POV**_

"This is not good. If Lily is really a Black then Harry won't have to live with the Dursleys anymore. I'm not paying those dirty Muggles Harry's money just to not have them abuse him because he's not there. I have to get rid of Sirius. I really wish he hadn't been able to convince Harry of his innocence before I captured him."  
I curse this silently, my mind protected by steel walls and many of my own created spells – even if others thought of them eons before me – just to make sure I can keep my facial features from showing how I really feel about the blasted little brat. I then send another silent glare at the pile of books in the corner and think:  
"Why? Why did I allow that brat to study up on time magic? I should have realized from the way Granger and Weasley were looking at him that my spells to keep his focus on the Tournament were wavering. I should have taken action. I should have prevented this. Now all my actions for the Greater Good will be exposed."

This makes me take a deep breath as I know that those around me – those simple minded fools – will never understand why I did all those things, why I kept testing Harry without offering him any training other than the subtle hints I laid about each year to make sure the little brat would prepare himself for Voldemort's plans.  
So far Potter has always been easy to manipulate, especially with friends as competitive as Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger and with the students continuing to believe in that stupid title I created when I saw Harry's scar and that I whispered into the ears of some party-goers as I travelled to Privet Drive all those years ago.  
But now it seems as if the boy has reached his peak of patience and has this stupid urge to make people see truths they just won't be able to handle – truths only I can handle. Knowing that the boy will only continue to hurt the hearts and minds of younger students, I can only hope that that will stop him from going on with this.

This makes me need to fight down the urge to smirk as Harry stopping the reading will only make everything easier for me, but then I remember what I read about this Time Reading Spell myself and I think: "Harry will get exhausted from the books and be drained anyway. Maybe I can work my way around that to help the students."  
This makes me smirk as Harry stopping the reading will break his mental stability through an outburst of magic and Harry getting drained from the reading will eventually be in the need of some powerful magic to keep him stabilized; magic only a powerful wizard like myself can provide for him – at a certain price, of course.  
Thinking of all that I can demand once Harry has reached his limits, I try not to drool as I have been dreaming of the fortunes of other Pureblood families for years, but while Lucius Malfoy is a right bastard to those he feels below him, has he always fought me when I tried to get entrance to a Pureblood Vault.  
It had been a shock to me at first when I had found him as my enemy the first time I tried to get into the Potter Vaults – a month after the Potters had died, not too late to have others grasp it nor too soon to make those that I need to trust me reverently suspicious of my reasons – but since then have I come to accept him as my rival.

I glare at the self-centered blonde, while his wife takes their son to a private room to have words about his behavior on the train – the one in the book – and while I know that others will see my glare as proof that I too am furious over his treatment of Remus, can I only feel resentment for the man for keeping from me what I deserve.  
I then look at back Molly – the one woman who is still loyal to me without fault and I smirk as I know exactly why that is. For a full year after the Potters had died, had I made sure to visit Molly and press Harry's orphaned state onto her heart, along with dropping subtle hints of what I know is hidden deep within the Potter Vaults.  
The woman's heart and mind had been sold within the year and I had, a few years later, told her how easy it would be for her to help me as all she had to do was make sure Harry wouldn't change from the person he grows up as at the Dursleys, make sure her sons befriend him and press his fame onto the heart of her daughter.  
In return the woman would get the richest boy alive as her son, would get a hero to protect and cherish her daughter as his own wife and would get direct access to the most elusive and most infamous Vaults known to the Pureblood society. Needless to say the woman had been more than happy to comply and has a major help so far.

I then look at the one source of problems I had not been expecting – the sons of dear Molly Weasley. They had actually rebelled against her every time she tried to make Harry more obedient to me and I just know that before the first book ends, I have to break their will if not remove them from the readings permanently.  
Knowing that the biggest obstacle in that is not just Arthur Weasley, but the fact that for every person that leaves a new person has to take his or her place for the reading to go well – except for new faces that enter after the reading of a new book has started – I try to think of people I can invite that still have a debt to pay with me.

 _ **Cedric's POV**_

The last few hours have been nothing if not hectic, but they certainly opened my eyes to quite a few things. Over the last year, as fellow Champions, has the Tournament helped me learn more about the boy behind the scar and Harry has really grown onto me like a new little brother – even if it took my dad a while to realize that.  
Still to know that Harry is intelligent enough to realize that this last Task could be a trap and that he has gone through this much trouble and research, just to come up with the perfect solution as to how we can save the Tournament from going wrong is something I would have never expected of the silent, shy little fourteen year old.  
Harry certainly has great instincts and amazing ways of finding out the truth and solving the most difficult riddles through the smallest of hints, but this fact also worries me as no fourteen year old should have the mastermind of a full-grown, well-educated detective and I can already guess who trained that talent.

Looking at the man that I once saw as my examplary hero when it came to the ways of treating your fellow witch or wizard, do my Seeker-trained eyes spot the darkness hiding behind the twinkle in the man's eyes as he seems to be thinking of plans that I already know might be good for him, but will be terrible for Harry.  
Feeling relieved that the Reading prohibits people from leaving as it would damage the caster, do I silently wish that we could keep Dumbledore out of this room during the reading, while everything else will be frozen in time. But I shake my head and think: "We need something more permanent, something stronger than that."  
This makes me sigh and I look back at the one boy I know Dumbledore and I are both very intent on keeping an eye on – even if our reasons couldn't be more different if they tried to be. Harry is still very white from the end of the last chapter and seems to be in trance, lost in thought, as he strokes the Phoenix on his lap.

Worried over the little guy, as no child should fear going home, do I look at my mum and the woman nods, knowing my thoughts and thus knowing that I want those Muggles investigated. I nod back and whisper: "When Harry's rid of them." My mother nods and then turns back to my dad, who is in conversation with Arthur Weasley.  
The man seems still a little shaken with what happened between his family, but while I feel for him and for the sons his wife forced to move abroad, does my current experience with Molly Weasley make me have to agree with William and Ronald as the woman is more a delegating officer than a loving mother.  
I then shake my head and think: "When did this world become so full of complicated problems?" But I look down at the table I'm sitting at, knowing that these problems have always been there, just like my dad had always tried to boast with even my smallest accomplishments, no matter how humiliated I felt about any of them.

I then look up and see Viktor Krum talking with Hermione Granger, while his eyes constantly stray to Harry with worry and I smile, glad to see this as it makes me know that – even if this reading started a bit bumpy – there are still plenty of good things that can come out of this reading, a fact that really lifts my spirits high.  
I then catch the Bulgarian's eye and when he looks at me, do I sneak a glance at Harry to make sure he's not listening before I whisper: "Use the reading." Making the Bulgarian whiten slightly, before he sees Granger nod at him encouragingly, agreeing with my idea. The Champion nods at me and I smile, glad to have something good done.

 _ **Nella's POV**_

This morning has been like nothing I have ever experienced before and yet – while the experience has been worrying, heart-breaking, terrifying and infuriating – has it also been something I would not have missed for the world – and not just because of the fact that this experience saved me from losing my only son to Lord Voldemort.  
It has also, in a way, given me the chance to have another son, even if Harry James Potter doesn't know it yet. I know that Sirius Black will want to adopt the boy now that he has been sort of cleared and I'm sure that with the right guidance he can become an amazing father to the lad, but Harry has dug himself miles deep into my heart.  
The boy is so like Cedric has written about in his letters and so unlike what Amos has kept trying to tell me that I can feel only pride at how the amazing friend has made it through this perilous – and sometimes even dangerous – year and like many times during the reading, do I look at the boy that I have grown to love.

Harry seems in some kind of trance, thinking deeply enough his arm moves on nothing but instinct as he pets the Phoenix, that – while I know it's Dumbledore's – hasn't left his side since we read about the feather he gave to let Olivander create Harry's wand – a wand that will do a thousand times better things than his brother did.  
A shiver runs down my spine as I think of what the brother wand has caused during the four years I was at Hogwarts and the seven years after that as I had been only a Third year when the war against Voldemort started and before I had even half-finished my Seventh, had that monster found and slain all of my family.  
Only through Amos being there for me the entire year had I passed my tests of that semester, had I been able to pull myself together, had I accomplished in the tasks my father had set for me to take the Ladyship of my family line and had I been able to pass my N.E.W.T.s with flying colors, especially in Charms and History.

Amos and I had fallen for each other during this time and upon hearing my amazing scores had the man actually gone down on one knee and had he proposed to me, stating he had asked my father for my hand in marriage the summer before my Seventh. I had been speechless for a few minutes and had then screamed my agreement.  
Amos had been the happiest he could have ever been and even to this day does he state that the only two other days where he was happier were when he saw me walk down the aisle in my Wedding Dress and when he first got to held Cedric as a new born baby, something that still makes me all warm inside and want to coo at him.  
I sigh as I take a deep breath, knowing how badly his mother had been against my pregnancy as she was of the firm belief that Diggory infants never survived a war, but Cedric had been nearing his fourth year of age when Harry – no, Lily – defeated Voldemort and that had been enough to finally get Lady Diggory's blessing.

Now, almost eighteen years later is my son alive on the day he should have been taken from me and I think: "Is this your idea of a joke, Alanda? To help me raise my son to the end of the war and beyond, only to take him before the second war even starts? Is this how you wish to punish me for going against your words?"  
But I know that, even while the woman has died six years ago, during the Christmas of Cedric's second, that she and I had grown close as a mother and daughter over the years that we were at peace and while I sometimes cannot help myself from thinking bad about the woman that hated my marriage for seven years, do I still love her.  
I then feel Cedric looking at me and just by his eyes do I know what my son wants as I know that the end of the last chapter really worried him and I nod, more than willing to convince Amos to have those – so-called – Dursleys investigated and Cedric nods, but then whispers at me: "When Harry's rid of them." And with that I agree.

 _ **Parvatti's POV**_

This morning has been nothing like what I had been expecting and even when I heard what we had actually decided to do, had I been unable to expect any of the things we had read about. To know that that amazing hunk, Cedric, would have died had it not been for Harry makes me love my fellow Gryffindor all the more.  
I know that he screwed up my special night at the Yule Ball, but anyone with eyes could see that Harry had no intention of liking the Ball in the first place and I had wondered how anyone could force a fourteen year old to do something he didn't like. Yet Harry had been gentleman enough to dance with me, even if only once.

Still, after a while and some dances with other boys had that been more than enough, but I still can't help but feel sad that Harry hadn't waited for me to come back at his seat and had, instead, gone to walk outside, even if I know that the boy has some strange, light form of claustrophobia, making it hard for him to be around crowds.  
This makes me look around at the amazing crowd currently seated at the Great Hall and I think: "Did Harry really think this through right? Won't all these people make his claustrophobia only become worse?" But at the same time do I know that Harry won't care about that, not if he can help save other people's lives.  
This, in itself, makes me smile at the young boy, who seems to be in trance as he strokes the feathers of the beautiful bird that has yet to leave his lap since he arrived and while I wonder how Professor Dumbledore's Phoenix could be more loyal to Harry than to his own familiar, do I feel glad that Harry has such a Light Creature close to him.

I then spare a quick glance at the group around him and know that they are divided just right as it seems as if only Molly Weasley can currently harm Harry – if how her sons see her ways of upraising is anything to go by – but I can already tell that the Diggorys, Professor Lupin and Black will be there to keep her from harming him.  
This, while Black makes me feel uneasy because of everything that happened last year, makes me smile nonetheless and then Lavender asks: "You're not developing a crush on any of them, are you?" And I sigh as I know that the girl still has her eyes set on Ronald Weasley, mostly because he is the ginger-haired friend of the hero.

Still in the belief that my best friend – and surrogate sister – needs to get to know Ronald Weasley before she makes a full judgement on him, do I whisper: "No, and do me a favor. Don't press your final dating judgement on Ronald until we've read all the books, understood?" The girl pouts at me and asks with a soft whine:  
"But why?" And I decide to be blunt with her as she just can't seem to see her own wrongdoings as I whisper: "Because you're not basing your crush on anything Ronald Weasley related. Only on his hair color – which almost half this school shares with him – and on the fact that Harry is – or better said used to be – famous.  
That's not just wrong to Harry, it's wrong to you as an intelligent Gryffindor as well." The girl pouts and looks at the lanky redhead yet again, but then sighs as she sees him glaring at Viktor Krum, who's talking with Hermione and she nods at me, making me sigh in relief and smile at the younger girl I have come to see as my second twin.

 _ **Amelia's POV**_

This reading has been a real eye-opener and has allowed me to see things in a way I have yet been able to. Not that I had expected any less when I had heard that we would be reading from the Point of View of a fourteen year old, but to know that said teenager has such an amazing mind is something that still blows me off my feet.  
Harry Potter is every part the enigma my niece Susan has been writing to me about for the last few years as he does indeed have the instincts and talents to be a real hero, yet on the other hand knows nothing about his family background and is also amazingly shy. But the worst of it all came at the end of the reading.  
When I heard that one sentence uttered by Black about how Potter felt he would have to survive his Uncle's wrath alarm bells had started to ring in my mind like only the bell at the Hogwarts Clocktower could ring and I had stored this information away as I know I will face a lot of challenges on my way to find out the truth.

The biggest two being that I didn't even know where Harry Potter stayed as only Cornelius, Albus and the Department of Regulation of Underage Magic knew this classified information – classified, because none of the three aforementioned people wanted to have fans hoarding the Boy-Who-Lived's home surroundings.  
The other is Albus Dumbledore himself as the man had been tightlipped about Harry's home address until the day his owl had been accepted and even after that had he made sure to meet with only one person of the Department and Fudge himself and had since then always made sure no one could meet him about this issue.  
Hoping that the books will reveal, not just a clearer image of what the young man exactly fears of his uncle, but also enough evidence to have the – as Albus calls him – slightly tempered man arrested as well as the home address of these – so-called – Dursleys, do I look at the boy all my thoughts are currently about.

Harry Potter has his back to our table, his head slightly bent to look at the Phoenix on his lap, his hair falling into his face and his arm making an almost automatic movement as he pets the beautiful creature and just by this stance and this movement, can I not help but think: "Where has your mind led you to, young Potter?"  
Making me smile as Charlus Potter was no different, often gazing off into the distance in the middle of a conversation he would have with either me and some other ladies or my mother and her friends and of course, if he became like that was Dorea Potter-Black the only one who would be able to pull him out of it.  
Wondering who could be the person to keep young Harry Potter grounded, do I look around the group surrounding him. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin instantly fall off as I know that the two hold secret crushes on each other and because I have already seen evidence proving they love Harry as a son and not a boyfriend or lover.  
Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger also fall off instantly as they obviously consider Harry the younger brother that they have to care for and at the same time the leader that helps them solve mysteries. Yet, when looking at Hermione Granger, does my eye fall on someone who might just be the perfect candidate.

Strongly build, very short haired, strong eyes with a deep black color in them and just as famous as Harry Potter, but for much better reasons, Viktor Krum is exactly who Harry will need as the young seventeen year old has dealt more with both sides of fame – especially the good side – than Harry Potter ever could.  
Add to that that the Champion has already admitted to having grown a liking on young Harry and that he was angrier than he was supposed to be when Molly admitted to her ideas of Harry being with Ginny and I just know that – would the two get together – they could easily win the Couple of the Year Award for many years coming.  
This in itself makes me smile widely, but then my mind registers a problem and I look at Molly Weasley, hoping that her sons now rebelling against her ideas will make her think twice about deciding Harry's love life for him, but then remember who I'm thinking about and sigh as I know that will never happen.

I quickly send a worried look at young Mr. Weasley and young Mss. Granger, but only Mr. Weasley is attentive enough to catch my glance as Mss. Granger seems too deep in her conversation with Mr. Krum to notice her surroundings and when the young lad looks at me, do I motion for Mr. Krum and Potter with my eyes.  
The boy follows my gaze ever so slightly and then smiles and nods at me, before I worriedly move my head to his mother, making a foul scowl appear on his face as he mouths: "Family meeting." I nod at him, hoping that the family meeting will break enough of the woman's spirit to make sure she won't intervene with Harry's life.  
I smile at the young red head and give him a firm nod, telling him silently: "I leave you in charge. Don't let me down." And the red-head seems shocked when he realizes the meaning behind my nod, but then the same determination as when Mr. Potter thought of his plan shows on Ronald's face and he nods back saying: "Leave it to me."

 _ **Charlie's POV**_

I don't know what's going on between Harry and Krum, but I sure as hell don't like it. Krum seems a little too attached to Harry for my liking and I can clearly see the glances the Bulgarian shows my favorite little Seeker every time he thinks Harry isn't looking – which currently is all the time as Harry has his head down.  
Hating to see that thoughtful trance that the boy is in as it seems as if he's trying not to drown in the fear the end of the last chapter caused him, do I curse how all those changing of places of Lupin, Diggory, Black and Krum made me sit even further away from Harry than when I first entered this Hall for the reading.  
I've since then been glaring at Krum the entire time, trying to tell my fellow Seeker that he better be willing to fight for Harry if he thinks I will just let go off my crush, but the Bulgarian has eyes only for the one reading and the little Seeker he has dared to sit next to during the reading, something I've wanted to do right away.

Another thing I don't understand – or like – is how angry the Bulgarian got when our mother declared that Ginny would marry Harry and while I don't like the idea of my little sister taking my crush away from me, do I absolutely want to curse the Bulgarian for thinking he has rights to get angry over Harry's love life.  
"Besides, why would Harry like you? You live continents away, aren't even born here – and you're more famous than he is. He'd never want someone who will only get him more into the spotlights! You can just let go of your pathetic little fantasy, because Harry stays here in England – preferably with me."  
I think with pure fury, but then realize that to get to Harry I first have to fight a few more battles than just the infamous, arrogant Bulgarian Champion of Seekers as mother will be a problem as well, Ginny even might be and even if I get past them – which I hope to do – there will still be Black and Lupin to deal with.  
The two obviously see Harry as their own and I see no problem with that as a Werewolf and a Veela – who is also a Dog Animagus – make just the cutest couple, beaten only by Harry and me once I have courted my way into his heart and this makes my fury melt into the same giddy happiness as every other time I think of the young lad.

When I first met Harry at the Burrow last summer, his weak handshake and his thin fingers instantly touched my heartstrings badly, like when I see a baby Dragon be rejected by its mother, yet Harry had, since that meeting, influenced me and my feelings towards his black-haired, green-eyed cuteness in a whole other way.  
The way he would shy away if someone complimented him, how he hid himself in Lupin – and later Black's embrace – how he laughed and smiled with my youngest brother and his other friend. All of those factors played at me and my feelings for him grew from your brother's best friend to your youngest crush yet.  
This had, at first, terrified me and I had spend a whole week away from the reserve to converse about this with Bill, but when my elder brother had told me of the few male relationships he had had since he arrived in Egypt, had I realized that – possibly – dating someone who was male and eight years younger wasn't all that bad.

Since then had I used every day off that I could – which were a lot as I had been saving them for the last four years – to get to Hogwarts and secretly watch Harry. I had been furious when Ron had abandoned him, but had been relieved when the idiot had made up again after a terrible – for my heart – First task.  
How Harry could forgive my little brother that easily is something I still do not understand, but it only makes me love his warm and big heart all the more, even if it does creep me out slightly that Harry doesn't seem to reach out to friendships other than the ones he has with my youngest brother and with Hermione Granger.  
Wondering if it's because of what the book mentioned last or because of Harry's big heart in itself, combined with everything he has been rumored to have been through, I suddenly remember the meeting my friends and co-workers had with Harry and Hermione back when they were only in their First year.

The meeting had apparently gone great and the guys had been amazed at how friendly Harry was, yet at the same time he had been hurrying them along and seeing that the baby was a Norwegian Ridgeback, had my friends been very understandable, even if they did admit to wishing that they had been given more time with the lad.  
This had made me curious about the so-called hero – a title that was perhaps known outside England, but that didn't hold any high power in the eyes of my co-workers or my boss and I just know that this will be another pro in my case, making me smirk slightly at the – still busily conversing – Bulgarian sitting only a few seats away.  
Then I look back at the center of my attention and affection and think: "They were definitely right about you, Harry, and I just know that I'm right when I say I can really make you happy." I then look at my mum and think: "I just have to get some _obstacles_ out of the way first." And with that do I feel ready for the meeting.


	9. Preparations And Meetings

_**Chapter 08  
**_ _ **Preparations and meetings**_

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I fear for what will come in my future when it comes to going back to Privet Drive and facing my family again, knowing that the destruction of his living room is probably the last straw my uncle can take and decide not to think of it, mostly because Sirius is my real blood family and so, living with him, will activate real blood wards.  
This makes me smile as that is the only reason Dumbledore constantly forces me back there and then I turn to the Phoenix that has settled itself on my lap after I woke from my Dreamless Sleep potion induced sleep and whisper: "Ready to help me, Fawkes?" And at the confirming thrill of the beautiful creature do I stand up.  
Remus stands up with me, the werewolf obviously determined to show his support, but I grab his arm and say: "Time has gone to run over again. Go and help the Aurors take down Skeeter and keep an eye on Crouch." The man wants to object, but I whisper: "You can't come along, Remus. I'm the only one who can go in."  
The man sighs, his fear for what I could go and face showing in the scars on his face and his closed eyes and then he says: "Come on, Snuffel, let's go find that little bug and keep her from ruining your cousin's future any further." My godfather, luckily enough, nods and walks off with the werewolf and the Aurors.  
The doors to the Great Hall open and when I see them able to walk on, I know time has indeed been restored to turning normally again for two full days. I get out of my seat and walk over to the stand to address the students one last time. Everyone looks at me, but this time I see no one glancing up at my scar. And so I say with a smile:

"Listen everyone, the book's over and so we have a total of two days where we won't be stuck to only the Great Hall and the antechamber, but in two days at exactly 9.54, we will all and I mean all have to be back here in this room. Then the doors will again close and time will again freeze until we have ended the first book.  
So let's all enjoy the time we have outside, use what we have to prepare for the Third Task and get ready for the next book." Everyone nods and as I leave the Great Hall, I feel Fawkes leave my shoulder. I look at him as the bird had softly pinched my shoulder with his talons before flying off and wonder what he's planning.  
Following his direction of flight, I see him heading over to where the teachers are putting the Head Table back on its place and he flies over to Professor Snape, making me smile as I had always wanted to sell the Basilisk and its parts to Professor Snape, in exchange for information as to why he seems to hate me so much.  
I then say: "Professor, I would like for you to come with me. I think you'll be happily surprised as to where I'm going, not to mention what we'll find there." The man looks at me calculatingly for a short while and then nods and moves away, making Professor Flitwick wince as he suddenly has a lot more weight to lift with his wand.  
I shake my head at this with a small smile, but try not to let the man see this as Fawkes returns to my shoulder and I leave up for the second floor bathroom, where I know Moaning Myrtle haunts. I knock with the back of a single finger, if only to see if the annoying, voyeuristic ghost is currently present and then enter the room.

I see Snape looking at me with a look as if he wonders whether or not I've lost it and while this makes me know that Dumbledore has not shared the information I gave him with his teachers, do I say: "If there is one thing I know of Slytherins, Professor, it's that they hide things at locations you would never expect – or even think of."  
The man nods, a glint in his eyes that tells me he respects me for my words and then I turn back to the snake engraved on one of the taps at the sink and luckily again, just like those two years ago when Ron and I were getting ready to go and save Ginny, the light in the bathroom makes it look as if the snake's moving.  
I focus closely on its imagined movement, trying not to think of what actually happened to me down there last time and then hiss the word _**Open**_ in Parsletongue, the hissing sounding only vague in my ears as the Snake reacts to its code language and the pipe reappears, the long, wide pipe that hides the Chamber of Secrets.

I take a deep breath of fresh air, knowing how little of it was actually down there as the air was quite polluted with the smell of rotten corpses and the shed snake skin and then, while trying to think only of the newly added dead body that I will find down there, do I look back down the same tunnel I looked down on 2 years ago.  
I see a wand being aimed over my shoulder and look at it, as Snape's voice sounds and says: " _ **Scourgify**_!" And I see most of the moss and other forms of dirt disappearing, making me wish I had thought of that two years ago. I pull my own wand and cast the same charm, before jumping down the now, much fresher pipe.  
The same sharp turns, the same endless pipe and the same feeling as if I would be sliding down the pipe forever goes through me as I see exactly where Snape and my spell end and the dirt grows back, but this time I prepare myself and quickly roll onto my feet once I fall out of the pipe, closely followed by professor Snape.  
The man casts several more _**Scourgify**_ spells, getting rid of more moss, leaking water and skeletons and I cast the spell to freshen the air a little, not to mention clean the back of our robes as they still got dirty sliding down the last half of the pipe before using my wand to light up the road ahead and start to walk the next, endless tunnel.

For minutes we walk and most of the time I just look at my wand, trying to see if I can hear or feel Fawkes through the feather within it. The idea that Dumbledore's Phoenix has the same feathers as the one in my wand still astounds me. Then, as I twirl it, I feel a wave of magic that has the same warmth as when Fawkes sings and I smile.  
Before turning the, to me, significant corner and facing the caved in tunnel, small incision within the fallen rocks that Ron made to help me through and a very small part of the 20 foot long shed Basilisk skin that lies under it all. Unfortunately is it the head that is visible and I suppress a heavy shudder as I see those empty gum holes.

Snape raises an elegant eyebrow and I decide to be polite as the man seems to be completely in the dark as to what happened two years ago and answer: "We took Lockheart here when we went to save Ginny. He tried to use Ron's wand to wipe our memories, like he did with those that really did what he says he did.  
But Ron's wand was broken – it actually had been since the start of the year – and so the spell backfired and hit him, but he hit the cave wall and it caused this cave in." The man nods and I aim for the incision, saying: "Ron made that, while I went on. I should still be able to get through, seeing I only grew a few inches."

But then Snape aims his wand at the incision and lets some of the rocks disappear, causing a greater hole and I shrug and say: "Or we do that." And for a second I believe to see a small flicker of amusement and remembrance shine in the man's eyes, as if he's heard my humor before, but as the flicker is only there for a second, I wave it off.  
We climb up the small cliff to the now slightly larger hole and while I still have to hold onto the rocks of the cave in to make sure I don't slip, step onto any loose stones and crawl through the hole, is climbing through a lot easier. And when we reach the other part, Snape draws an audible gasp at seeing the amazing shed skin.  
I shrug, trying to give myself confidence with the gesture and mutter: "And then think how long that monster really was." The man flicks his head my way and I say: "We can pick some of this up on the way back. I need some fangs." But then the wood of my wand, which I still held in my hand, warms up as if trying to tell me something.  
I look at the item as we walk on around a few more corners, trying to understand what my wand is trying to tell me and as I twirl it again, I can only feel the heat and wood, but not the core within and that makes me understand in a second and while I try to formulate the plan I made before around this new development, do I say:

"And scales." The man looks at me and I decide to be a little lenient – as the books will probably reveal the rest – and say: "I might not be a Potions Expert, but I know Basilisk hide is impossible to penetrate, unless you do it from inside the Basilisk itself, like its mouth. So if I can get my own lengths and sizes, I can make a suit –."  
But then I stop and turn to the man, walking only a step behind me and to the side and I say: "That's why Fawkes wanted you to come with me. Not because he knew what I would willingly do with the Basilisk parts, but because he – he, not I – wanted you to make me an armor of Basilisk scales that could protect me during the Third Task."  
The man nods, his eyes slightly doubtful when I mentioned what Fawkes wanted and asks: "And all other ingredients will be mine to take and use as I please?" I nod and say: "All, except two or three Basilisk fangs. I'll need those to take down Voldemort." The man shudders at the name, but nods and we walk on.

I see Snape keeping an eye on the shed skin and shake my head, but silently, I perfectly understand how he feels and I say: "I know how it feels." The man turns to me and while cursing myself as I only want to lift a tip of the veil and not the entire truth, do I quickly say: "Aunt Petunia always made me work in her garden.  
Don't ask me how, but in some way I was always able to change a pair of ordinary hyacinths in the most exotic plants and flowers and it got her the first place of Best Garden of the Neighborhood contest. So I understand perfectly how you feel seeing this shed skin. It's to you what those exotic plants were to me."  
The man nods and I see a flicker of respect showing in his eyes that, like before, vanishes within a second, just when we reach the door the Chamber. I take a deep breath, remembering how many emotions I felt while in there and then look at the snakes, entwined with each other and their eyes still shining with the same emerald color as my own.  
I see Snape looking at the eyes with something I can't place as it's not awe for the beauty of them or pride over the fact that they're snakes and then focus back on them myself, the eyes now reminding me of the punctured eyes of the Basilisk. I gulp and say the same word as before, the hissing quite clear to my ears.

The same action as all those years ago – when all I could think of was to save Ginny and – hopefully – make it out alive myself – happens; the snakes parting, the walls parting and sliding out of sight and the sight again causes me to get a dry throat, but this time because of what entering this chamber will mean for later today;  
The fact I will be armored against Voldemort's curses and the monsters in the Maze and – most importantly – that my plan will come to fruition and might even be able to really kill Voldemort if I plan this right. I then realize a hitch in my plan and say: "You just go down, professor, I have tweak my plan for when I touch the Cup a little."  
The man looks at me shortly, before he nods and walks into the dark and in my eyes slightly sinister room. I myself stay at the start of the pathway, walking across the width of the path and back, pacing and trying to find a way to get the Basilisk poison into Voldemort's Potion, so that it will be embedded into his body.  
I then look at the Basilisk, lying dead, but shockingly enough looking no different from when I left it 2 years ago, making me suspect this room to have a preserving spell on it and then I think: "When I stabbed that monster through the mouth, the sword even went through the scales. So the inside is the weak point of those scales.

But that might have a mirror effect, meaning –." And then a brilliant idea hits my mind and I think: "Meaning the outside is even resistant to the poison of its owner." I look at the creature, which Snape is carefully and with quite a bit of amazement examining, walking around it from head to toe and I say: "Professor Snape!"  
The man turns to me, no malice shown in his eyes as he is too amazed by the creature before him and I run over, saying: "I need to raise the number of fangs I want for myself." The man raises an eyebrow and I quickly say: "I just want two more, five in total and I would like to borrow two of your test tubes or vials."  
The man seems to understand that I want to perform some kind of experiment and says: "As long as I get to keep the results of your experiment, Mr. Potter, you can have all the fangs you need." I nod and take the vials the man hands me, before pulling two fangs out of the mouth of the monster, being careful not to let another tooth puncture my flesh.

I then put a cork on one of the vials and push the fang into the top of the cork, like I sometimes saw zoo keepers do with snakes when Dudley had the Animal network on the tv, the poison leaving the fang and filling the entire vial, even slightly reaching in between the vial and cork before the dripping of the fluid stops.  
I nod and then, with one eye, measure the length of the next vial and use my wand and a very careful cutting hex to bring a small incision in the midst of the vial, halfway up to the tip. I cork this vial as well and stab it with another tooth, but when the dripping reaches the incision I pull it back out and the dripping stops.  
I then raise the second vial to the Potions teacher and say: "We'll split the poison. Half of it goes first in these vials and then will be embedded and the other half stays in the fangs and is yours." The man looks at me for a second and I decide to be honest with him as he is the only one who can help me get my plan to succeed and so I say:

"I can't depend on Pettigrew to stab my arm, even if everything goes like the book described Voldemort's plan to go, so I need the armor to transport the Basilisk poison into Voldemort's cauldron. So if we make sure the upper side of the Basilisk armor is the outside of my armor, we can embed that with the poison.  
That will make sure that the poison won't touch me and will also make sure that whoever touches the armor, like with Pettigrew's knife or one of the monsters in the Maze, will be poisoned. The knife will then be covered in Basilisk poison, but the armor will prevent my arm – or whatever other part of my body he plans to stab – to be cut."

The man seems genuinely surprised and impressed and he says: "So that's what you're planning?" I nod, while dearly hoping this won't screw the plan up and say: "But I need another fang to stab Nagini with and with my own Parsletongue I can hiss the words _**destroy all of the soul**_ , which will make all those soul parts be destroyed.  
I will then summon the Cup, having made sure I won't be tied down in the first place and get back to the Tournament, untouched and with Voldemort dying of his own Snake's poison and mortality thanks to the soul containers destroyed." The man smirks and says: "Seems some people do speak the truth of you having a brain, Mr. Potter."

But while these words make me want to defend myself – or rather yet ask why he hates me so much – do his next words shock me senseless as he says: "Just like your mother." I shake my head, having never expected anyone – let alone this angry, Gryffindor-hating man – to know my mother and ask: "You – you knew my mother?"  
The man sighs, making me wonder what could have happened as the sigh seems to hide a lot of heartfelt pain and while he grabs a shrunken bag, probably used to collect ingredients, he says: "We used to live in the same neighborhood. My mother was a witch, so I knew all about magic and the world we lived in.  
I – I told her everything I knew and in return – she offered me friendship and a shelter for –." The man seems unable to go on, his knife stuck behind a small strip of Basilisk scales and I nod, images of what my Uncle did last summer flashing through my mind and making a shudder run down my spine as well as I say: "I understand, Professor."

The man looks at me – a small flicker of shock at hearing me address him like that – and I say: "I don't know what you've been told of my home life, but it's not the golden life of a famous hero. My re – I mean – the Dursleys are against anything abnormal and consider the fact they have wizards in the family the worst curse that ever befell them.  
So having me there, constantly around them, constantly reminding them that Magic is real, agitates them to no end and all that's been happening over the last four summers – well, the book sure didn't exaggerate when it wrote how scared I am of going back." And again my uncle's mad gleaming eyes appear before my own.

I try not to wince, remembering all the pain that man caused me whenever he had that gleam and apparently succeed as Snape sighs and asks: "Ever been abused, Potter? Felt like you were worthless? That you only lived for your friends and your – never mind." But to this I nod and ask: "Ever wanted to kill yourself as a child, sir?"  
The man turns to me so quickly he actually pushes his knife even deeper into the Basilisk and asks: "Say what, Potter?" I look down, hating how I actually revealed this to someone who was – only yesterday – my enemy and say: "I'm sure the first book will mention it. If not, I'll reveal this before I enter Hogwarts."

The man nods, his eyes boring into my skull, but I keep my head down and away from him and finally he says: "I see you're done with your work, so why don't you wait at the entrance?" To this I shake my head and say: "I actually always felt it weird that this is all there is to such a mystical and ancient room.  
I mean, I know Slytherin build it before he left Hogwarts but –." I then motion for the large mouth, still open, high above the ground and- while shooting a quick glance at the dead corpse – do I say: "The Basilisk came from there when Riddle summoned it. Maybe – I don't know – maybe the real Chamber is hidden up there."  
The man looks at the mouth with a raised eyebrow and asks: "And how do you suppose you come up there, Potter?" I look around the chamber again, wishing to find something that I can kill the time with until the Third Task starts and then suddenly notice something I didn't even want to see last time I was down here.

One of the stone pillars engraved with small slithering snakes doesn't stand down as sturdy as the other pillars and isn't even attached to the ceiling. I look closer and then see that the snakes are standing out quite a bit, as if they're pasted on it instead of engraved into the stone and their pattern of slithering is – like a set of stairs.  
I look at it with wide eyes, my expression one of pure disbelief and I mutter: "Slytherin must have either used an enlargement charm or he had really small feet." The man looks at me, now having released and laid down a strip of scales large and width enough to fit me almost twice and I aim for the pillar with my wand.  
I cast a levitation charm, but the pillar won't move and I realize what Slytherin did. I shake my head with my eyes closed and an impressed smile on my face before I hiss: " _ **Come, my sweet."**_ And the snakes on the pillar slither a little before the pillar easily slides over the floor and stays still in front of the statue.

Snape looks shocked, his eyes showing his amazement at the magic that has been done down here and I push myself against the pillar and slowly, step by step, I walk up the pillar, every time again and again putting one of my feet firmly down on one of the snakes and making sure I stand secure before I set my next step.  
For almost half an hour I climb the pillar, the turning around making me slightly dizzy and I quickly move my arm up, raising my head to check my watch, before I remember that this one's been broken since I dived into the Black Lake with it on. This makes me groan as I should have asked for a new one before coming down here.  
I then ask: "Professor, what time is it?" The man holds silent for a few minutes and just when I'm starting to feel like an idiot for asking and starting to believe that he's back to mocking me, does he say: "A quarter to ten, Potter." I shake my head, knowing he purposely waited and then – after another half an hour – finally reach the open mouth.  
I climb in carefully and then lean against the inside of the mouth slightly tired, trying not to think of how ridiculous this looks – me sitting inside a giant stone mouth of a man that lived over a thousand years ago and that actually build this entire chamber as an act of vengeance – but then a glimmer of something hits my eye.

I look out of the mouth, confused as to where the glimmer came from and see that the ceiling at the head of the statue is slightly bend down and that there is a small cave carved into the bend ceiling, in which lie a small letter and a golden locket with glittering green stones, carved into the gold in such a way they form a serpentine S.

I look at the cave with my head tilted and my eyes curious, but wary, when Snape shouts: "Potter, I have the armor you requested. You found anything yet?" I aim at the cave and say: "There's a locket there. It's lying in a small cave right there, together with a letter. You should be able to see the cave as well, professor."  
The man walks and after I stop hearing his footsteps for over a minute, do I hear his voice as he says: "Yes, I do. Can you get it?" I look down at my own standing ground and say: "No, the pillar stands too far away from it. But maybe." And this time, without grabbing my wand, I reach out my hand and say: " _ **Come here, my sweet.**_ "  
And the letter and locket fly over. I catch them and say: "It was Parseltongue spelled. A simple summoning spell would have been useless. And seeing how fresh the parchment still looks – even if it is slightly ruffled at the edges, I'd say Riddle laid it there." The man nods and I quickly put both items into my pocket.

I then look at the pillar again and think: "No way would Slytherin climb all the way up and down that pillar. He was an ambitious and cunning man. He'd make it hard to get to his treasures, but not hard to escape." And then I see that, at the top of the pillar, there is a small circle carved into the stone and realize what I have to do.  
I stand onto the pillar, trying not to feel as if I am hosting Slytherin's ghost or something, exactly in the midst of the circle and in Parsletongue, I hiss: _**"Down."**_ The circle glows and a small platform rises out of the top of the pillar. I stay standing stone still to make sure I don't fall off and the platform lands down next to the pillar.  
I step off, the platform raises back to its original place, before the pillar does the same and stands back on its old hiding place, looking like just another pillar holding up the ceiling. I shake my head, wondering how such a brilliant man could have such a murderous beast for an heir and then hand the two items to Snape.

The man takes the items, his eyes shining with awe as he looks at the locket, which makes me wonder as to what's so special before I remember that Riddle was the one putting it here, but then he opens the letter and curses badly enough I actually find myself starting to blush. The man then spats: "It's an ancient language. I can't read it."  
I take the letter, but while the signs written on the paper confuse me, do I still somehow see words in them and I say: "It's not an ancient language, professor. It's Parseltongue." The man looks at me, his eyes not just showing how much he wished he could read it, but also demanding me to do it and I read out loud:

 _ **Dear successor,  
**_ _ **If you can read this, you are a Parsletongue and most probably one of my powerful heirs.  
**_ _ **You have found the Chamber of Secrets, but I am sure by now its creature lurking inside is of no more use to you.  
**_ _ **I am Tom Marvolo Riddle, but by the time you read this I am sure I am by all of our world known under only one name; Lord Voldemort.  
**_ _ **The locket you have found with this letter is very special and not just because it's the last heirloom left by our ancient ancestor, Salazar Slytherin. It contains a small part of my soul and is the original locket as I made a fake and put some more of my soul in that.  
**_ _ **But this Horcrux will make sure that – if not my soul – my magic and its effects will stay alive forever. The soul part is small enough that you too can put some of your soul in it and with that you too can live forever, as that has been my goal since I killed Myrtle Alesandry and used her death to create a Horcrux out of my diary.  
**_ _ **Now make me proud and reign terror and keep the noble hand of Salazar Slytherin above all those unworthy of you and your bloodline – M –**_ here I stop and change the word – _**Muggleborns, halfbreeds and whoever thinks they can oppose you.  
**_ _ **Your ancestor,**_

 _ **Lord Voldemort**_

I look shocked at the contents of the letter become known to me and I think: "In the story, Nagini slithered away once Voldemort and I started dueling. If I keep this locket on me, I can stab it when I want to destroy the Horcruxes – if that's what they're called – and get out of Voldemort's clutches even quicker."  
This makes me smirk and I quickly explain my plan to Snape, as he keeps measuring me, my arms, torso and legs, height and width and the man nods and hands me the Locket, his eyes showing his actual reluctance in doing this. I quickly put it in my pocket, not wanting to wear it now that I know what it contains.

I then look up, hating how this thing with Riddle stopped me from my actual goal and mutter: "Guess I'll have to check what's up there another time." And Snape mutters: "Then you better change the passageway entrance password, Potter, because you might just lose your Parsletongue ability once the – Voldemort is gone."  
I nod and mutter: "Guess the Marauders won't mind hiding such an ancient location." The man looks at me confused, but I refuse to say a thing before we reach the start of the tunnel and we walk out of the chamber, mostly because I feel that I already revealed enough information and because the Chamber is freaking me out.

Once we reach the shed skin, Snape quickly moves and rips about one fifth of the skin, rolling it up and putting it in the bag he for some reason refuses to shrink back. He sees me looking and says: "Basilisk ingredients lose their magical quality if you magically mess with them, like shrinking them or their container."  
I nod, quickly storing this up inside my mind like I do with all the studying I do secretly and then we reach the entrance and the gigantic pipe leading us here. Snape sighs, but I only smile at Fawkes who decided to stay waiting here as he flew off my shoulder once we started walking and ask: "Care to give us a lift, Fawkes?"  
The bird chirps, his melodious voice lifting my spirits and given me new hope for my plan to succeed as he flies up, floating in front of me and I reach out with my hand for the professor. Snape takes my hand, I grab Fawkes' tail with my other hand and the same, amazing feeling as last time takes over me as I fly up the pipe.  
Snape gasps as he realizes what's happening and I see him almost letting go of his bag, but at the last moment he grabs onto it with the tip of his middle finger, before pulling it back into his hand and I can't help but wonder if he has ever played Seeker, seeing his reflexes, but then realize you need the same reflexes for delicate potions.

Then we leave the pipe and before the pipe can close itself off again, do I quickly grab my wand out of my inner robe pocket and while tapping the returning sink, do I hiss: " _ **Change password and language**_." The snake enraved on the faucet starts slithering, its eyes glinting for a second and I quickly whisper: "Marauders treasure pranks."  
I smile as the snake seems to let out a soft hiss, which – together with the eye lighting up for another quick second, I take as acceptance of the new password and then nod at Snape, who nods back and then – with some obvious reluctance – says: "You would have done well in my House, Potter. Better than I first thought."  
I then, mostly because the man laid out his secret past to me, decide to lie out some of my secrets and say: "That's what the Sorting hat said as well, professor. He said I would do well in Slytherin, but I had heard nothing but bad about the House and was a gullible 1st year, so I wanted nothing to do with the House at the time."  
The man looks shocked, but then he nods, his eyes showing that he understands and we both walk out of the Girls' bathroom over to the Entrance Hall, where Snape promises me to have the poison embedded armor ready by lunch. I thank the man and reenter the Great Hall. Wondering how the Weasley Family meeting is doing.


	10. Children Speak Their Hearts

_**Chapter 09  
**_ _ **Children speak their hearts**_

 _ **Molly's POV**_

"I don't know why Ronald, William and Charles are so adamant on this meeting, but they really are going out of their books with their disrespect to me. Who did they think they were, shouting to me in public like that? I am their mother and the only living Prewett left, I know how to survive and I will let them remember that."  
I think angrily, while trying not to show it as I enter the office of Minerva McGonagall, which she offered to us because all of us have been part of her house when we went to Hogwarts. I nod kindly at the woman, but she seems to agree with my delusional family and nods back severely, which I accept only because she always does so.  
I shake my head and think: "No wonder my sons are so going against everything I taught them. If that is all Minerva does about them, it's no wonder they're losing their self-control and respect for their elders. I'll have to talk to her later." And with that and my self-esteem back in place, do I take my seat at the table.

 _ **Arthur's POV**_

"I know Molly thinks bad of her sons and that she's angry, but I'm Head of the family and if she goes out of her book with her rants, I will step in. I've let her walk over me long enough. Fabian and Gideon asked of me to care for her severely when she 1st got pregnant, but I never thought they meant I had to be hard and Dominating to her."  
I then look at the woman and remember not just the many amazing times we had when we were still in Hogwarts ourselves, but also the many times she wanted me to push my eagerness or pride aside, only because she disapproved of something our sons did that made me proud of them growing up while she wanted me to scold them.  
I then sigh, wondering how she could have changed from the girl who used to sneak out every night to the woman scolding others for it and look around at my family. Ron, Bill and Charlie seem to whisper softly about all the things they believe that their mother has to change and are obviously talking tactics about how to go on with that.  
This makes me smile, because I know Ron is amazing with tactics, him being the top in Chess of all Weasleys and that talent has been lying dormant in our blood since my grandfather. I smile in pride of the one son I know is going to kick it further than all of my boys and then focus on being the Head of my family, seeing the importance of this meeting.

 _ **Ron's POV**_

"Finally! The chance I've been waiting for since that rant I heard her have in the kitchen." I think as the words she spoke are still clear enough on my mind and my anger for her reaction to the brilliance of her own sons still lingers in me. I try not to let it rise up in me just yet and focus on my discussion with Bill and Charlie.  
Ever since those words, I knew I shouldn't meet the woman alone as I knew she would rant about one of our family again and if that were to happen – I would not have my hospitality and friendship with Harry to keep me from lashing out, not like that time when Harry was there to lead me out of the kitchen and do my chore.

And now I have the chance to finally make her see her mistakes and condone her for all the terrible things she has said and done to our family – constantly comparing us to our brothers, trying to change us into ordinary quill pickers, talking down on dad so badly he lost his will to go against her and with her actions driving our family apart.  
Bill and Charlie are of course the living evidence of this, having not taken jobs in England, but either far away to the eastern side of Europe or even all the way in Africa, just to avoid her and even barely ever writing to us, just to make sure they wouldn't have her breathing down our letters and their necks all over again.

I shake my head, trying not to think of the first time when I felt crushed because they had been gone without writing for a month and then look at the woman, who has a deviant look on her face and a glint in her eyes that proves to me she sees no wrong in her actions and that she's actually going to try and lie the blame on all of us.  
To this my lips thin in anger and we all sit down on the small round table that dad has transfigured out of professor McGonagall's desk and as we sit in order of family, I grab my wand and swish it silently under the table to expand the table a little – not much, but enough to make sure there's a seat size between Ginny and that woman.  
I see dad looking at me, but I shrug, not wanting that woman near my little sister anymore, seeing how she treats all of us and how she's delusional in the belief that Ginny's a princess. The man nods and then transfigures a fly on the desk into a mallet and we all stand, swish our wands and official robes are transfigured out of our cloths.  
The robes are a soft shade of mahogany with under that a soft red button up shirt with blinking black buttons and a pair of suede black pants with soft leather black shoes with ties. Each of us also receive a badge on our robes.  
My siblings and I have the Greek sign of our birth into the family – Bill the first and thus a I and me the sixth and thus a VI – and dad gets the Latin word of _**leader**_ on his, while the woman gets the Latin word of _**Birth giver**_ onto her badge, although personally I believe that badge better suited to say some other word – any other word.

We then speak as one and say: "Cum tibi sit alius. Being yourself is being different." Before we all sit down, except dad, who says: "This family meeting is now in order. Request to Family Meeting came from Ronald Billius. Subject; to get mistakes and misunderstandings out of the way concerning all family members."  
We all nod and while I know that I should let the eldest go first, had I discussed this with my brother and thus I say: "I would like to start, father." The man nods and I turn to the table at whole, knowing I have to spill my heart, my insecurities and all that I have, behind their backs, complained about whenever I was with Harry.

I take a deep breath, remember the many weeks that Harry helped me accept this and say: "I, Ronald Billius, admit to have a minority complex and state that this has been so since before I went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." All my siblings look at each other and I continue, knowing I heavily shocked them.  
"I feel as a minor, because I am the youngest of the males and us Weasleys are known for our strong males. However, growing up as the youngest male of six, made me insecure. I also, when I went to Hogwarts for First year, didn't believe I would ever pride the Weasley name as everything that could be done had already been done.  
My brother William had been Prefect and Head Boy, my brother Charles had been Quidditch Team Captain, my brother Percival had been Prefect, Head Boy and best in class for 4 years straight and the twins had been the most popular of all Weasley siblings due to their pranks, even when said pranks got them in detention multiple times.

I felt – and admit to feel – overshadowed by them, but the lack of proper attention from one Molly Anne, also made me feel overshadowed, as she never remembered the things that made me different from my elder siblings, examples being that she never remembered that I didn't like Corned Beef or Maroon for my sweaters.  
I have also, thanks to Molly Anne, for many years believed myself to be the boy who should have been a girl, this mostly due to Molly Anne stopping herself from ever getting pregnant again after Ginerva was born and being reprimanded for things Ginerva did daily without getting scolded, fueled this belief every day.  
But what hurts the most – more than any of the things I stated earlier – is that, even when I try to be different and show I can bring pride to the Weasley name, Molly Anne scolds me and compares me to my elder brothers, as if I cannot bring her or the Noble House of Weasley pride if I was not an exact copy of them.  
My anger comes from this and also from the fact she does the same to my elder brothers, Frederick and George. Most common and recent piece of evidence; a rant I myself and Harry James Potter heard her have in summer 1994 on the day of his arrival. A rant I remember to this day and that made me avoid Molly Anne for her own safety."

I now glare at the woman, her words ringing through my head yet again and making me have to take a few deep breaths before I say: "I accept your right of Free speech, but family does not talk down on family if guests are around and the words you have spoken are a disgrace to our family. I would like to quote the words that angered me most."  
Dad nods and I state: " _ **No ambition, unless you count making as much trouble as they possibly can. If they carry on the way they're going, they'll end up in front of the Improper Use of Magic Office."**_ I now have to take a deep breath not to lose myself in my anger and grind out: _**"I don't know where we went wrong with them."**_

This makes us all glare at her, while I easily detect hurt in the eyes of my twin brothers and I say: "No one – and especially no mother – should ever believe they went wrong with their children. You see the wrong things, only because you're too stubborn to give the ideas of your own sons a chance – a chance that might make you see you were wrong.  
You see ridiculous pranks, we see hours of hard work and planning. You see laughing – no offense – idiots, we see pranksters with a heart for the laughter of others. You see junk, we see talent in magic. And why do we see that?" I spat at the woman, my anger almost too much for me to handle as she looks at me wide eyed and I say:  
"Because we're not stupid and we realize that to invent you have to tweak spells and maybe sometimes even create new spells and potions. And seeing all the products my twin brothers have created, I feel pride, because I know they made many new spells and potions. They have their own way of growing and that is a good thing."

The woman looks shocked and then I decide to end my rant, mostly because my anger is only tempered by my fear for Harry being down in the Chamber and I say: "Had Harry not been present I would have told you this back then, but now I have only one thing left to say. You see notorious pranksters, we see brilliant inventors.  
And with us, my other siblings, from William to Ginerva, it's not different for you. You don't see us as your children growing up into adults. You see us as mashes of flesh and bones you can mold to your own sight – we see you as a heartless, stubborn, old-fashioned person we just _**have**_ to be related to. I end my turn."  
And with that I sit down, to the shocked looks of Molly Anne and the proud smiles of my siblings and father, who also has concerned love showing through in his eyes as he looks at me. Father then softly, caringly says: "Ronald, we will discuss your minority complex later. Now for those who follow Ronald's belief."

 _ **William's POV**_

I see my chance where I can get it, mostly because Molly Anne is still too shocked by Ronald's words to go against him and know we have to take advantage of that to break her stubbornness. I stand up, everyone but Molly Anne looking at me and feel like the older brother responsible for his younger siblings yet again as I say:

"I stand by my brother and his words. Molly Anne, you always, since I was 14, told me to settle down with a good job and a loving wife. I studied to go work at Gringotts, but the work I studied you send Howlers about, telling me to take an ordinary desk job – where I knew I would ruin Gringotts, just out of boredom if I did take it.  
I also had several girlfriends and a single boyfriend, but you all caused them trauma's and I never saw them again. In fact, Geminy Cornwell killed herself 10 minutes after her visit at our home – 3 minutes after you led her out of our house and if you think I didn't hear what you told her, you really don't know me at all, Molly Anne.  
That day, I could have easily gone to the Ministry and get you arrested for disturbing a young witch into suicide, but I didn't because I was 15 meaning Ginerva was only 5 and needed her mother. I never decided not to go to the Ministry for you, but for your daughter, the only female Weasley I will ever care about in this family.

And if you think I didn't know about that Howler you send my friend in Brazil, that made him break our friendship and send me that Cursed hat, you have another thing coming. You disapproved of everything I did and I knew if I stayed in England, I would break to your will – which is something a Weasley never does – so I fled.  
You hear me, Molly Anne, you are the reason I never more got in contact with my English friends or my siblings. I knew any letter I send them would get me a Howler from you and I knew if I visited only for two days, I would get an almost 24 hour long rant as you are domineering, stubborn, old-fashioned and cruel.  
Further more have you done nothing to this family but bring shame on us and make us ashamed of being your sons. Had father not loved you as much as he does and had we had any other, suitable female elder member in our family I would have disowned myself as your son just to escape the shame you bring me as yours."  
The woman's shocked silent and I quickly spare a glance at Charlie, who nods, knowing it better be his turn next, as we debated with Ron. I nod at him and sit down, glad to have finally taken all of this off my chest as I finally feel the weight of Germiny's death being lifted off my shoulders, making a satisfied smile appear on my face..

 _ **Charlie's POV**_

I stand up, amazingly proud of how Ronald gave us a free reign at telling that woman who she really is and amazingly glad I can finally lift my heart of all the shame and anger the woman has been bringing me since I went to Hogwarts and start speaking, speeding up my words when I see that she wants to object or defend herself.  
"Molly Anne, what you just heard of my dear brothers William and Ronald is shared even by me and you know full well it takes a lot to get me angry – a trait I proudly inherited of my father, Arthur." I smile at the man, who nods back with a smile while his eyes show clear heartbreak at what we're saying, before I go on:

"Your actions to me were no better than they were to William or Ronald and by the time I went to my Second year at Hogwarts School, I considered McGonagall, strict, to the point and ever strong-willed, more a mother-figure than I did you. And trust me, Molly Anne, when I say that I told her this and that she took to this role with pride.  
You send me a Howler every time I went to hang around with Tonks, you send her over 300 hundred Howlers only in the first 2 years we knew each other and you even send daughters of your own friends – that you even have any is a miracle to me – to Hogwarts with the order to win my heart and marry me, while they knew nothing of me.

You weren't a mother, Molly Anne, not to me, not to your sons and certainly not to your only daughter. No, you were a Head Auror ordering around a Trainee and I don't accept that. When I went to study Care of Magical Creatures, I instantly felt the bond with them that proved I could easily make contact with any and all creatures.  
I received a week of Howlers when Professor Kettleburn reported this to you. A week of Howlers for finding what my special talent in magic actually is. In my Fourth I found out about a small reserve for the Dragons and other Magical Creatures common to the English Isles and instantly I decided to study to work there.  
I kept this from you until Career day when Professor McGonagall promised me she would help me pass my O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s as long as I would get to spend as much time with my family as possible. When she told you of the promise she made, you wrote her and me a Howler every day for over a month.

This made me decide to change my plans and I studied as hard as I could, almost every possible hour and even under the droning, tiresome, sleep-inducing voice of Professor Binns, while at the same time searching for a similar Reserve, but then in a country far away from you and your obsessive behavior and disgusting Howlers.  
I found many brilliant reserves, all with amazing animals and salary, but didn't find Romania until halfway through my Sixth and studied even harder, passing my Sixth Year tests better than I passed my O.W.L.s. I studied for Apparation the hardest that year, if only to make sure I could Apparate away from you whenever possible.

Then came the end of my Seventh and that was the hardest period of my entire school career as just before Graduation I had several meetings with my siblings, each – except for the twins – individually and right under your nose without your knowledge, a fact which I considered – and still consider – a true blessing.  
So now you know why I put so little time in saying goodbye to you before leaving with the friends I had already made from the Reserve as they tested me throughout my Seventh. None of them know it, but they do know one of my family members keeps me from visiting whenever I feel like it. And that member is you, Molly Anne."

And with that I sit down, believing the twins to be next. But then I see Percy hesitate, before a resolute face appears on his face and he too stands up, his hands straight on the table and his determined face aimed at our ex-mother, while his younger brothers sit back down, their eyes wide as they seem not to understand his anger.

 _ **Percy's POV**_

I know this is a shock to most of my siblings, as I often seemed to be the woman's favorite, which is as far from the truth as possible. I take a deep breath, knowing I have to face and openly speak of the worst crime this woman has committed – a crime worse than even Ron's Minority Complex – and then say:  
"I know my siblings – especially Frederick and George – are most probably shocked that I join them in their anger at you and their need to let this anger be heard as well, but while you brought up the belief in them that I'm your favorite, we both know that's as far from being true as anything, isn't it Molly Anne?"

The woman whitens and I say: "For years, ever since William went to Hogwarts for his First year, you took me from my siblings and used your wand to hit my ankles, neck and back – if only to get me to study. The only other thing you allowed me to do was keep an eye on Ron, like I've been doing since his birth.

If I wanted to play, you gave me text books. If I wanted to eat, you brought food and a dictionary to my room. If I wanted to help the twins, you gave me a book on planning the future. Everything I did had to be about my future and the future you wanted and it hurts me to admit that I didn't inherit the same strength as my elder brothers to defy you.  
And so I adapted myself, studied the law and the school rules and tried to be my best, just to get you off my neck. And while I studied, was my only motivation to get you arrested as soon as I had a Ministerial position. But then, a year before I went to Hogwarts, I heard the worst words come from your mouth ever.

It was the twenty-fourth of August and I know you remember that day too, Molly Anne as I heard you shout at the twins, constantly comparing them to me and saying that you would disown them if they didn't at least listen to me and my plans for the future a little more. I never felt more betrayed and distanced from my family than I did that day."  
I now take a deep breath, tears shining behind my rimmed glasses and I say: "Your constant nagging of them having to be more like me caused them to see me in a bad light, caused Ron to want me to keep less of an eye on him – short said caused me to be distanced from those I always have and always will love more than I ever loved you.

And for that I will never forgive you. I do like my job at the Ministry, but because you already broke me before I even went to Hogwarts I didn't have the strength of will to get a Ministerial job at another country – I didn't dare flee from you. And neither did I feel the need anymore to arrest you as I didn't think anyone would believe me.  
In my eyes you're not a Mother, you're not a Head Auror giving orders to a Trainee like you're apparently to William and Charles and you're certainly not human to any of us. You're nothing more or less than a will-breaking tyrant. And I feel ashamed and disgusted that I let someone of the likes of you break me."

And with that I sit down, shocked looks all around me, while father is now with thin lips and his wand far away from his hands on the table, while his hands are at the table ends and holding onto them tightly – obviously to keep himself in check.  
I then look at my twin brothers, Fred and George tears in their eyes, obviously because of the reminder of that day and for how I felt about us distancing and I remember the time, before Molly Anne broke us apart.  
It had been until I was 6 and the twins 4 that I would always look after them and Ron, make sure they played with him nicely, would talk to them as if they were 2 years younger if they pestered him and would always play their games whenever they pleased – making sure they allowed Ron to play with them too when I did.

But then Bill had gone to Hogwarts and mother – not even taking Charles and his rights as my older brother into regard – had taken us apart, putting me in my room and taking me all my games, replacing them for books that I shouldn't have been able to read for another year. But mother had forced me and had broken me.  
From then on I had only seen my brothers and sister during meals or if they had a nightmare and even – sometimes then – if they had nightmares, Molly Anne would put me to read, work and study and would actually shout at the one who had a nightmare to be quiet because I was studying, something that only made them hate me in return.  
I shake my head, trying not to think of all the ways she broke us apart as I know I have to be strong a little longer and think: "As soon as she's gone, I'm going to make sure things are like when I was 5 again. Of course I'll keep my job, but I'm going to explain the situation to the Minister and hope he can allow me a Part time job."  
This makes me smile, my need to get a good and well-paid job no longer existent now that I have the belief I will not be under the iron thumb of Tyrant Molly Anne for much longer. And with a proud smile and the pain of all those years of separation off of my heart, do I see the twins nod at each other and stand up.

 _ **Fred's POV**_

My twin and I stand up, tearing slightly as we do miss the time we had when we regularly played with Percy and when he helped us help Ron and when he let us help keep an eye on our youngest brother and then, knowing this is just as important to my closest eldest brother as it is to all of us, do I start talking, trying not to choke up:  
"First of all I want to verify that the words of Percival are true and that Molly Anne did indeed threaten to disown us if we didn't live up to him and his plans for the future. Second would I like to verify that Ronald's words are also true in the comparing of us to our elder siblings and the constant complaint that we are not like them."

George then goes on and says: "And of that we are most angry. That you have six sons and one daughter and that you actually want them all to be twins of each other. We are twins, yet the way we are different from others is an obvious disgrace to Molly Anne and that makes her a disgrace in our eyes to our family."

I then continue my brother's words and say: "Ronald's words of what he overheard you say last summer is one thing. But that we saved Harry James Potter, tried to make you see we did right and had you wave away our explanations as stupid lies is something we cannot accept."

George follows my lead and says: "Ronald cared for Harry James and we too cared for the boy we had gone to see as our fellow sibling since Christmas and so we did what you kept stalling to do – we went to see how he was doing. We rescued him and you shouted at us for almost 3 hours, not even letting us explain ourselves."

George huffs and I say: "We did the adult thing – something you should have done – and you still see us as immature brats. You never saw all that we have grown to be and that – that hurts. That our own mother can't even see us grow up, while she is around us almost 24/7 is something my brother and I will never forgive you for, Molly Anne."

And finally George ends: "You broke us from our brother, Percival. You never saw us grow up, but kept the belief we are immature brats. You even complained we can't be like our brothers and – worst of them all – you complained to us about doing things that are actually your responsibility and complained about us in front of guests."

I then look the woman directly in the eye and say: "You constantly tell us we need to change?" And George goes on: "But you could have taken an example out of father for years and you didn't." And together we chorus: "We will never forgive you, not for that – not for anything." And with that we sit down, angered.

 _ **Ginny's POV**_

I know my brother Ronald already lifted his heart – and that he extended the distance between Molly Anne and myself for his own sake – and so start speaking myself, having quite a few issues with the woman almost next to me. I stand up, glare at her, hurt for all she has done and say: "Molly Anne, even to me you're a disgrace.  
Not to how you treated me, even though even that is too embarrassing and disgraceful to talk about, but for how you think you have the right to direct not only mine but the life of one of our friends – not a son, a friend." The woman wants to open her mouth, but Ron still has his wand in hand and silences her as I continue, growing furious:

"You think you have the right to tell Harry who to like and who to marry, you actually think you can demand of him and for what – for his fortune? None of us care for that, Molly Anne, and I can tell you here and now that you are a disgrace of our family if you think that we do and that I will never care for Harry that way.  
Yes, he saved me back in my 1st year and yes, for that I will always be grateful, but that doesn't mean he will automatically marry me the next day, especially because I know that whole thing was partially my own fault. It means he cares for me as much as he cares for Ronald, Charles, Frederick and all other members of our family.  
You see things that aren't even there and if you think I will marry or care for Harry only for his fortune, you've raised your daughter with deluded feelings and a blind eye. I am nothing like you and for that I am grateful. And if you wonder how it's possible that I never became anything like you, it's because you never _raised me._

William and Charles always took care of me until they went to Hogwarts and even then they often came home for the weekend to play with me and it's thanks to them I can walk, talk and count. They are not just my older brothers, they – along with Percy and Ronald – are more of my parents than you can ever dream to be.  
You cared nothing about raising me for 4 years of my life, so where you get the idea you can now tell me how to live my life I will never know. You did not have that right when I turned four and they left, you did not get that right when I was six and Percy went for Hogwarts and you did not get that right when I went to Hogwarts.  
And then the image you have of me." I snort at this, the woman now glaring at me as if telling me to apologize, but instead I say: "You never reprimand me if I do something like Ronald or Percy, but if I do something that doesn't befit the idiotic _**little delicate princess**_ image you have of me, I get a rant of – at the least – four hours.  
How I didn't get deaf before the age of 8 – seeing you started ranting at me to be more of a _girly-girl_ at age 3 and a half – I'll never know, but I feel grateful for that blessing. What I am not grateful for and what I even despise of you is how you can be blind enough to think you can raise a princess in the midst of 6 wild boys.

I am one of them, a wild tomboy and I am proud of it. I can do spells that make the boys scared, I have your temper, the only thing I am proud I inherited of you, and since that incident in my First year I have grown a backbone even you can't break. You might think I'm your little princes, but to us, you will never be our Queen in life."  
I tell the woman, who is chalk white now, her anger completely gone when I told her of my backbone and I smile at my brothers, Ronald, William, Percival and Charles the most and Charlie says: "I know it's not my turn, but; that's the spirit, little Spitfire." And I smile at the nickname I got when I was 2 ½ years old.

 _ **Arthur's POV**_

I know what to do and while trying not to let this decision break my heart by reminding myself of my kids, do I think: "Gideon, Fabian, I'm sorry. I can't handle your sister the way you wanted me to and I can't take care of her anymore. I can't risk my children any further." And for some reason I feel their acceptance washing over me.  
I smile and turn a stern eye on Molly, who looks at me pleadingly, but I thin my lips and say: "Molly Anne, you are supposed to be my wife and a mum to my kids. Instead you are a tyrant to them and just about broke our entire family apart, actually making my sons flee from our family home if only to escape you and your tyrannical behavior.  
Your brothers – may they rest in peace – asked me to take care of you severely on the day you birthed William and now I know what they meant. But I am sad to say that I found this out too late as you are breaking our sons and our family bond with your stubborn behavior and your denial that you can be wrong in anything.  
I have mentally apologized to your brothers and now I do it to you. I'm sorry, but I can't take care of you anymore. I have to take care of my sons and daughter and work on getting my family back together." The woman looks shocked, probably already suspecting what I'm going to do and I take a deep breath and say:

"I, Arthur William Weasley, Head of the Noble House of Weasley, hereby disown you from the Weasley family and I ask William to head for Gringotts to call for a divorce. You are no longer a Weasley and I will check your brothers and father's Will to see if they wrote anything about what will happen if I do call in a divorce."

The woman blanches, which makes me wonder if she really anticipated my plan of action and says: "Y-y – Arthur, you can't." But I shake my head with my eyes closed and say: "I can, Molly Anne. Your father accepted this of me when I asked for your hand in marriage and seeing how far you've gone, I have no choice but to do this.  
I will look into your family tree to see if you have any family that can take care of you, but do know that I will inform them of our family's situation if I do. From then on you will be their concern and in their hands. And finally will I ask them to keep you away from my children. That is all I have to say. So I swear, so mote it be."

And all my sons and daughter – all of them smiling with tears shining behind their eyelids – say: "Cum tibi sit alius. Being yourself is being different." And with the calling of our family Motto we seal the divorce and the disownment of the woman from the Weasley family tree. I sigh and shake my head, thinking back.  
Back at Hogwarts, when we still went, Molly and I had a wonderful time – sneaking out of the common room at night, sitting under gigantic trees, stealing kisses between classes – and when we were married and dreamed of our own offspring, Molly was the most wonderful woman I ever thought I had the blessing to meet.  
But apparently getting a child and then more changed the wonderful woman, into a child-neglecting tyrant that broke my family apart and I know this was the only way I could start fixing the bonds I have with my sons and family. I then cringe and try to squish the little voice inside me almost begging me to undo the oath, but ignore it.  
I then look at the woman again, feeling as if I'm finally seeing her for the first time and think: "You were once a wonderful person, Molly, and I hope that under someone's care who's stronger up against your will you will again be that person. That woman I fell in love with." But for some reason do I doubt that will happen.


	11. Come Back - To Me

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **This chapter will contain exactly that which makes me believe this story better off on AFF, but seeing as how I am planning to just cut that part out of the story – the part itself being quite graphic when it comes to intercourse – do I hope that FF . net will not delete this story and that I can keep posting to my heart's content.  
**_ _ **Wish me luck,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **Translations: * Say what?**_

 _ **Chapter 10  
**_ _ **Come back – to me**_

 _ **Snape's POV**_

I know you shouldn't mess with Basilisk ingredients, but the spells I have been, by putting the parts and slaps together, able to put into the material make it even better than it all was. If the Dark Lord's weakened, these protection spells will weaken his Cruciatus and will deflect other spells, except of course the other 2 Unforgiveables.  
I sigh, trying not to think of how brilliantly Potter described it in the book as that almost made me feel as I was actually under that spell myself and think: "I just hope this will help him. And that his plan will work." And with that I look at one of the fangs I left for Potter, one that I even filled to the brim with help of another fang.

I then look at the suit again, the green Basilisk scales shining in the dim Dungeon light and while I try not to let it remind me of the only person I ever loved who had the same color in her beautiful eyes, do I know it's only an inch bigger in size than Potter, making sure he can wear it under his cloths during the Third Task today.  
I also put a small spell on the inside of the sleeves and that made sure that – would Pettigrew indeed go for one of Potter's arms – the man would not even get to touch the boy's skin, let alone get anywhere near his blood as I put a double layer around each arm with Basilisk poison filling the scales of the upper layer.

I nod, satisfied and proud with my work – like I usually am when working on a really difficult potion over the summer holidays for myself – and pick up the suit and the fang, pushing it against the suit and the attachable spell I added to the suit causes the fang to instantly attach itself to the hip of the suit. I smirk and leave my study.  
I find Potter waiting inside a small alcove near the Dungeons, his hair and robe – which is strangely absent of the red lion – blending with the shadows and he says: "You've already unmasked yourself. I don't want those wannabe Death Eaters to try something on you if they see you personally conversing with me – or trading rare goods."  
I nod, my respect for the boy having grown since he and I shared secrets about me being friends with his mum and him having a suicidal problem and I quickly explain him the spells I've added to the suit. The boy smirks and then shocks me senseless as he pulls a small bottle of silver-red blood out of a secret inner pocket.  
He then quickly looks around to see if anyone else comes over before he says in a hushed tone: "Unicorn Blood. Willingly given by a Unicorn, because I tried to save her foal. And now yours." I know the boy's thinking something after that, with the way he left that open and curtly nod, before retreating back into my dungeons.  
But from the corner of my eye I notice Potter use his famous cloak to disappear out of the Dungeons and – casually – reappear in the midst of a large group of students heading for lunch, some of the younger years looking at him in shock, but others leaving him be. I shake my head at his sneakiness and then return to my dungeons.

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

"That it was never Snivellus who did all those terrible things to Remus all those years ago. That he's actually helping Harry with his plan right now. That I'm actually letting my little boy go through with such a dangerous plan. That I'm actually helping – ahem – my Remus save my Godson from further humiliation right now."  
All these thoughts roam through my mind, constantly coming back and mixing together with the image of my lovely Remus, all those years ago – bloodied, broken bones and ribs, tears on his face, his hair smeared with his own blood, his body convulsing in pain and his mouth wide open, charmed to stay that way.  
I shake my head, trying to use my Padfoot form to make sure my emotions don't get the better of me, while telling Remus it was to better sniff out that little bug. I know only half my mind is on actually finding that little insect, but I'm trying my best to make it look as if I'm really into this – to me – not all that important search.

Then suddenly the search ends as Tonks shouts: "GOT HER!" I sprint over and see a bug in her hands, trapped in a Bubblehead charm, with the same description as the book gave. I smile and transform back, while Remus runs over and Tonks says: "I put the same spells on the Bubble as in the book. This little bug isn't going anywhere."  
I smile and say: "We'll head for the Maze to see how Hagrid's fairing." The slightly younger woman nods and says: "Be careful." Remus and I both nod back at her and while she heads for the entrance hall doors, do we leave for the Quidditch pitch. Then, while walking, Remus does the one thing I really didn't want him to do.

"I'm sorry I let you and James blame the wrong guy for all these years." I look at him as we walk on and shrug, trying not to let that image run over and over in my mind's eye. But then Remus says: "Sirius, I'm not stupid. I know that memory haunts you right now as much as it's been haunting me my whole life."  
I nod at that, glad Remus can still read me so well and I ask: "You think you'll ever get over it? I mean, it does keep you from intercourse and a good relationship, you know?" The man sighs and says: "I know. I even went to what Muggles call a shrink, but that didn't really help much. And he was a bloody wizard!"

I look interested, mostly because I want to know all there is about the life of the man I have a super-secret crush on and ask: "What'd he do?" The man sighs and we sit down at one of our favorite trees, a tree even James never found while it was just on the edge of the forest. Remus leans against the bark, closes his eyes and says:  
"He was supposed to help me get over my fear for intercourse and to move past the trauma. But he seemed to be a little addled in the mind himself." I look at him as his tone turned slightly scared and while I silently promise to hunt this man down and hurt him if he hurt Remus, does Remus lie a hand on his eyes as he goes on:  
"The minute he heard I had almost been mouth-raped at age 12, he instantly suspected the wrong thing. That I was forced to be someone's whore and wanted out. He turned from a shrink to a complete phycho as he said he would get me out of _that world_ if I showed him how much of a whore I could be. I fled right after that."

I feel fury at what the shrink actually said and redo my inner vow, this time together with tons of plans on how to make the man pay for his words and then a cynical smirk appears on my Remus' face and he says: "A few months later I discovered that the company for which that shrink worked was owned by Lucius Malfoy.  
That made it more than clear to me what that meant. That man was working for Malfoy and had believed that I was working as a whore for his boss, which made him –." But then, knowing where Remus' thoughts are taking him and hating how little he thinks of himself, do I say: "Remus, stop making excuses!"  
He looks at me with one eye peaking through the fingers of his hand and I say: "That man said terrible things. He expected exactly that of you which you wanted him to heal you off. He had no right to do so." The man smiles at me and says: "I know that, Sirius, I just like to think of reasons as to why he would, that's all."

I sigh, lean back against the tree and slide down as I was standing and say: "You always look for the best in others, Remus. And that while you never see something good in yourself. I actually lost count of the many times James and I had to cheer you up when you felt bad about yourself after someone insulted us or McGonagall caught us."  
The man smiles, his brown eyes shining with remembrance of those happier times and he says: "And it still has to sink in that I can be liked. I guess that's a combo effect of being used and hurt so badly and of what people generally think of werewolves." I sigh in slight defeat, as that has always been an issue for Remus and I say:

"Remus, you can't have everybody like you. Look at me, everyone thinks I'm just as dark as my family and it'll take quite a while before they realize I'm as far alike my family as possible. Heck it took them my full seven years of Hogwarts last time. And look at Harry, look at all what Skeeter and Crouch Jr. have caused him."

The man nods and says: "You're right, Sirius. And of course there were quite a couple of students that seemed happy when I came in." I smile and say: "See, that's what I'm talking about. You're easily likeable, Remus, and you have amazing qualities and a superb personality, not to forget how you always put that intelligence of yours to use and –."  
Now Remus laughs, his hand finally off his face and on his stomach with his other hand as he says: "Okay, okay Sirius, I get it. You can stop now." I shrug, glad he saw it as only a pick-me-up instead of me listing all the things of him that made me fall for him and then I decide to slowly work my way to a confession.

I slide down a little further till I'm lying down on the grass with my head leaning against the tree and suddenly feel scared as I have no idea how to. But then I think back to today's reading and get an idea as I ask: "Say, was it me or did you notice Krum going crazy for our little Harry too?" The man looks at me and I say:  
"Oh right, I forgot I was the only one of us that can speak Bulgarian. But even besides that, didn't you see how Krum held him and comforted him and looked at him. He is so over his ears for our little boy." The man smiles, while I try not to look at him to make sure he can't read my expression as to what I'm planning and asks:  
"And you're okay with that?" I shrug, deciding that being blunt will be the best way to come out – like I always do – and tranquilly say: "Hey, I already told him to remember that Harry's my boy and that I'll hurt him if he hurts my boy, so I don't mind. Besides, I'd be quite the hypocrite if I was against people being gay."

The man looks at me, his head turning away from the clouds above us and his eyes wide as saucers and I say: "Yep, the infamous Sirius Orion Black, womanizer #1 and all-round flirt, is as gay as the sun is shining." The man smirks and says: "Well, I don't know how long that's been true, but I do know you're one hell of an actor."  
I shrug and while thinking back to the day of my first full moon with Remus do I say: "It's been so since my second really. Of course I only noticed it once I really started dating and all, but still. But I have to admit that it was around three months into our Fifth that I really realized I was gay, seeing I fell in love back then."  
I then look at him shortly before gazing back to the skyline visible over the Black lake to make sure he can't see my growing unease and say: "Right under the light of the full moon. Too bad that moon is also quite the problem." The man looks at me confused and I sigh, looking straight up with my hands behind my head and I say:

"He has this magical disease, Remus, and by magical Creature Blood law that makes him capable of finding a perfect mate at age 16. I never really saw him hunt the mate down, but –." I sigh with my eyes closed, trying not to let that little fact get me down like is has been since I first read about it in my Sixth and say:  
"I guess I just don't want to take the risk of telling him how I feel and then hearing he has someone else for a mate." The man nods and I decide to make this conversation a little easier for the both of us as I playfully say: "Of course, back then I just used that whole perfect mate thing as a problem in a different way."  
The man looks at me confused and still amused, his eyebrow raised and his lopsided smile wide as he looks at me and I say: "You know how I was, Remus, I loved topping a good girl and I – well – I acted to like touching them, but while I faked that second, I used the first as an excuse I shouldn't try to make a move.  
I kept telling myself that I wasn't born to bottom – especially after my – you know what, you don't want to know about that. Anyway I told myself that my nature to top would make us argue and that the creature within him would try to break me, while I knew him so well, and I used my fake fear for bottoming to keep myself from him."  
I sigh, feeling glad I didn't reveal any names so far during my confession and then man up as I say: "Now I of course know better and I know that bottoming isn't all that bad, but while I still don't want to be told that he has someone else for a perfect mate, is there still one thing that I have as proof that I want him."

Remus looks at me intently and I gulp under the scrutinizing gaze of his beautiful amber brown eyes, feeling exposed and as if I already said too much; that he already figured I meant him the whole time. Using his low personal value as an excuse that he hasn't I keep talking, willing to spill to him my biggest secret.

* * *

He then moves us so that we are both lying with our faces in the right side of each other's necks as he whispers: "Padfoot. You are now mine, but do you accept all the rules of the Pack and all the laws created centuries ago by Ancient Werewolf Tribes, including your new life Role as both my Omega and my Beta?"

I have of course studied the Laws and history of the Werewolf tribes and know that an Omega is the first partner of a Pack Alpha – in this case my Remy – and is Second in command when it comes to the pack, while a Beta is most of the time the caretaker of cubs and – if it comes down to it – the bitch of the Alpha and Omega.  
The Beta has most chances of becoming pregnant and is often used to produce the children of the Alpha and Omega, but only if the Omega him or herself is unable to carry cubs or produce cubs. The Alpha and Omega then both bond with the Beta, the magic of this bonding then ensuring that the Beta is pregnant with cubs.  
The Omega is more common for being the carrier of Alpha cubs and is the caretaker of the cubs of other members of the Pack, but his or her own cubs always come first and the first attribute to the Omega is his/her protectiveness of the cubs and Pack in itself, yet it is the utter devotion to the Alpha that sets the Omega apart in a pack.  
The only chance of an Omega also being a Beta is if the Pack doesn't have enough members or if the members are unworthy of being the Alpha cubs carrier. This is the case if there is too much fatherly love from the Alpha for his other members or if the pack consists of only the Alpha, the Omega and Pack Cubs.  
And still to be both the Omega and Beta to an Alpha of a pack is the greatest honor for anyone and is even seen as a blessing by Wizards, law stating that anyone cursing an Omega who is also a Beta will be sentenced to Azkaban lifelong, a thought that both relieves me for the future and reminds me of my painful past.

I smile at all the knowledge I have for so many times and for so long studied roams through my mind and I tiredly – with aching muscles – snuggle closer to the large, masculine body of my lovely Remus and whisper: "I, Sirius Orion Black, am your Omega and I, Sirius Orion Black, am your Beta, my Alpha Remus John Lupin."  
Remus smiles and moves us so that I can see the love shining in his eyes before he kisses me lovingly, making me feel that he has accepted my words of commitment and then he softly lies down himself, lying me above him, while he keeps kissing me softly, taking away the breath I'm trying to regain from our love-making.  
A few minutes later we are both rested and recovered and Remus whispers: "You know, seeing you're my Omega and Harry's only living Blood relative." He lets the rest of the sentence hang and I smile widely as my blood bond allows Harry to be officially accepted into the Pack as a cub. The first cub of many we will be sure to have.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I got the armor from Snape as he told me, handed him the Unicorn blood I've been saving for years and am now sitting through the second half of lunch, but have yet to see a single sign from either Remus or Sirius – and that while the Auror named Tonks went with them to hunt Skeeter has already returned with the bug caught.  
She told me Sirius and Remus are checking out Hagrid and his more lethal pets, but the distance from where she left them to the Pitch shouldn't take them as long to get back as it seems to be and I wonder what happened to the two, worried that they got attacked or kidnapped by Crouch Junior or the monsters in the Maze.

And the fact that Hagrid has already returned from taking the Accromantula and Blast-ended Skrewts out of the maze and that he told me he didn't see the two enter the Pitch brings my worries up to a level that I haven't felt since I worried what would happen to the captives if their Champions didn't take them up to the surface.  
When lunch ends and Dumbledore wants to stand up to make a speech, I can't take it anymore and stand up myself, intent on going to look for them and Ron and Hermione stand up with me while the teachers don't even reprimand us for disrupting the Headmaster, but then they walk into the Hall and I sit down, sighing in pure relief.

They sit on both my sides and happily smile at me, before smiling at each other in a way I often see Mrs. Weasley smile at her husband. I look at them both shocked and Lupin says: "Harry, Moony picked Sirius as his destined mate and – well – we just performed the Mating Ritual. He is now my Omega as well as my Beta."  
I look between the two, my head moving quicker than the audience does during a tennis match and while my mental little library looks up the words just spoken, does Sirius says: "And because you're my nephew through your mother being my sister, Remus and I have the full right to allow you into our Pack as our cub."

He then hugs me tightly, shocking me and making me tense on instinct as I worry for what I could have done wrong, but then I relax as he seems to just want to hug me happily and he whispers: "Our cub, Harry. Our baby boy. Our son." And these last words, together with all the worry I felt for many different things;  
Whether or not my plan will work, if I can convince the other Champions not to take the Cup with me, if we can stop Crouch after stopping Voldemort, if I can keep hold onto that strange locket and whether or not I can use it for my plan, not to mention my worry for what could have happened to Remus and Sirius that kept them away for so long,  
Shock me so badly I can't take it anymore. And before I can even break down in tears of joy – for the fact that I can have family and never more return to the Muggles or that disgusting pig called Vernon Dursley – does my body break down and do I feel blackness engulfing me and I faint in my _real_ uncle's arms.

Sometime later I feel my eyes quivering in need to open and for some reason I am no longer being held by a happy Sirius, but I am lying on a really uneven couch or something else. I slowly blink, my memory catching up and remembering all that was revealed during the reading together with the last hug I got and open my eyes.  
Above me Remus and Sirius are sitting together, the brown and black hair meshed together and still quite recognizable even though I'm not wearing my glasses and they seem to sit close together, making me know I'm lying on their laps, while Sirius has his head lying on Remus' shoulder and Remus has his on Sirius'.  
Sirius, his black hair moving making me know it's him, then looks down – which I can see as his hair now hangs loosely – and smiles at me as I keep my eyes slightly closed, due to the fact I'm blind without my glasses. He moves to the side of the couch and puts them down on my nose and then softly caresses my hair, whispering:  
"You okay?" I nod and, seeing his loving smile clearly on his face now and say: "Just – a little too worried, I guess." The man nods and then Remus, his tone sounding guilty, says: "Harry, we're sorry, but we took you to Gryffindor tower and we used you being out to painlessly perform the ritual making you a Pack Cub – our cub."

I then feel that – except for my underwear – I am indeed naked and while I feel exposed to everyone that can come in here, do I also feel that there is something warm and sticky that's stuck to my chest and stomach. I look down and see a mix of leafs and blood forming all kinds of words I can't even fathom to understand.  
Sirius then moves his hand over the lines and as he moves from one line to the next, he says: " _ **Forever part of us**_ (the first line). _**For ours we care**_ (the second). _**Ours we protect**_ (the third). _**Ours we help grow**_ (the fourth). _**Only to be taken by death**_ (the fifth). _**Our pack, our cub, our son**_ (the last)."

I look at the words shocked, having never expected for anyone to mean them enough to use them in a ritual and Remus says: "And I'm really sorry, Harry, but you have to keep that on until tonight 8 o'clock or the whole ritual will fall. You can wear it under your cloths, but you can't shower or take a swim or anything of the like."  
I nod, still amazed that such an amazing, loving ritual has been done to me and while barely believing any of this to be real, do I ask: "So – does this mean – I mean – will this conclude that I –." But I don't dare say the words that burn in my heart and then a female voice shocks me and makes me jump – even while lying on my back – as it says:

"Yep, you'll be living with us, cousin." I turn my head and see the woman named Tonks getting hit on the back of her head by the woman she called mum. Sirius then says: "Harry, these are Andromeda, Ted and Nymphadora Tonks. They were once Blacks, but Andy changed her name when she got married to Ted."  
The three nod and the young woman named Nymphadora, who I've liked since she voiced her heartfelt anger at Rita Skeeter during the reading, says: "And I'll warn you now, Harry, I'm an Auror so if you call me Nymphadora I will be quite able to curse you." I smile at the woman's sense of humor and Mr. Tonks says:  
"Sirius told us he had an apartment that was sold when he was in Azkaban and that Remus has nothing more than a small cottage only just large enough for one that – due to his constant job-changing – he is barely able to afford as it is, so you three can stay in the only Mansion Meda was allowed to keep when she was disowned."

This piques my interest and I ask: "Why were you –?" But then I remind myself of the manners I had to roughly teach myself, if only to survive those monster Muggles and the woman smiles as she says: "Our family was quite of the Blood Purity and because Ted is a Muggleborn they were against me and my love for him."  
She then shrugs, while I can tell that the words have indeed once hurt her and says: "Cissy always did say that Siri and I were the rebels of the family. Although I don't think she meant it to these extremes." And with that she reaches out a hand to Remus and says: "Congratulations, Remus. I hope you take good care of them."  
The man smiles and says: "Thank you, Andy. And I intend to." He then raises me to sit on his lap and asks: "Harry, can you please explain us the plan you have?" I look at him slightly doubtful, but his hand softly lies on the words painted on my chest and I nod. I then seat myself a little more comfortably and start explaining.

 _ **Ted's POV**_

"That boy is pure genius." I think for the umpteenth time as I seat myself, my wife, daughter, cousin in law and his destined mate in the front row of what was once the Quidditch pitch and now the Third Task stadium, looking slightly up to the maze walls and having a perfect view of the Four Champions waiting down at the single entrance.  
He has explained me a plan I never would have thought of and it's so well put together that if anyone accuses the boy of killing an Ancient Line he will have no guilt in it whatsoever as he is protecting himself with the scales. How he got the scales, the boy wouldn't say, but he did assure us we would find out ourselves in time.  
All the boy – if someone is stupid enough to try after the Third Task is over – can be punished for is destroying an Ancient Artifact that once belonged to the Founders, but even for that he has an Alibi with help of the letter, of which my wife was able to write a translated copy thanks to Harry reading it out loud to her earlier.  
I cannot believe he has come up with such an amazing plan and smile at him as he softly converses with the other Champions. But then I see something strange. The other Champions seem angry and Harry seems exasperated as he waves his arms and seemingly tries to convince Diggory, Krum and Delacour of something.

 _ **Viktor's POV**_

"I cannot believe my Harry." I think as the boy explains us his plan and argues against us trying to keep him here with us or letting one of us go with him. But then the boy's patience with us seems to snap as he shouts: "LISTEN!" We all take a step back as his tone is almost powerful enough to be magical and the boy says:  
"If any of you go with me, you get killed. The Book events prove that. And you can say what you want, but that rat is too skilled with the Killing Curse for me to risk you guys. And I know you don't want to risk me, but it's this or letting Crouch Jr. get Voldemort here at Hogwarts, where he'll surely kill all those we care about.  
I can't take either of those risks and I can't stand the idea of giving into Voldemort's plan when I have one of my own, so you just have to let me go! We can go through the Maze together, but once we reach the cup, you have to let me take it. You've seen for yourselves that I can handle this, so just please allow me this one chance."

The boy almost begs, his eyes shining with a dark need to let us do this that is almost too much for us to resist and while I want nothing more than to step forward, hug him and keep hugging him until he promises not to go through with his plan, do I know he's right and that I can never convince him to let go off his plan.  
I sigh, hating how a 14 year old is the most stubborn of us all and look at my fellow Champions. Fleur has tears in her eyes, obviously of despair as she still mutters things in French that I know are arguments she already knows won't be any use and Cedric probably has the same urge as I do, if the look in his eyes is anything to go by.  
I then sigh again, knowing I won't get anymore back-up to get Harry out of this mad plan and say: "Alright then. But you're staying vith us until ve reach the cup." Harry nods and then Dumbledore opens the Tournament and thanks to our conversation with him earlier, we are all allowed to enter the Maze at the same time.

The entrance to it is exactly like the book described and the minute we are only a few steps into the maze, all sound of the cheering fans and other sounds are taken down and all we hear are the others' footsteps onto the grassy under floor, as the hedges on our sides grow together at the entrance, blocking our way back.  
We walk and walk and thanks to Harry's Point me Charm, followed by a more complex spell cast by Cedric that reacts onto the effects of the Point me Charm, we are easily able to find the right road for several minutes.  
Yet we still end up with quite a couple of dead ends and every time we do, we walk back to a small split in the road or a side road we didn't take before and use the Combo-spells to see if the road can help us get further.

For almost half an hour we walk like this and I can tell that Harry is extremely worried, while Fleur and I walk at the front and back each, both of us using the Lumos charm to lighten the path in front of us and to keep an eye on our surroundings, our worries perhaps different from Harry's, but definitely not weaker in strength.  
Then suddenly Harry aims his wand up and shouts: "Accio Marauders Map." And an old piece of Parchment, which I suspect is the map Crouch Jr. spoke of in the book, flies into Harry's hand. He taps it with his wand, speaking soft enough that even Cedric can't hear and seems to look at the map for a few minutes, before he suddenly curses.  
We all look shocked as the curse itself is much heavier than one someone his age should even know about and he says: "The Pitch isn't on the Map. I can't see if Crouch is close to us or something." This worries me as Crouch was vicious enough to take down Fleur and powerful enough to put me under Imperious curse.

But then suddenly Harry shouts: "LUMOS SOLEM!" Aiming his wand at the floor and to my shock shrieks come from the floor as thousands of small vines slither away – away from Fleur. This shocks me and at the same time makes me feel stupid seeing how our entrance did the same as Harry purses his lips together and says:  
"Devil Snare, that's how Crouch must have caught Fleur. She panicked when she saw the Devil's Snare and he got his chance to curse her unconscious and out of the competition." We all nod, Fleur's wand light wavering as the French woman must not have used our break to get over her fear of the book-event and Cedric asks:  
"How did you know it was Devil's Snare?" But Harry just whispers another set of words that apparently undoes the magic of the map and says: "You'll know once we start reading again. It happened in First." This seems to worry Cedric and it worries me as well as Devil's Snare is known for its deadly grip.

Harry then puts the Map back under his Tournament outfit, the outfit under it showing shortly before we walk on and after another ten minutes we walk into the wall Harry experienced in the Book. We all look at each other and Fleur and Cedric are the first to run into it, holding hands and Fleur holding her wand high above her head.  
I mostly have my eyes on their joined hands, imagining how good it'll feel if that were Harry and me and while cursing myself for this as I should be focusing on the here and now and not on dreams, do I see how, as they pass through the wall quickly, it does indeed for about half a minute look as if they're floating in the air upside down.  
But the next half a minute they're back to normal even if Cedric does seem to suppress a shiver and Fleur's complexion looks paler than before and run a few more steps before stopping and as they turn around, Cedric gives us a thumbs up to indicate it's safe to go through. Harry and I nod at him and I take my chance.

I grab Harry's hand and he looks at me for a second, but then he seems to focus back on the task ahead as he turns his head back and we both start running. To my shock the boy has a speed I can barely believe and I have to actually put the same force in my running as I usually use if I push the acceleration of my broom.  
This attracts me to the speedy young man besides me even more as we run through and as we touch the amazing material of magic I do feel as if my feet are stuck to the sky, while above me I can still see the air above the maze, but then Harry pulls on my hand and we step through, the world turning right again.  
I softly let go off his hand after we stop running, part of me screaming not to do so and to keep Harry close to me, yet we stop just a few steps behind Fleur and Cedric and then we take the same positions as last time, me at the back, Cedric and Harry in the midst and Fleur in the front and both Fleur and me with lighted wands.

We walk and sometimes sprint on and all the while I notice Harry taking great caution in watching his surroundings and all that moves around him. I too am on high alert as I had expected Crouch to strike by now and then we suddenly come face to face with something that had not been on Harry's path in the book.  
The head of an eagle and with pure grey feathers streaming into soft grey hairs that cover the body of a horse, with tail and hooves and with the wings of at least 3 feet span on the back of the creature, while sharp claws are at the front paws and a single bright orange eye stares straight at us, the gaze itself testing us and daring us to pass.

I look at the Hippogriff in shock, having not expected something so fierce and loyal and self-defensive in the Maze and then Harry, whose voice is laced with a strange sense of confusion, whispers: "Buckbeak." We all look at him, even the Hippogriff and for a minute a small shine of recognition seems to shine in the orange eye.  
I personally want to stand in front of the boy and protect him, but know that's the wrong thing to do in front of a Hippogriff and then Harry starts to smile, making me all the more curious and wonder if he encountered Hippogriffs before as he whispers something to Cedric, that makes him look at the boy as if he's lost his mind.  
Harry shoots him an almost commanding stare, the power behind it astounding me as it proves how much of a natural leader he is and then steps forward while Cedric raises his wand and says: "Accio Chicken wings." This shocks and confuses me and Fleur asks: "*Dites ce que?" But the wings fly over and Cedric catches them.

Harry, in the mean time, has walked over to the creature, something that greatly worries me and makes me fight down the voice within me telling me to protect him and now bows fully down, but still with his eyes on the creature and to my shock it only takes less than a minute before the Hippogriff follows his example in a full bow.  
He then sits down and Harry holds up his hand. Cedric throws him a Chicken wing and Harry feeds it to the Hippogriff, making me worry, but the creature gently takes it out of his hand and Harry, who has a happiness added to his tone that makes me know there is more to this than I know, says: "They really shouldn't have placed you here."  
Then, when all of us realize that the beast is like a newborn chick in Harry's care, does Fleur ask the question dying on my tongue and softly asks: "'Arry, do you know zis 'ippogriff?" Harry nods and says: "Met it in my Third. Buckbeak's really proud, but once you gain his respect he's easy to hang around with."  
The Hippogriff craws, the sound both agreeing and very happy sounding and we all smile, each of us relieved that this challenge wasn't all that hard and we all feed him a single Chicken wing as we pass the creature and Harry gives the noble beast a last pat on the shoulder pad and a last stroke on his wing before running after us.

But as he catches up to us, his happy smiling face a sight to behold to my singing heart in these dangerous times, do I feel the same euphoria that I heard Mr. Malfoy describe when he read the chapter of the battle between my lovely and that monster. I feel my mind turning blank and a dark voice hissing in my ear:  
"Take them down. Help him. Get Potter to the Cup. Take them down." But while I really do want to help Harry, does my hand tremble as I lower my alighted wand and instantly Harry seems to understand my situation as he shouts: "Viktor! Viktor, fight it! We're here! We can do this! TOGETHER, VIKTOR!"  
And the sound of my Harry, my beautiful, brave, noble, kind, generous Harry saying my name and the strength of his voice and how he believes that I can break the curse makes me think: "Harry! He cares for them. I care for them! They care for him. Care for me. I can't hurt them. I can't take them out. I c-c-can't. I WON'T!"  
And shockingly enough, as I break Junior's restraining hold over my resisting conscious, do I shout this last part as the euphoria breaks and I pant, falling down to a position where I lean my hands on my bend knees and sweat on my forehead. My wand has fallen out of my hand, but I do feel a pair of arms around my neck.

I look up through my fringe – and the sweat that sticks to my brow and eyelids and see Harry holding me in his arms, before my brain registers his words of pride and I allow myself a moment of wrapping my own arm around him, if only to hold him – to hold my Harry – before I stand back up and light my wand again.  
I then look around say: "We better get out of here fast. Junior will surely try to strike again if we don't get away from this path." The others all nod and we start running again, this time Cedric running in the back and me running next to Harry. We come across another 3 dead ends and 4 forks in the road before a distant light shines upon us.

We all look up ahead and Fleur raising her wand just a little more to light the path ahead as she shouts: "The Cup!" And we all start running, me using Cedric's light to keep an eye on the walls beside us to see if monsters try to climb over it. But then Harry grabs Fleur's arm with one hand and uses the other to block my path.  
I look ahead and see that the same vines as before are twisting into one another causing a wall to appear before us, while on both our sides vines and branches split open, the path to the Cup now no longer existent and two new paths now open for us to chose from. I then look at Harry and see him looking at the ground before us.

I look too as I had been debating which path to take before looking at him and see a gigantic square hole that Fleur was just one step away from falling in, filled with Cornish Pixies, Gnomes and Bow Truckles, all of them glaring at us. I sigh relieved and Cedric says: "Either they want us to split up or they want to delay us."  
But Harry seems to have already examined both paths as he aims his wand at the left entrance and shouts: "Stupefy!" And one side of the entrance almost screeches before vines quickly twist and entwine again. Harry glares and says: "A test. That one probably had the illusion of getting us to the Cup quicker."  
I feel absolutely shocked that the teachers thought of something so tricky and – even – underhanded – before I quickly cast the same spell on the right entrance, but nothing happens and we run through, only to – after a single turn – come across the gigantic Sphinx Harry encountered into the Maze. Harry steps forward and says:

"We would like to pass. Do we all have to do a riddle separately or can we take one riddle for us all?" And the creature sits down and says: "One for each Champion, but if you had not had your riddle yet, you can help the one whose turn it is."  
We all nod and Cedric says: "Let me go last. It took me only a little advice from that fake and two hours in the tub to get that clue out of the egg." We all nod and I say: "I will go first." I step forward, passing Harry – making sure to softly run my hand over his arm – and strongly speak to the Sphinx looking down at my love:  
"I am ready. I will go first." The creature nods and I can feel all the worried glances of my fellow champions behind me, Harry's a little stronger proving he's still standing where he was and while this makes part of me believe I have a chance with him a little more, does the creature speak her riddle and say with a mysterious voice:

 _ **It is there, yet you can't see it  
**_ _ **It is everlasting, yet easily broken  
**_ _ **It holds together friendship as well as other bonds  
**_ _ **It is that which a bond is based on or else the bond breaks  
**_ _ **You thrust it as someone the most when you spill him or her a secret.  
**_ _ **What, Bulgarian Champion, am I?**_

I gulp and think: "This one's a lot harder than the one Harry had, but it's definitely not a creature and a lot easier to understand. Also, in Harry's riddle, she gave a very obvious hint, so where does it lie here?" I sigh, wanting to get this over with out of fear of what Crouch can do if given the chance and start to think.  
Then suddenly I realize that my riddle had no rhyme in it and wonder if that makes it easier or harder to remember, but I bypass this and think: _**"It's there, yet you can't see it.**_ Meaning it's something invisible. _**It's everlasting, yet easily broken.**_ That means it depends on people and how they treat it –whatever it is.  
 _ **It holds together friendship as well as other bonds.**_ That makes it some kind of emotion. I'm getting warmer, I know it." Then I remember the last sentence and think: "Wait, that one to last sentence. _**You thrust it at someone the most when you spill him or her a secret.**_ If you spill a secret, you trust someone to keep that secret.  
Trust is an emotion. It holds together friendship and other bonds and is often what relationships are based on. But when trust breaks, so does a bond of friendship, love or even commitment. That is – according to what I heard – what caused Harry to lose his parents all those years ago. That's the answer, it has to be."

And while amazed that this riddle has a link to the darker parts of my secret crush's past, do I tell the creature confidently: "You're trust." The creature smiles regally and shuffles to the side, allowing me passage. I look at the Champions worried, my gaze lingering on Harry, before I turn back and pass the amazing beast.  
She sits back down in her original position and I see Fleur walking over, looking strong and having the same look in her eyes as I saw her having when she was trying to figure out the Riddle of the Golden Egg, making me know her brain is working at full speed. The creature spares the French girl a single glance, before she speaks.

 _ **I am not a brain, I am not a heart.  
**_ _ **I am not a soul, I am not magic  
**_ _ **Yet I am there when danger is near  
**_ _ **What, French girl, am I?**_

This one slightly rhymes, but still confuses me and I look at the girl, hoping she can get it quick as I want Harry out of this and in my arms as quickly as possible, not to mention have us all back in the safety of the Great Hall – not this dangerous maze, which is made even more dangerous thanks to one of its supposed guards.  
Fleur paces left and paces right, her long blonde hair flowing behind her in the passing wind like waves on the sea and while this reminds me of how my lovely Harry planned, can I tell that she isn't anywhere near to solving the riddle and I worry as my eyes quickly flick over to Harry before focusing back on the girl.  
But then Harry, who must either already have figured it out or at the very least have a clue to the answer steps forward and timidly asks: "Can one Champion take the riddle of another?" The Sphinx shakes her head and says: "Only help. No replacing." The boy nods and whispers: "What Book-Me used in the Golden cage."  
The girl looks at him for a minute and then she seems to understand his hint and says: "You're instincts." This shocks me as I had not even thought of that and I mentally slap myself as I must have not thought of that because I don't want to think of what still lies ahead for Harry, while Fleur runs over to stand next to me.  
Harry and Cedric look at each other and Cedric motions Harry to be next, something I know he does not just because of what he said at the start of these riddles, but also out of worry for Harry. Harry takes a deep breath and then steps forward until he stands right in front of the Sphinx, who instantly starts her riddle and says:

 _ **I can be pure, yet some can call me tainted  
**_ _ **I can protect, but only if I'm shed.  
**_ _ **I course through all and warm everyone up  
**_ _ **Yet when I stop running, I kill my owner  
**_ _ **What, youngest Champion, am I?**_

Harry instantly starts pacing, his hand back on his face and while I try not to smile at how cute he looks while trying to prove his intelligence, do I hear him mumbling the words of the riddle over and over, once even asking the Sphinx if he has the right words. The creature nods and he goes back to pacing and muttering.  
But then he stops, halfway through the riddle and while his eyes widening with pain makes me wonder if this riddle also has a link to his past, does he say: " _ **I can protect, yet only if I'm shed**_. That's what my mother used years ago. What Voldemort will try to use soon." He turns to the Sphinx and almost shouts at her: "It's blood!"  
The creature smiles and nods, shuffling aside to let him through and I breath in relief as he runs past and stops near us, part of me hating the creature for separating us and for having riddles linked to the murder of Harry's parents. We then all look as the creature sits back on her old spot and speaks up as Cedric steps forward.

 _ **I give strength to armies, yet here I barely exist.  
**_ _ **I am the history of the school you go to,  
**_ _ **Yet an item keeps me from being utilized  
**_ _ **My opponent weakens friends and strengthens foes.  
**_ _ **If people can communicate without words, they are me.  
**_ _ **What, Champion of Hogwarts, am I?**_

I feel worry as none of the previous riddles made as little sense as this one and Harry mutters: "One of this sentences hold the answer. But which?" This thought seems shared by Cedric, who speaks each sentence three times as he paces, his steps much stronger and his feet even sinking into the ground as he walks left and right.  
Harry too mutters the words and for some reason he keeps muttering the second and third sentence as if trying to find an answer in that. Yet my mind isn't on solving the riddle as I keep focusing more on my surroundings than on an answer. An answer, it seems, Cedric has already found as he stops, turns to the Sphinx and says:  
"The History of the school; the Founders of Hogwarts. They wanted unity, but the Sorting Hat – the item of your riddle – keeps what you speak of from being utilized, because it sorts Students in different Houses.  
The answer is simple. The opponent you speak of is divergence, so the answer is Unity. That is what friends are if they can speak without words. They are United." The woman smiles and Harry does too, as if he feels pride – whether it is for himself or for Cedric I can't guess and neither do I care as I am just glad for this to be over.  
The Ancient creature then steps to the side and after Cedric has passed does she turn to us and with her regal voice speak again as she says: "I was requested to give you each these riddles to help you on your journey through this maze and beyond it. May you use this knowledge for the rest of your lives, young ones."

We all smile at her as she once again turns her back on us and while she moves to lie down, do we run on, soon finding another S-turn that shows us the Tri-Wizard Cup only a few miles ahead. We all look at each other as we run for it and Cedric, Fleur and I all look at Harry each individually, but each with the same look.  
We all look at him worried, all of us again rememberin the plan he told us before the Third Task even began and before we entered this wacked-up maze and he returns the looks with a reassuring gaze and a pat on his shirt, where I know he's hiding his Basilisk armor, the only thing making me allow him to go through with his plan.  
Finally we are only steps away from the Cup and I look at it, already knowing it's cursed to transport the first who touches it to the Graveyard written about in the book and I again look at Harry, who looks at it with an indifferent, but determined look, his wand in his arm and his green eyes burning with an intense fire.

Not wanting to lose him and no longer capable of holding back how I feel, I grab his shoulder before turning the shocked boy around and grabbing his upper arms tightly, connecting my gaze with his and while part of me tries to memorize his amazing features out of fear of losing him, do I whisper softly, with a begging tone:  
"Please, be safe, Harry. Do everything you have to do, fight with everything you have in you, but please make sure you play it safe. We all care for you, Harry James Potter, more than you know. Please make sure you come back to us here." I then gulp away a small lump of fear and whisper: "Come back – to me."

I see in his eyes that I shocked him, but I hug him, holding his soft, delicate and small form against my own, feeling reassured by how his small frame perfectly fits mine and that my body can easily protect his if I so want to and then sigh, knowing that in what is about to occur I cannot do this and, highly reluctantly, let go.  
Cedric and Fleur quickly do the same, but I can already see that their bodies don't fit Harry's as well as mine and I feel a small wave of pride and satisfaction crash over me at this, my mind remembering that Harry survived in the book without a plan and that he now has one to protect himself as Harry himself walks over to the Cup.  
But just when he grabs the Cup with a single hand, his other holding his wand close against his chest, do I see him turning his head and looking at me and me alone. And the look in his eyes as the Portkey makes him disappear in a flash of magic make me shine with glee. A small flame of attraction shines in those green depths.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I arrive at the same graveyard as in my dream last summer and the one described in the book, the memory of the book and what was being read still slightly hunting and quickly push this thought away as I stand up, walking around the statue of the Riddle grave and attaching my wand at the same place the fang's attached.  
I then check my pocket and feel the cool metal of the Locket, while a warm buzzing seems to come from the inside, making my scar tingle – strangely enough – quite pleasantly. I ignore this and simply wait for Wormtail to show himself, while trying not to feel the same fear my Bookself felt. Luckily enough I don't have to wait long.

Wormtail soon enough appears and with him, I see his arms holding the bundle that I now know contains the man that killed my parents and poor Bertha Jorkins – Tom Riddle; Lord Voldemort. I purse my lips and fake to walk back to the headstone in trepidation, keeping my eyes on his as if scared of seeing him here.  
Wormtail buys it, the victorious smirk that grows on his face sickening me and making me wonder how he was a friend of my father and with a flick of his wand ties me, just like in the book, from my neck to my ankles in ropes. But I had prepared for this and had learned myself a move that made the rope loosen without falling off.  
I quickly start making a wave motion, one I had taught myself after the incident down in the dungeons during my first and that I had rehearsed after the reading, starting at my neck and working down to my ankles, while faking to struggle free and soon my hands are clear enough and I am able to create a small opening between the ropes.

I reach into the inside of my robe and pull out the vial I had taken for my experiment. I uncork it with my thumb and wait patiently, the vial's opening at the opening between ropes and surely – while I had been afraid that the Ritual would change fate, does Wormtail drag the cauldron close, alight the fire and let Voldemort fall into it.  
Unlike in the book I don't even think of begging for Voldemort to drown and instead grab my wand and use the Mobilicorpus spell to cover Voldemort's fake body with a few drops of Basilisk potion. I smirk as he falls in and when Wormtail looks at me quickly turn it in a scowl so furiously I know I just did the Black Family pride.

The man shudders and then he lifts his wand and says: "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son." And the fine trickle of dust described in the book rises from the cracked grave and I quickly use the same Mobilicorpus spell to mix the bone with a few fine, transparent colored drops of Basilisk Poison.  
I smile again and only then realize that the future has already changed as Wormtail forgot to put that blasted black cloth in my mouth. "Dumb mistake, Wormtail, your master's paying for it." Then, while relieved that the Ritual might just have changed the future in my benefit instead of my doom, do I let the ritual go as described.

Wormtail cuts off his hand and whimpers as he picks it up and drops it in the potion, that I can already see has changed. Instead of bubbling, the surface still seems alight with diamonds, but then different colored – mostly green and purple, which are clear signs of venom – and the steam isn't thick enough to keep me from seeing Wormtail clearly.  
I smirk as Wormtail seems unknown to the ruined Potion and then hear that same wheezy voice speak words that make me know that _**now**_ my plan will really come to fruition and after this I have to make sure I can get out of here fast, the thought alone making the actual blood in my veins go the extra mile on high alert and adrenaline.

"B-blood of the enemy… forcibly taken… you will… resurrect your foe." Is spoken by Wormtail and while I wonder how someone stupid enough they can't even recognize a failed Potion works for Voldemort, is the same silver dagger as in the book stabbed in between the ropes and into my arm, but this time – it doesn't even hit my skin.  
I smile slightly as I only feel the pressure of the knife close to my flesh, but not hitting in and then a purplish red substance drips down my arm. I gulp, wondering if Wormtail won't believe the potion to go wrong now, but all the man does is spare me a confused glance, before he shrugs and puts a vial near the dripping fluid.  
I have to hold back a bark of laughter as I realize Wormtail only thinks I have some strange blood and that the man is too stupid to see the difference between Poison and Blood and then, as I hoped, he drips the vial down in the potion and the steam thickens and darkens, making me know my plan worked just fine:

Voldemort is poisoned, but back. The man does indeed appear from the cauldron, but when he looks at me through the steam, I don't feel the same fear as Book me as I actually feel myself be pulled back into a memory of many years ago – back in the Dungeons when I stopped Quirrell from stealing the Philosopher's stone.  
Voldemort's face seems pressed backwards against his head, but his eyes are still as mad and blood-red, his lips are still as thin as slits and his nose is still pressed back into his face, only his nose thrills visible, like those of a snake.  
But behind the madness I spot a hint of fear and I know he's already feeling the Poison activating. I smirk and as he turns and says: "Robe me, Wormtail." I use my wand to quickly cut the ropes. The ropes falling open make Voldemort turn, causing Wormtail to fall as he tries to hand the man his long black robe.

I stand up, making sure to add a bit of flair to my movement to show Voldemort I have beaten him yet again and Voldemort curses, shouting: "Your arm, Wormtail. Give me your arm. Show me your mark." But I interrupt him and say: "Won't make a difference, Voldemort. I'll still escape. And you're dying. We both know it."  
The man glares at me, but the fact that I won keeps me from feeling any fear and I say: "You really have to get better followers, Voldemort. Especially followers that can see the difference between blood and –." I stop for the effect and to grab the vial again and hold it up in the light of the fire under the cauldron and say:

"Basilisk poison." The man blanches, while this is of course barely visible with his white as chalk skin and hisses: "Wormtail, you fool." I shrug, feeling confident instead of scared as Wormtail whimpers and mockingly say: "It's not really his fault, you know. He's just who he is. Inattentive and blind, especially when it comes to prisoners."  
I then aim for the crack in the grave under me and while Wormtail cowers near his master, does he glare at me as I say: "Remember you using your father's bone, Voldemort. Well, I was able to loosen the ropes without letting them fall and I was so attentive to mix the light dust left of your dad with some drops of poison.  
I was also wearing Basilisk armor, two layers of it on my arms and when your little Wormtail stabbed me, it didn't even touch that what you so badly wanted. The veins in my arm, through which my blood courses – the same blood that holds the protection that took your life all those years ago."

I then step away from the grave, ready to extract the last part of my plan and then get the hell out of here and say: "And now you made another mistake. You left one of your most valuable possessions with someone who has a grudge and is devious enough to act on it without even feeling the slightest bit of shame or guilt.  
Lucius Malfoy gave your little Diary to Ginny Weasley, the daughter of his rival Arthur Weasley, two years ago and it re-opened the Chamber. Oh, and no, your little diary didn't kill anyone and neither did your little pet. But thanks to your little servant doing that, I was able to enter the Chamber myself and I did so – today."

I grab the locket and Voldemort's blanch worsens when he sees what I'm holding, which disgusts me as I had been hoping this entire time that something this vile wasn't really inside Hogwarts. He screams for Wormtail to hand him his wand, but I think: "As much as I want to see them, I can't let him be that dangerous. Sorry, Olivander."  
And – while knowing I will never see my parents or know how they feel about me – do I aim my own wand at Wormtail, shouting: "BOMBARDA!" And with the spell well aimed and Wormtail squeaking in petrified fear, he gets shot off his feet and the wand gets blown to bits, the Phoenix feather actually burning up in the explosion.  
I then aim my wand at Voldemort and fear is visible in the man's eyes as he glares at me, the fear hidden behind layers of intense hatred and while my scar burns terribly, causing my eyes to tear and make me believe my head's being split in half, I keep my tearing gaze and wavering wand on the monster that destroyed too many lives.

I then go on and say: "I found this in the Chamber while wondering what more is hidden in the statue of Salazar Slytherin and I know it will help me. Help me destroy you, because I know, Voldemort. I know you killed Myrtle and I know the Basilisk poison won't work properly until all of your Horcruxes are destroyed."  
Now the man smirks at me, but I spat: "And I know this will help me accomplish that." The man glares at me and while I keep my eyes on him, I first switch my wand for the vial and then spare a glance at the locket and in Parsletongue, I hiss: _**"Open."**_ And the locket opens, the doors sliding open and a small picture coming into view.  
But before I can get lost by the fact that the man in the picture quite resembles Voldemort as he looked when he was in his teens, I continue my plan and hiss: _**"Destroy all of the soul. All items and pieces, BE GONE!"**_ And with that shout I tip the vial and let the Basilisk venom fall onto the picture, where the eyes are now shining red magically.  
The whole thing explodes and I feel the pain in my scar intensifying, almost to the same degree as when I felt the Basilisk implant his fang in my arm and, knowing that Voldemort can – and will – take advantage of my pain, do I quickly scramble to switch my wand back into my right hand and shout: "ACCIO CUP!"

And through my nearly closed eyelids I see Voldemort wanting to take advantage of my weakened state before he keens over himself, his arm reaching out to my wand and missing only barely before the Cup hits the back of my hand – the one that still has the last remains of the destroyed locket around its wrist.  
I grab it quickly and just when Voldemort makes another attempt, do I feel the familiar sensation of a hook being stuck behind my belly button and pulling my feet from the floor. I feel relieved as the last I saw of the Graveyard was a bleeding Pettigrew and a collapsing Voldemort, while at the same time amazed that my plan worked.

I then arrive in the middle of a large field and it takes me only a second before I realize I'm back. And indeed when I sit up, cheers and shouts of relief and intense happiness reach my ears and shouts of _**HE'S BACK, THERE HE IS, HE'S OKAY**_ and _**HE'S SAFE!**_ Are shouted all around, mostly by those running at me right now.  
And the first of the hundreds of Hogwarts students and teachers that almost fight each other to get out off the stands to reach me aren't Remus and Sirius or Ron and Hermione and even Cedric isn't fast enough to be the first to reach me as Viktor grabs me in his jump and pushes me to the ground as he hugs me.  
The hug takes the breath out of me with a gasp, but the pain in my scar is still intense and I feel myself, again, slipping out of consciousness. I know what this means as the pain reminds me of what Dumbledore told me in my second about my Scar and the link to Voldemort and know that if I pass out, I die. I sigh and think:

"Well, it's not as if I have no one waiting for me there. And I always did want to meet my parents and have a family and all. Guess I just – didn't want it like this. Not when – when I finally got back what that monster stole from me; a childhood." And for some reason, just like Fawkes' tears these thoughts seem to weaken the pain.  
I feel the pain lessen, the power of it vanishing with the power of breaking glass as I feel myself getting fully back to consciousness, my throat feeling pressed and my body feeling heavier as I still have Viktor lying on me, but while the pain lessens, in some way it also intensifies and then I feel as if a small explosion went off in my scar.  
I hiss and press my fingers to my scar as the skin feels cracked and sharp, as if something made of glass just broke and I realize the thoughts I just had – the thoughts of me accepting death and whatever the Forces that are have in store for me on the other side – broke the Soul part – the Horcrux – that resided in my scar.

I sigh relieved and then return Viktor's hug, apparently an action he has been waiting for as his body seems to relax and he starts to whisper all kinds of things, some Bulgarian some English and some even a combo, but one combo makes me gasp. "Аз ще always се влюбите you." To me sounding _**I'll always love you**_.

* * *

 _ **Okay, so Krum spilled the beans without meaning to and Sirius and Remus are now officially bonded. I can tell you I didn't plan that when I started this chapter, but halfway through writing it, I just felt that it would be something fun to add as I really love Harry, Sirius and Remus as a family in my stories.  
**_ _ **And yes, Harry's scar is now destroyed, the other Horcruxes are being destroyed as we speak thanks to Harry's Parsletongue spell and Voldemort will die as the story progresses. I didn't – at first – want to write about this a the fact he already collapsed proves enough in my eyes, yet I still did so sometime later in the story.  
**_ _ **Now next chapter will be the Aftermath and I just want to let you know that Crouch was caught as soon as the other teachers noticed Krum acting off, something Krum didn't know while he worried about Harry and the riddles. I won't write about what will happen to him, but just imagine him being put in Azkaban all over again.  
**_ _ **Okay enjoy,**_

 _ **The Venquine  
**_ _ **PS. Sorry almost forgot the translations**_

 _ **Dites ce que is French for Say what ?  
**_ _ **Аз ще**_ _ **се влюбите**_ _ **is Bulgarian for I'll love.  
**_ _ **Also from now on, I stopped doing accents, sorry.**_


	12. Parties And Fun Days

_**моето малко скъпоценни**_ _ **Bulgarian for my little precious  
**_ _ **моят**_ _ **красив**_ _ **скъпоценен камък**_ _ **Bulgarian for my beautiful gem  
**_ _ **Raven, че открадна сърцето ми**_ _ **Bulgarian for Raven, that stole my heart  
**_ _ **моя**_ _ **лек**_ _ **принц**_ _ **is the Bulgarian translation for My Gentle Prince  
**_ _ **красив**_ _ **is the Bulgarian translation for Beautiful or handsome.  
**_ _ **Ангел в черно is the Bulgarian translation for Angel in Black**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 11  
**_ _ **Parties and fun days**_

 _ **Viktor's POV**_

I rambled and babbled to my lovely Harry and even proclaimed how I felt – making sure I spoke the more important words in Bulgarian. But apparently that 4 worded sentence is easily understood, if the gasp of my lovely is anything to go by, not to mention how his body tenses up in shock. I sigh and decide to confess and explain.  
And so, while smiling at how I'm still holding my lovely Harry under me, his body – even flattened – still fitting mine perfectly, do I start and whisper: "I do love you, моето малко скъпоценни. And I have for a long time. That's why I sat so close during the reading. I feared for you and wanted to see if I could take my chance."

The boy looks at me with wide eyes, but I can almost hear his brain work and overanalyze his current situation. I myself quickly check to see how others are looking at us and when I see that Sirius seems to be keeping them busy, his arms stretched wide and a large grin on his face, do I decide to do the same for my lovely.  
I turn my face back to that of my still shocked beloved, who lies below me with his mouth slightly agape and quickly make sure he doesn't overanalyze this situation, knowing it will make him think bad about it, and softly kiss his forehead, knowing his lips are still fresh, untouched and not wanting our first kiss to be this open.  
The soft action seems to have the desired effect as Harry smiles thankfully, with that same small sign of affection being visible in his eyes as just before he grabbed the Tri-Wizard Cup and started my worries for him and I whisper: "We'll take this as quick or slow as you want, моят красив скъпоценен камък."  
He looks at me, his head tilted as he must be wondering about my words in Bulgarian and I whisper: "As long as I do get the chance I've been waiting for all Tournament." The boy seems to worry about this a little and then the Lion I know roars inside him constantly rears its mighty head and he nods, making me smile widely.

He seems to like this as he smiles back and I know it's because I barely ever smile and he asks: "Can I now bring my friends the good news?" I laugh at his humor and not only get off him, but easily help him off the ground, my hand quickly leaving his hand to check his upper body for any possible injuries, especially his arm.  
This is noticed by all his friends and Sirius quickly takes my place, first hugging the boy and then patting him all over, obviously checking him for injuries, like I did with a single hand before. But Harry, who sends me a grateful smile for the check-up, softly says: "Sirius, you don't have to worry, I'm fine."  
But to this Sirius says: "You were just with Voldemort, I have all right to worry. And it's uncle Sirius for you, until you can accept Remus and I as your new parents." This shocks me, but I see the boy smiling at his uncle and think: "It'll be interesting asking them for his hand in marriage. When we've been dating long enough to both be ready, that is."

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

I see my son, who had just been lying under Viktor Krum for about five minutes, smiling at the idea of him calling me uncle until he is ready to call me mum and I myself can't help not inwardly smiling at that myself as I know I won't only be called that by my new son soon, but one day also by my own birthed children.  
I then carefully grab his right arm, remembering the story and how it told me he was cut there, but the Basilisk skin that he told me about after he woke from his shock-induced faint is double layered at the arms and there isn't even a sign of a knife or something of the like coming close to his skin and this makes me sigh relieved.  
I then hug my son again, having wanted to do this since I saw him entering the Maze, and, while fearing for what he's been through, whisper: "Is he?" And a soft nod, felt through the clothes on my chest, is my answer, making me hug him even closer as it means he faced the man and actually had to partake in that terrible ritual.

Harry then pulls away and nods at Cedric. The elder boy, who had been waiting with the other Champions down at the field and who had been pacing all throughout the waiting, nods and casts the Sonorus charm on my boy's voice, who scrapes his throat and gets everyone's attention. He smiles at them all and says: "Thank you."  
These two words shock everyone silent of their mumbling and then Harry goes on and says: "Thank you for letting me partake in this, even when you know I didn't want to. Thank you for trusting me enough not to rush to the graveyard. Thank you for trusting in my plan, even when you had no idea what I had planned."

The students and teachers all smile at him, some of their wide eyes proving they would have never expected this of him and he says: "You have trusted and you have worried. And now you deserve to know my plan. Right after the reading ended, Professor Snape and I entered the Chamber everyone from Third year and above knows about."  
The students that Harry refers to quickly understand and nod, while their fear is almost tangible, while the girls of Beauxbattons, the boys of Durmstrang and those in First and Second look confused, but Harry says: "I won't spoil the information concerning the first two books, just to let you know what I had planned.

Professor Snape and I went down and we came back up with snake poison and scales. I handed all of this to him, except for one small vial of Poison. I kept this on me and just before lunch started Professor Snape provided me with an armor, made of the scales and with a double layer at the arms, of which the upper layer was filled with Poison."  
Everyone looks shocked and my boy says: "I did not kill Voldemort – not by my own strength, magic or anything else. I used the vial of Poison to mix the father's bone with a few drops and used the upper layer of the scales to make sure Voldemort didn't take my blood, but the poison that Snape had stored in those very scales.  
The only asset I have of Voldemort's defeat was wearing the armor, having the poison and this." And I see him hold up what is left of the Horcrux – the broken chain and the half-destroyed golden locket. Everyone looks confused, but I see him look pointedly at Ginny, who seems to understand if her strangled gasp is anything to go by.  
Ron and Arthur seems to understand too, while I wonder what she could have to do with Voldemort's Horcruxes as he hugs her tightly while her other brothers all look like a mix of worried and confused and Harry says: "I will explain to you all the meaning behind the locket once we reach the end of the second book.

For now all I have to say is that you can all enjoy the end of the Tournament and celebrate this, but only tomorrow. The day after we all have to be back in the Great Hall by six minutes before ten in the morning, as this is the time when I activated the Time Reading spell and thus the time when the reading shall commence."  
Everyone nods and Fudge says: "I hereby declare Harry James Potter of Hogwarts the winner of the Tri-wizard Tournament." This is something the boy didn't seem to expect and while his face goes from the serious, caring look he had before to a shocked look now, does he say: "What? No, wait. I never wanted – wait."  
But then, before he can utter anymore excuses, are his arms grabbed by the Champions and Cedric and Viktor happily take him on their shoulders, cheering him on and coaching us all on as we raise our right arm in the air and shout happily: "HARRY! HARRY! HARRY!" Easily over shouting his protests that he shouldn't be winner.  
He then gets dumped on a small platform Dumbledore made and there he says: "No really, Headmaster. The others deserve to win. They were real Champions. I didn't even –." But then Viktor slaps a hand over his mouth and says: "But we do." And he sighs, making me snicker. He then gets released and says: "But you get the trophy."  
And the other Champions groan, Fleur with her face raised up, Krum shaking his and Cedric slapping a hand on his eyes, before Harry, who smiles at them all playfully, says: "What? I'm not interested in the money, but I do know what to use it on. I already said that earlier during the reading. Now come up here, you traitors."

And under the cheering laughter of the crowd around us the three grumpily step onto the stage. Fudge seems unsure of what to do now, but Dumbledore smiles and says: "For using an impossible and life-threatening task against his greatest opponent, I award Harry James Potter of Hogwarts school winner of the Tri-wizard Tournament."  
Everyone cheers, even louder than when Harry was carried to the stage, and Harry happily accepts the bag filled with 1000 Galleons. Then Dumbledore goes on and says: "For watching over his fellow Champion and perfect teamwork with his fellow Schoolmate, I award Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts school winner of the Tri-wizard Tournament."  
Another cheer, as loud as the one Harry received and with all of the Hufflepuffs and several of the Gryffindors that were sitting with us during the reading, shouting: "GO CEDRIC!" Cedric smiles at the smaller group and takes the smaller version of the Tri-wizard cup that Dumbledore made, before the man goes on and says:

"For wonderful cooperation and teamwork there where it was needed, not to mention excellent and very creative spellwork throughout, mostly the First and Second Task and for fighting off the Imperius Curse cast by a powerful Dark wizard, I award Viktor Krum of Durmstrang school as Winner of the Tri-wizard Tournament."  
Half of Beauxbattons, all of Durmstrang and quite a large part of Hogwarts cheers – mostly girls cheering for their, what I'm sure they believe to be, dreamdate and I see him smiling at his fellow Champions, mostly at Harry, before he shows a victory smirk at his fans and friends as he takes the cup from the Headmaster.

Then, as last of them all, the man says: "And finally for creating a wonderful friendship out of what seemed to be a terrible situation, by help of her fellow Champion and her sister, and for wonderful leadership during the Third Task, I hereby award Fleur Delacour of Beauxbattons school as winner of the Tri-wizard Tournament."  
This time half Durmstrang and all of Beauxbattons cheers and the French speak all kinds of words that make me wonder what Madame Maxime actually teaches them, while mostly the males of Hogwarts cheer the loudest for the female Champion, of who I can easily see has at least some Veela blood in her veins as she takes the award.

Then Remus and I share a glance and, as if the bond has allowed us to share thoughts – like we seemed capable of doing so many times when we were teens – do we both nod, both of us knowing that while others worried, that Harry went through the worst. I then step up to the Four Champions holding up their awards and grab Harry's arm.  
He looks at me and quite a large group of the cheering crowd does the same, making the entire arena suddenly quite silent, but I smile at him, which seems to make the worry in his eyes disappear and say: "Task done. Ceremony over. Plan fulfilled. You're off to Gryffindor common room to celebrate your victory, but –."  
I interrupt the cheering Gryffindors and I say: "I do want the party to be short. If needed you'll hold part of the party tonight and the other part tomorrow. I don't want to over mother you, but you just went through the roughest day I have ever seen you have and you need your rest – all four of you need it and hard too."  
The Champions all nod and then one of the twins – who had come down from the stands when Cedric and the others had returend asks: "Headmaster, seeing that two Houses of Hogwarts actually won." And the other goes on: "And seeing the bond between the Champions." And they chorus together: "Can we use the Great Hall for a united party?"

Dumbledore smiles widely and says: "Of course." To which the two cheer and shout: "PARTY IN THE GREAT HALL!" And the whole crowd, cheering and talking excitedly, leaves the stadium. I do the same, but see some of the Ministry people, Hagrid, Professor Sprout and Flitwick stay behind – probably to undo the charms and all.  
I then smile at my son as he is hugged close by Viktor, something that is apparently waved off by Ron and Hermione and seems encouraged by Cedric and I know that the two are slowly working their way into a relationship. I nod at this and think: "My boy deserves to take things slow, after everything that has been put in his life so rapidly fast."

 _ **Harry's POV**_

The party lasts and lasts and everyone obviously enjoys it to the fullest, but Sirius simply sits, sometimes dances with Remus and laughs with the twins, Ron and other guests. I know he's being responsible, but I can see him lurking at not only Remus' ass every now and again, but also at the – by the twins spiked – punch bowl.  
I shake my head at my Godfather – I mean uncle, I mean mum – who obviously wants to fully enjoy this party and subtly separate myself from the Quidditch conversation I'm having with my team mates to slip over to the dinner table and snatch two bottles of Butterbeer under a confused and slightly tipsy Seventh year Gryffindor's nose.  
I then use my Quidditch reflexes to move through the dancing crowds and put one down on Sirius' table hard and the man looks shocked, having been in conversation with his cousin Andromeda Tonks, who has all party been insisting I call her auntie Andy, about where he could live once I leave Hogwarts for the holiday.  
I then say: "If you think I don't keep my eye on you like you do on me, you've got another thing coming. I've seen your gaze and seeing you're so obviously determined not to get drunk, I'll just give you this. And no, I haven't taken a drink from the punch bowl either – I saw eons ago that those two spiked it."

Sirius smiles while auntie Andy turns her head the other way to hide her own subtle grin, grabs his bottle and says: "I should actually scold you for your lack of manners, but seeing that this is a party, I'll just take ten minutes off your time being allowed to be here before bed. You'll leave at 25 minutes to 11, is that clear?"  
I sigh with my eyes turned skyward, wishing he wouldn't take his mother role so seriously now that he is so close to full freedom and I say: "Fine, clear. Now drink that Butterbeer and for Merlin's sake enjoy the party a little, will you?" He smirks and says: "Watch it, mister. You're dangerously close to losing another 10 minutes."  
To which I groan: "Where is a distracting werewolf when you need one?" Having already spotted Remus heading over to our table. The man smirks, his sensitive hearing probably having made sure he heard the entire conversation and when he reaches the table behind Sirius, he bows and asks: "You called, son of mine."  
I gasp along with a shocked Sirius, but then at the fact he addresses me as his own son and I shake my head, mostly because I can still feel the slight soreness of the scars caused by the ritual on my chest, but then Viktor asks: "Is this the dance table?" And Remus says: "It does seem like it now that you're here. Sirius, care to dance?"

The man smiles and takes his destined Dominant's hand before moving over to the dance floor. But I feel confused at the man's words, until I see a hand open next to my side and when I look at Viktor, who stands behind me and slightly to the side, he asks: "A dance going to quick for you, Raven, че открадна сърцето ми?"  
I gulp, still not quite used to what I had heard and then decide to take some concerning matters into my own hands and whisper something that has been bothering me all dance: "Shouldn't you dance with Hermione?" But he whispers in my ear: "She's my friend, sister in all but blood – and companion in getting closer to you."  
I look shocked, having not expected this strange turn of events and he looks at her as he says: "She's been knowing for eons. I just asked her not to tell, because I wanted to tell you myself as I wanted to start courting you once you were 15 years old. But now, I think I can take my shot, seeing you know how I feel."

I look at him for just a few minutes longer and then, from the corner of my eye, see Hermione dancing with Charlie and the girl smiles at me and motions with her head for me to take this chance. I look at Viktor again and think: "He really does seem to love me. And seeing Sirius and Remus, I guess people here aren't that against people being gay."  
I then think of the Yule Ball and think: "But I can't forget how bad a dancer I am. I mean, even the first dance with Parvati went down the drain." But then my Gryffindor stubbornness shows its head again and I think: "Oh, what the hell? If my bad dancing drives him away so be it. At least I can try something I would have never done before."  
And with that I take the boy's hand, actually making him smile. And what a smile. My eyes widen and my blood rushes up to color my cheeks when I see that brilliant smile, almost lighting up his entire face and actually making his dark thick eyebrows look softer, while his eyes shine their amazing black color, making them look like onyxes.

I shake my head at the amazing change in appearance and when I do, I notice that my feet are so easily following a path I never learned, it amazes and dazzles me and I whisper: "Wh-what's happening?" And Viktor, who has his arm around my back and his other hand in mine, whispers: "You're dancing, моя лек принц."  
And I whisper back: "B-bu-but I – I can't dance." And Viktor asks: "Or is that – you can dance, but shouldn't take the lead in a dance?" And only then do I realize that Viktor is indeed leading me and that following his steps is a much and much easier task than trying to take them and leading my partner myself.  
For quite some songs we dance and all I can do is enjoy as Viktor doesn't hold me close or push me against him, but he does smile at me in that same way and his body moves like that of a swan, elegant and light-footed, just like I thought of him when I saw him fly last summer during the finals of the Quidditch World Cup.

Then suddenly someone taps me on the shoulder and I see Sirius smirking at me. I shake my head, suddenly realizing that, while dancing, I somehow forgot all my surroundings and all those around me and Sirius says: "You had your fun, kiddo, and you're losing focus. It's more than obviously time for bed, for both of you, I might add."  
Viktor nods and says: "I'll escort him, лорд Black." I smile at Viktor and the fact he's willing to be such a gentleman, just because he is the last one that danced with me. We say goodnight to our friends, congratulate Fleur and Cedric again, I get fist bumped by Fred and George for my amazing dancing and then leave the party.  
During our walk up the Grand Staircase, the portraits congratulate us on our victory and cheer for us, some of them even leaving their portraits to follow us up a few floors, but else there's a sociable silence between us, while I can easily see how Viktor smiles at me with quite the affection shining in his black eyes.

Then we reach the Fat Lady and Viktor seems to complement her in Bulgarian, if his kind smile and her growing blush are anything to go by and when he sees me looking at him, does he say: "It's our way to enter the common rooms at Durmstrang. We greet and bless the guardian and ask if the password's changed."  
I nod, quite liking the idea as I've always tried to be friendly to the portraits and then turn to the softly giggling Fat Lady, wondering how she knows Bulgarian, but shrug it off and I say: "Viktor thanks." The boy smiles and I say: "For not saying how you felt until the right time. For helping me through the Third Task, for – well, for tonight."  
The grin on his face grows slightly, but not cockily and I think: "He knows how to take a compliment. And he's as famous as I am. Maybe – maybe he can help me with my fame and other issues." Then, just when I want to shudder at the thought of my other issues, does a soft voiced whisper take me from my thoughts:

"Can I kiss you goodnight?" I look at him shocked, having lost track of our conversation due to my thoughts and he says: "Just a kiss on the face will do, красив. I guess I just – want to end this night nicely someway." I smile at his slight discomfort, probably caused by my shock and I say: "On the nose will do."  
He smiles and softly pecks me there, the feather-light touch actually dazzling me and I let myself fall slightly against him, Viktor happily holding me close, the way his arms wrap around me making me feel very warm and safe in a way I never felt before and I whisper: "What exactly are you saying every time you speak Bulgarian?"  
And he whispers: "All kinds of words that prove to me and whoever can speak Bulgarian – namely your new mum – how much I – I'm falling for you." I know he wanted to say something else, but smile at how he changed his words to keep me comfortable.  
For quite a couple of minutes we keep standing together and then I decide to leave, knowing Sirius will be – at the least – irritated if he hears I've been staying up and out of bed and then, deciding to show Viktor I want to give – I giggle inwardly at the thought of thinking it alone – _us_ a chance, I kiss his nose

Before quickly whispering the password and disappearing inside the common room before the Bulgarian – I admit – hot seeker can realize what I just did and while blushing at my own actions and the giggles of the Fat Lady, do I quickly scurry up to my dorm, dress for night cloths and fall asleep in my canopy four-poster bed;

Most of my dreams about the dance and kisses I shared with Viktor. The next morning I wake up to the sight of 4 boys looking at me with smirks, Seamus even having a raised eyebrow and a suggestive smirk while Neville seems shy and unsure and after putting on my glasses and sitting up, I ask: "Morning guys, something wrong?"  
To which Dean, who's voice barely hides his amusment says: "Well, we knew you talked in your sleep, Harry." And Ron says: "And we knew you loved Quidditch." And Seamus, still with the same suggestive smirk, says: "But we never thought we'd find you combining them. And with Viktor Krum no less."

I whiten and realize they heard me talking about Viktor last night and while hating myself for not recasting my silencing spells, do I ask: "How much do you know?" And Neville shrugs and says: "Just that you would like to give something a chance." This makes me sigh relieved as I don't remember all of my dreams and I say:  
"Listen guys, I danced with Viktor last night and it was great. You must have seen that, seeing I danced quite a few songs with him. Dancing's better than I ever thought and I really had fun, more than a few months ago. And you all saw how he reacted when I came back from the Graveyard. All we did was a few kisses –."  
I hold up my hands to stop the whistles and _**whoo's**_ from Seamus and Dean, while Ron rolls his eyes at them and Neville turns red at my words and I say: "On the nose and we agreed we would give this a chance, but Viktor respects that I'm new to this and said we would take this at my pace, so I can get used to all this."

I then shrug, Seamus and Dean now looking slightly crest-fallen and say: "After all." I now look down at my locked hands in my crossed-legs lap and, while trying not to think of all the things in my past that can make Viktor decide he doesn't want me afterall, do I say: "This would be my first relationship ever, if it works out, that is."  
To this Ron shrugs and says: "Well, if his treatment of you during the reading, after the Task and during the dance is anything to go by it will definitely work." I look up at the redhead – who had been so angry at Hermione – in shock and ask: "You knew?" Ron nods and says: "Hermione told me during the reading."  
I nod and then Seamus shakes his head and the girly-gay – as we call him – in him comes up as he says: "Well anyway, the Seventh years agreed to continue with Sirius' plan and continue the dance in –." He checks his watch and says: "Twenty minutes, so we have exactly that time to make you look like a lion-strong angel to Viktor.

CLOTHING TIME!"

 _ **Viktor's POV**_

I had let one of my fellow Durmstrang students tell the other Fourth years – Harry's House and Year mates – that the party would continue at exactly 10 minutes before 10 and that I would like to meet them – ahem, Harry – just before the party restarts, the student in question smirking as he must have read between my lines.  
I have already greeted the girls, all of them having put on terrific cloths – Hermione her Dress robes – and have said good morning to Sirius and Remus, but have yet to see my green eyed angel. Then a gasp from a 5th year Gryffindor in front of me causes me to turn around and when I do I feel myself gasping as my eyes widen at the amazing sight I see.

His hair lengthened, part of it covering his left eye the rest falling down to his shoulders in a soft waving motion, Harry looks more beautiful than I ever thought I could see him – even when I saw him in his Dress Robes or when I saw him reach surface in the Lake or when he made that amazing dive to get the Golden Egg.  
There is just a slight hint of eye shadow coloring the downside of his right eye that, together with his left eye being hidden, makes the emerald green color of his eye stand out, while his eye lashes aren't lengthened, but thickened, giving his eye a darker look and accentuating the dark eye shadow amazingly well.  
His small, slim neck is covered in a dark choker wrapped around half the length, with a large dark blue opal fastened upon the front. His shirt is dark green, almost black and has torn sleeves that end halfway down his upper arm, while the end of his shirt is also torn, but then like a sunset, showing off his belly button and soft flesh without revealing too much skin.  
Yet the shirt is obviously skin-tight and shows how much training and dedication Harry puts behind Quidditch if the small four-pack is anything to go by, not to mention how amazing his slim waist grows out down to his thighs and how the fabric around his upper arms seems almost a little too far stretched to work.  
He wears a dark black set of pants, the end of the legs being long and dark enough to make it look as if his legs are covered in shadows and the pants are tied tightly to his thighs with a black leather belt with metal rings wrapped around the material, the way that the belt is wrapped around his waist, making his hips stand out incredibly.  
His feet are still visible in the shadows, but that's only because of the shining black shoes that have dark green and blue strings tied together, blending together so well they look like one aquamarine string on each shoe.  
Finally is there a blackish red leather wristwatch wrapped around his left wrist, the thick black band wrapped around his entire wrist and the watch only visible by the silver ring around the clock and is there a golden band with a lion on his right. All in all he looks dark, all in all he looks dangerous, all in all he looks just gorgeous.

I gulp and have to wet my lips discreetly as he walks over and with a small blush, strengthened I suddenly notice by a very soft taint of his own skin-colored rouge, and a shrug as he reaches me and while I feel amazed at how such little make-up can enhance his looks so much, does he say: "Seamus' work. We call it his _**Girly-gay**_ side."  
I smile, the idea of someone else willing to help my Harry look good making me very happy for him and ask: "They know?" Now the blush intensifies and he mutters something I can't understand. I tilt my head and he says: "I talk in my sleep." I smile at him, something only he can really get me to do this often and then offer him my arm.

He looks shocked, his ahir waving as he had moved it downward when shy and up when seeing me move and I ask: "Care for a first dance?" A slight smile is my answer before he tentatively grabs my arm with his hand. I then walk him into the hall and whisper: "Want to bet no one recognizes you now?" To which he whispers:  
"Then I'll have to let Seamus dress me more often." I snicker and then take a spot on the dance floor, just when a song with quite the rhythm comes up. I take him in my arms, in exactly the right position to make sure onlookers don't see anything behind us dancing and take him for the first steps, both of us easily falling into step with the song.

Again he seems to get lost in us dancing and liking the fact I can have him in my arms as long as the music plays, I simply change our step from one rhythm into the next as one song after another gets played by the DJ, the feeling of this light, gorgeous and currently beautifully dressed boy in my arms feeling like pure bliss.  
But just like last night Sirius interrupts us and I start to wonder if he's trying to keep me in my place or just trying to be an annoying, interrupting prat, but then he taps Harry on the shoulder and says: "Time for breakfast, pup. You can dance on later."  
And as he walks away, he mutters exactly the words I didn't him to spill. "Can't believe it. Dancing for 40 bloody minutes without a single meal in his stomach." Harry looks at me and I shrug with a smile, whispering: "Forgive a loving Bulgarian for wanting to have his Ангел в черно in his arms as long as he can."  
Harry smiles, his rouge-colored cheeks reddening slightly and then, to my great delight, he grabs my hand and slightly drags me along as he walks over to the dinner table, now filled with sandwiches, cereal bowls and other breakfast meals. We both take quite a plate and then I see Harry filling another plate with – I take a second glance.

My favorite snack: 5 Pieces of Treacle Tart. I smile, but then I grab a piece myself and our fingers touch, Harry's head swishing like the wind to the side and he asks: "You – you like this too?" I nod and say: "It's my favorite. I never take a meal without it."  
He smiles and squeals: "Me neither. At least 3 pieces a meal, else –." And I happily finish his sentence: "The meal is ruined." We laugh softly, me slightly aware of the others looking with wide eyes while Ron, who is also there, smiles widely, and then sit down at a small table, Cedric and Fleur soon joining us.

From over Cedric's shoulder I see Sirius winking at me with a thumbs up and I turn my eyes skyward, knowing this is slightly better than having his over-protective hide breathing down our necks. Then I start a conversation with Cedric as Fleur compliments Harry on and on about his outfit and looks and begs him to tell her what hair-dresser he's been to.  
He tells her about Seamus and his _**girly-gay**_ side and after finishing her own, light breakfast, she quickly says goodbye to us to go look for the boy, obviously wanting some tips in how to look as good as my Harry, something that makes the boy again turn his head downward and show off the rouge and blush covering his cheeks.

I smile at this and take my advantage from the fact as I softly lie my hand on Harry wanting to take another bite out of his treacle tart, before I whisper: "I guess people realize Seamus' talents. They probably think you're his finest work yet."  
The boy blushes, quickly looking round and obviously trying to spot any busy-body onlookers, but then I whisper: "Not that I believe so. To me he just showed the beauty I've seen you as to the school." I then slowly let my hand run up his arm and whisper: "He's just strengthened the beauty you just can't hide from my eyes."  
Harry smiles and the rest of the day goes absolutely fabulous with Harry dancing with me, having lunch with me and his friends, walking over the fields, throwing Snitches at each other that a House Elf provided for him and all round laughed with me and had a lot of fun all throughout our semi-together day.

Semi-together because  
Sirius constantly watched us.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I can barely believe it, but while Viktor has stayed around me all day, have I constantly enjoyed his company and at some points, like when I was in a deep conversation with Neville about the different care between Muggle and Magical plants and Viktor was getting us some snacks, I actually felt the need to have him around me again.  
Of course this weird need of having him around is quite lessened by the delicious, but strange and new sensation that courses through my body every time he touches me, whether it's a soft caress to the arm, him holding my hand or dancing with me, the last of which still amazes me seeing the dreadful events of the Yule Ball.

The feeling was some kind of warmth that can't be compared to a fireplace fire and yet it can as it's quite comforting. On the other hand does it also give me a feeling I only feel when I'm in the air; the feeling that I belong, that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. It felt safe, it felt warm; it felt amazing; I want more.  
I've wanted it all day and it slightly scared me, but while my crush on Cho made me feel queasy, do I feel different around Viktor – and yet – the same. I feel the telltale signs that prove I like him, like the stupid need to blush whenever he says something complementing, and yet I don't feel queasy, instead I feel accepted and sure of my case.

I shake my head, not wanting my dark and confusing thoughts to ruin this – so far – amazing day, while leaning against a large pine tree on the grounds, half my back on the ground, half against the tree and suddenly notice that while lost in thought, I let my hand wander to softly – with just the little finger – touch Viktor's hand.  
I look at the elder boy and see him softly sleeping, a soft snore making me realize what broke me from my thoughts and I look over his shoulder, again seeing Sirius sitting close by, reading a magazine while every now and then, looking up over the rim of his magazine, making me know he's not even really reading it.  
He smile as he sees me watching and with my right hand I motion him to come over. The man sends a gaze at Viktor and I give a motion of the boy next to me being asleep. The other man shrugs and walks over, sitting down on my other side and whispering: "Enjoying yourself?" But I had a reason to call him over and ask:

"Sirius, how does it feel when you know what gender you like?" He looks at me shocked and because I have been thinking of my crushes on Cho and Viktor quite a while now, do I say: "I first liked Cho, but it made me feel queasy and all. But now, I do believe, I'm falling for Viktor and I actually feel accepted and sure of my case."  
The man smiles, his eyes showing not only his happiness for me seeking his guidance, but also his understanding and says: "Harry, you can't always feel totally sure of your case. You always, before starting to date, feel slightly unsure and you are still in that stage. No Harry, what you're feeling is your acceptance of being gay."  
This makes me look up, his words actually making sense and I ask: "So you think Viktor wouldn't be right for me?" He smiles at me and says: "Of course part of me thinks that. It's protective and doesn't want to lose its pup." This makes me shake my head with a humored smile and closed eyes before Sirius goes on and says:  
"On the other hand can I easily see myself in him and how I wanted Remus. And I can see the same in you, Harry. So no, I don't think he's wrong for you. I'm just saying that you're new to this and you're experiencing what many gay-guys experience when they realize they like the same gender, instead of the opposite."

I nod and then notice Viktor has stopped snoring. I look at him and see him slowly blinking, before he turns his head to me and smiles. I smile back and ask: "You really only do that with me, don't you?" To which he happily retorts: "Your sight is the only sight that easily makes me smile, what with your amazing looks and beautiful character."  
I blush at him and then Sirius stands up, stretches, rolls up his magazine and says: "Okay love-chicks, time to get inside. It's getting dark, must be nearing dinner and I want to see my Moony some more." Viktor and I laugh and we all head back inside, me and Viktor sharing a look that says: "Yeah, he wants to go in, only because Moony's in."  
And snickering at this shared thought and walking back into the castle, do I fear tomorrow and all the information about my – not even blood-related – terrible relatives and home-life that will be revealed, but feeling relieved that I have Viktor, my friends and the other Champions to help me get through. Not to mention my new parents.


	13. I Wish I Had Magic

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **I just want to let you all know that, from this part on, the added parts of text will increase as I will try and make sure that – while no real JK content is added – you will still easily understand where the readers are. This is my way of not only creating my kind of OC Harry, but also writing a CR story without breaking laws.  
**_ _ **Hope you enjoy,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
PS. CR parts are part of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, paperback edition published in September 2014. I do not own the copyrights to this or make any money out of it. The only things that are mine are the added parts of text, thank you.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 12  
**_ _ **I wish I had magic**_

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

I know today will be quite the important day. It'll be the day that I will start to learn about my new son and the life he's had while I was stuck in Azkaban. But the last chapter of the Fourth book made me worry about his life and with quite the heavy heart, I enter the Great Hall at 9.20 in the morning, trying not to let my worry show on my face.  
I walk into the room and see that the four Champions are already up, Harry sitting next to Viktor and Cedric, Ron and Hermione opposite of them and quite the open space between Ron and Fleur. I share a quick glance with Remus, who has walked in with me and we quickly take the open space between the two, wanting to be close to our pup.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

Both my best friends, my friends from the Tournament, my newly adopted family and Viktor are sitting around me and yet I can't help but worry. The last book revealed a little too much of my life with the Dur – Muggles for my liking and I just know that the others will react badly to that, if not to the fact that I was almost in Slytherin.  
I gulp and while trying not to let anyone notice my growing fears, do I think: "Will they still accept me? Won't my friends want to hurt me when they hear this? Won't Remus and Sirius completely disown me? And what of Viktor? Won't he stop liking me once he realizes what a terrible, useless, worthless freak I really am?"  
I shudder as I remember all I've been forced to do since I was eight and I take a deep breath and with renewed Gryffindor courage, do I think: "I started this. I wanted the future changed. I knew my past would come out too in this and I agreed on it. I have to just keep going. I – I've been alone before and I can be alone again."

But deep down inside I know I can't. I know what will really happen if I turn out alone again. What will happen to me if Sirius, Remus or even Viktor starts hating me and sees – _**me.**_ I gulp again, trying not to think of that and then look up as Mrs. Figg walks over to the books, obviously with the intent of grabbing the first book.

I know it will start soon as breakfast will end at 9.50 and Dumbledore had agreed last night that the first reader of the first chapter would grab the book at exactly that time. The elder lady, who I've known for years, but never dared to speak out to, grabs the first book and then walks over to the stand, gaining the attention of everyone in the Great Hall.  
Then, a few minutes later Dumbledore stands up and says: "The spell will re-activate in 1 minute. I have asked the House Elves to bring in everyone who was here yesterday, except for Crouch Junior." For a few seconds no sounds are heard and then the doors close and I feel the magic of the Time Reading Spell re-activating.

 _ **Arabella's POV**_

The doors close and this draws everyone's attention, but I clear my throat, not at all missing any of my cats as they were nothing but guards for me to keep an eye on all my neighbors. I would then reveal this news to Petunia and she would in return send Harry over to do a chore for me, or send him over so she and her family can go out.  
I have always resented the woman for her clear dislike for the boy and think: "If you never liked him and knew you weren't bloody well blood-related, why on earth did you keep him then? You could have bloody well send Albus an owl or something, but no! You just had to keep the boy and make him suffer as much as possible."  
I then look down at the book, already opened on the first page of the first chapter and whisper angrily: "And now we'll know how much you made him suffer. You'll pay for your cruelty, Petunia." And with that I start reading out loud, glad Albus has invited me over as it gave me the chance I've been waiting for since Harry was first dumped in my home.

 _ **Harry Potter and**_

But then my voice stops and I shake my head, try to say the full title again and when I fail again, do I say: "I can't read the rest of the title." Albus smiles and says: "It's probably a little too much of a giveaway to the rest of the book. Just continue reading, Arabella." I nod at the kind man and follow his advice as I read on.

 _ **Chapter 01  
**_ _ **The Boy Who Lived  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 01 - PS**_

"Why would anyone say that?" One of the twins asks and his brother goes on: "Yeah, strange and mysterious things should be looked into. That's what makes life fun." But then Arthur, who sat far away from Molly at the table this morning, says: "Unless those strange or mysterious things involve danger, right boys?"  
And the two nod, making me smile as it proves yesterday's meeting did nothing to harm their family bond. But before I continue reading, do I see Ron, Hermione and Harry share a meaningful glance with each other and already I know that those three have yet to let danger keep them from investigating mysteries.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 01 - PS**_

"What are drills?" A small 3rd year of Hufflepuff asks and Harry answers: "You know about this thing called electricity, right?" The boy nods and Harry goes on: "Well, where we use charms to dig holes into things, like in wood to build, they use electricity to power up machines that are called drills and they use those the for the same purpose.  
It's mostly done to – as they call it – drill large holes into things like stones and cement, so they can use the cement to be the foundation upon which they build, but for that they need holes to put things like wooden planks in and for that they use drills. It's mostly a common tool used for building constructions nowadays."  
Everyone is shocked and Harry says: "What? Dudley asked him once and I listened in." I smile and so does Hermione, but then she asks: "Harry, where exactly is this brain during classes?" The boy sighs and says: "Read on. I'm sure you'll hear for yourself once we get to the chapters about my First year here, Hermione." The girl nods and I read.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 01 - PS**_

"Nice description, mate." Ron snicker and Harry mutters: "And that is when I describe them nicely." Everyone cringes at that, except for Ron who bursts out laughing and he mutters: "And that's not even my own writing." Immediately I know we can't expect nice descriptions for anyone, which makes Ron stop laughing and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 01 - PS**_

"What about them?" A 5th year Ravenclaw asks and Amos says: "Yeah, I knew James from work and as much as he was a prankster at heart, he sure knew the difference between prank-time and work-time. There was no better applicant for the next Head Auror back then. Well, except you, Sirius. You two sure gave Alastor a run for his money."  
Sirius smiles and says: "We sure did. All those times we went out to catch Death Eaters and then, when we had them in Security cells, we would pull pranks on them that would make them feel as hurt or humiliated as their victims. It drove Moody mad, but I always believed he liked our style of work." He then sighs and says:  
"He even offered James a promotion would he ever resign. But James, he –." Sirius takes a deep breath, making me know he still misses his best friend and co-worker and father of his new son and says: "He swore he would only take the Head Auror job if it could be a co-Head Auror job and I'd be promoted as well."  
Everyone smiles at this, some of the girls even cooing as they hear this and I think: "Yes, that's James to the core." But I see that Severus, who of course has now grown respect for Harry since the whole down to the Chamber incident, doesn't believe what Sirius says as he scowls at the man and sigh, before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 01 & 02 - PS**_

"As if that's even a word." Some Hufflepuff Fifth year scoffs and Harry mutters: "If you think that ridiculous, wait till you hear the nicknames aunt Petunia gives Dudley." Everyone looks intrigued, while I snicker as I sometimes heard a few of them and know what he's talking about. I then shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 02 - PS**_

"And that while Petunia knows about the Secrecy laws and how well Lily was always able to blend in with the Muggle crowd. That was more than obvious with all the times her parents picked her up from the Platform."  
Snape scoffs, his soft voice proving he wants to be quiet, but because I stopped reading when I heard his voice is he still heard and everyone looks shocked, but he glares at them when he sees it and almost snarls: "We were neighbors and friends." Everyone nods, some Slytherins now even more shocked and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 02 - PS**_

This makes many people look angry at the book and Ronald says: "If anything, it should be the other way around." And the twins nod, but then Molly shouts: "Ronald –." But that's as far as she gets as Arthur says: "You are divorced and no longer his mother, Molly. The right to reprimand him is now mine, so back off my son."  
The woman looks at her ex-husband shocked, while many others look shocked at the news that the Weasleys have broken up. The teachers seem relieved at this if their proud smiles directed at Arthur are anything to go by, but Ron has to smile at Harry in reassurance as the boy seemed hurt and worried. I then read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 02 - PS**_

"All over? Is this that students get their acceptance letter for Hogwarts day or something then?" Dennis Creevey, a boy I spoke with during the feast yesterday asks and Collin, who kept asking me about Harry, answers: "I don't know, might be." But I see Harry blanch as if this news alone is scaring and quickly read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 02 - PS**_

"Wait, high chair? But that means this happened years ago." Harry says shocked and then Sirius gasps and says: "It must be the day – after – that night." Everyone seems to understand this as all around people gasp and blanch, the teachers around me proving that they remember more clearly than others what the man means.  
Harry lies his head in his hands and Cedric quickly beats Viktor to wrapping an arm around the boy and hugging him close. I too feel worried as I wonder what could be happening on this day that the boy could possibly remember, before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 02 - PS**_

"If I did that, I'd be grounded in my playpen, no toys for over an hour." Cedric shudders and his dad nods agreeing, while Ron says: "If one of us did that, we'd be without our favorite toy for a week." And Hermione shouts: "That's just cruel." But Ron shrugs and says: "That's her." Making it obvious Molly is no longer his mother.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 02 - PS**_

"He just accepts that?" Pomona asks outraged and Poppy says: "That's no upraising." But Harry says: "It is. It's called the Dursley style. That's how they've always raised him." But I know that makes everyone wonder: "Him? And you as well?" And while I wonder how much longer it will take before the truth comes out, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 02 & 03 – PS **_

"What's so weird about that?" Theodore Nott asks, me knowing his name, because Dumbledore charmed me yesterday to make sure I could know someone's name by seeing his face and Harry says: "Well, we have cloaks and Muggles have jackets. They're the same, really, but they're shorter and sometimes the fabric's made differently."  
I smile at the brilliant way Harry knows how to describe Muggle stuff and then he says: "Listen, seeing this chapter will be about my ex-relatives, there will be a lot of Muggle things, so just write those things down and then after the chapter Professor Burbage and I will explain them to you to the best of our abilities."  
Nott nods and I see Dumbledore smiling in pride at the boy. I too smile, while knowing that Harry just tries to get through this chapter as quickly as possible. I also suspect he'll do the same for the other Muggle related chapters and pray there won't be too many of those in this book – if only to give Harry a small break.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 03 – PS**_

"I must say that's a nice way to wave off the possibility of those people being magical." Fudge says and Amelia asks: "Yes, it is. But why would he even want to do that?" And Harry answers: "You heard how my aunt tries to deny my mother's existence. It's all because she's a witch and uncle Vernon likes to think all people are like him."  
This makes the twins shudder and Malfoy asks: "What? You mean, fat, dumb and stupid?" And to my humor, but some people's shock, Harry nods and says: "And you forgot one, but I'm sure it'll be mentioned soon enough." The blonde looks shocked that Harry didn't get angry with him, but I know the truth and sigh as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 03 & 04 – PS **_

"Why open-mouthed?" A small Second year Slytherin asks and Harry answers: "All owls we know are, by instinct, nocturnal creatures, meaning they live at night and sleep during the day. It's the magic surrounding them and coming from their owners that makes them capable of having enough energy to also be of service during the day.  
But because Muggles don't have magic and don't use Owl-post, they have never seen owls and the only owls they did see are those living in the wild, thus them being nocturnal creatures. This means that those Muggles who don't have jobs at night never see them. The only other place Muggles can see owls are in a Zoo.  
And before you ask, I have a feeling that will be explained in about one or two chapters. If not, I'll explain it myself." All students nod and the second year: "And Zoo owls are awake during the day?" And Harry shrugs and says: "Some are, others aren't." I personally feel happy that Harry knows about a zoo and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 04 – PS**_

"Is that all he does?" Malfoy asks with a sneer and while I can almost sense the others losing their respect for the man I call my neighbor, does Harry say: "To be honest, I hear him shouting more than I ever heard him talk normally. And even when he talks, you can bet your Galleons he'll shout at some point of the conversation."  
Everyone looks shocked that a man can do something like that and Harry leans back against Cedric, the elder boy shocked but happy that Harry trusts him enough to do this and Harry says: "In all honesty, I'm surprised he still has a voice with all the shouting he does." To this I nod, being just as surprised before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 04 – PS**_

This sentence I read again quietly and Harry has even jumped forward, away from Cedric's arm, but then he sighs and says: "Wow, if he had not gone to get that donut, I was going to ask if he's not under Polyjuice potion or something." I nod again at the boy, while others now start to share wondering looks with each other and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 04 – PS**_

"Collect –?" Marietta Edgecombe asks, but then she writes it down and Harry shrugs and says: "Aw, what the hell." The girl looks up and he says: "Say a giant fire, a flood or something else destroys Hogwarts and other people have people here who they love and might have lost, yes?" The girl nods, while many others whiten at the idea and Harry says:  
"Then organizations go from door to door with a small tin and ask for money, so they can provide foods, clothes and other requirements to the survivors of that disaster. It's also used to fund research against dangerous and deadly deceases." Everyone nods and students seem quite awed at the idea, making me smile before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 04 – PS**_

Now Harry, Sirius, Remus, I myself and several other adults all lower their heads, others looking worried and cared at Harry and Viktor is this time the one to pull Harry close, while Cedric silently grieves with his parents, the two of them having known Lily and James quite well and Ella crying silent tears for her lost friends.  
I hold my hand on the book for a minute, holding silent and honoring Lily and James for their sacrifice and luckily even those not caring or worrying about Harry respect my decision, not saying a word or asking me to read on. For a full minute I keep my head low, my eyes closed and my mouth shut, before I take a deep breath and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 04 – PS**_

Scratching of many quills is heard and as I look around I see that even at the Slytherin table some purebloods are writing down the word. I smile, knowing Harry's way of explaining things with examples intrigued everyone and might even help the Pureblood-Muggleborn integration if this keeps on and so proudfully read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 04 – PS**_

"Sure it is. Potter is the one of the Richest families in Magical England. Taking their name would be considered thievery of their heritage." Malfoy scoffs and Minerva says: "Mr. Malfoy, you're forgetting that this man is a Muggle. Ancient names, families and such things don't matter in their world anymore."  
The boy looks white at the idea as if it's blasphemy and I think: "How could he even survive in this world if he doesn't understand the principle of the other half of it." But I shrug, deciding to just let it slide as I know it's partially due to how strictly some Purebloods keep to the Stature of Secrecy and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 04 & 05 – PS **_

Now Harry seems absolutely furious and whispers something that I can't hear, but that has Sirius shouting: "She does WHAT?" Then Dumbledore raises and swishes his wand and says: "I charmed the Great Hall, so that private conversations can still be held, but open comments will be heard by all of the Great Hall."  
I smile at this and Harry says: "Thank you, Headmaster. But I won't repeat my comment. Just the thought of that woman makes me pissed. If she can even be called a woman with how she looks." This makes me snicker as I often thought the same when seeing that Marge was visiting the Dursley Household again and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 05 – PS**_

I now really look shocked and Harry asks: "He actually knows that word? He actually once used it?" I nod and mutter: "Didn't think he even knew it, let alone what it meant." Harry nods, while others look shocked at our obvious dislike for the man and while Dumbledore now starts to look worried between the two of us, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 05 – PS**_

Now I hear a soft snicker from behind me and when I look, I don't see Professor Flitwick snickering, like I thought when I read about the description of the man, but professor Sinistra and when she sees me and many other students looking, does she say: "We were working on a switching spell exercise when we heard the news.  
We went out to the Wizarding and Muggle world, without taking off the spellwork." Now everyone snickers and Albus says: "Your sense of humor never wavers or changes, does it Filius?" And Flitwick answers: "No, and I'm proud that it doesn't, Albus." Making his colleagues shake their heads before I continue reading.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 05 – PS**_

"Now that it is mentioned, where exactly does the term Muggle come from?" Harry asks, still letting Viktor hug him and the smile on his face proving that he is enjoying the touch and Binns wants to open his mouth, but then Amelia answers: "It origins from the early 1500's when our world was on the brink of another Witch Hunt.  
Quite a couple of Purebloods started seeing that Muggleborns were growing in numbers and back then marrying your cousin or niece was quite popular amongst Purebloods. So they started believing that Muggleborns were stealing magic, but because they knew a wizard is born with magic, they believed it was the work of their Muggle parents.  
Back then, they didn't call it stealing, but mugging and that's where the term originally comes from. Purebloods believed that Muggles kidnapped purebloods to mug their magic and implant that in pregnant Muggles, thus giving their kids magic." Everyone looks shocked and Harry mutters exactly what I think: "Completely bonkers, that is."

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 05 – PS**_

"And that's what you forgot, Malfoy." Harry then tells Malfoy conversationally, before he goes on: "My ex-uncle's fat, dumb, stupid and is absolutely against imagination or anything related to it." This makes the twins, Sirius and Remus blanch and the twins chorus: "How on earth did you grow up with no imagination?"  
But Harry asks: "Who said I did? I always tried to be what he told me to be, but behind his back I grew my own personality as much as I could." This makes the twins smile, while Remus and Sirius seem worried, obviously for the fact Harry had to grow himself a personality behind the back of his own ex-uncle.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 06 – PS**_

I now see many students looking behind me and I too smirk, while slightly tilting my head to look over my shoulder, already knowing it's Minerva, because I came to live there only a few weeks later, on Albus' request after he explained me everything that happened when he left Harry with who we all thought were his only living relatives.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 06 – PS**_

"Is that really a word to be proud of?" Nella asks and Harry says: "I'm sure they chose this to make sure you have a slight inkling of how the Dursleys work and live and all." Nella nods, while I can see that what she's heard off until now doesn't really make her feel any more comfortable about the Dursleys and their behavior.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 06 – PS**_

Now Andromeda smiles at her husband along with her daughter and her cousin Sirius and Ted says: "Best job I had." And Susan asks: "So you told Muggles what happens every day?" Ted shrugs with a nod and when he sees her looking at him with intrigue, does he say: "It's a Muggle way to make sure everyone in their world knows if something bad happens, like Harry said a hurricane in America or a flood in Suriname."  
The girl nods, while I can almost feel the interest and respect for Muggles and their ways of living grow within those that always thought nothing of Muggles and their ways of living and while other Purebloods start to whisper about how Muggles can rely such information to so many people. This makes me smile and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 06 & 07 – PS **_

"What's Bonfire Night?" Andrew Cirkey, a Pureblood from Ravenclaw with very short-cut brown hair and strong blue eyes asks and Harry shrugs and says: "It's kind of hard to explain. You see, Muggles have, like us wizards, divided themselves in cults and groups, called the Jews, the Moslims, the Protestants and the Catholics.  
Now in the late 1600's there was a battle between the Protestants and the Catholics, of which I know barely anything to nothing and apparently the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is the battle they celebrate on Bonfire Night as on that battle a famous Protestant defeated a famous Catholic, although I kind of forgot their names."  
Everyone nods and then Zacharias Smith asks: "What do you mean, we have cults?" Harry shrugs and says: "Well, they have the Jews, the Catholics and the Protestants, we have Half-bloods, Muggleborns and Purebloods." The Hufflepuff nods, while I can tell by the look in his eyes that he expected Harry not to know the answer and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 07 – PS**_

"You should try that the other way around. Would make you feel a lot better about yourself." Harry grumbles and then he mutters: "Would surely help me tolerate you more." This really worries a lot of people, under which Albus and while I sincerely hope that the truth will make him never decide to send Harry there again, I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 07 – PS**_

"HER CROWD?" Molly shouts, her high-pitched voice topping the angry shouts of even the French girls and even I'm shocked as I never heard Vernon talk about it like that, not that he ever suspected me to be the Squib that I am. To this Harry says: "Hey, Purebloods call Muggleborns the M-word, they call us a crowd.  
I'm not saying it's fair, because either possibility is just stupid and wrong, but that's just how those minds work." Everyone seems angered he talks off it so lightly and I think: "Now I know he's been through a lot. To talk so lightly of something like this, he has to be badly treated." And with a heavy heart, I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 07 & 08 – PS **_

Now Snape really looks furious and when Harry and I look at him questioningly, he says: "She had a favorite grandfather named Harold, she and Lily were the only ones allowed to call him Harry. That's, I just know, where Lily got the name from." I look shocked and Harry asks: "I'm named after my adopted great-grandfather?"  
Severus nods, while McGonagall looks at him with a small proud smile, obviously pleased that he is willing to tell Harry more of the mother he lost and a single tear falls down Harry's cheek, softly caught and wiped away by Hermione, who bends over the table to aid her best friend. I feel for the boy and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 08 – PS**_

Harry and quite a few others – underwhich the three youngest Weasley boys, Sirius, Remus, Andromeda and Snape – huff at this and Harry says: "I guess with trying to forget the existence of her sister, my aunt forgot my mum was adopted. Guess she never thought high enough of that oaf to tell him this little fact."  
Now Ron smirks, obviously with a high need to make his best friend feel better and says: "Wonder how she'll explain that to her husband after all these years." Harry smirks and says: "Yes, especially with seeing how many times Uncle wanted to put me in an orphanage. She was always the one who stopped him."  
He shakes his head and mutters: "Wish she never did. Would have had a ten – if not fifty times – better youth than in that hellhole." And as he says this the hold on him from Viktor becomes stronger with worry as I read on, knowing with a broken heart that Harry is indeed right, an orphanage would have been much, much better for him.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 08 – PS**_

Now Harry looks at Narcissa Malfoy, his eyes wondering and the green in them showing a slight hint of hurting as he asks: "Mrs. Malfoy? If you knew my mother was adopted and that I wasn't blood related, why didn't you ever use that to get me out of that hellhole? You must have at one point heard where I was staying?"  
The woman sighs and says: "I hadn't, Mr. Potter. All I ever heard was that you were treated like a prince and that you were the safest there. I knew my husband still had quite a few people against him and because I also had a son of my own, I knew how it felt to want to protect someone you really love to the best of your ability."  
She then shrugs and says: "And then there was the fact I was the niece of Sirius and his sentence. Even if I had vouched through your bond with my cousin it would have backfired on me, because people would not have wanted another dangerous Black." Harry nods, his grim expression proving how he dislikes this last fact and I read on

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 08 & 09 – PS **_

This makes the man smile, but Harry stays grim, while many cheer for the Headmaster, making a small tint of red be seen under the white beard hair covering his cheeks. I shake my head at the man, but worry when I see him looking at a silent Harry with an intense stare in his eyes, and while trying to smile slightly do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 09 – PS**_

"Who wants to bet the Professor did know and just didn't care?" The twins chorus and Harry, who is obviously trying to make sure his own moodiness about the chapter's subjects doesn't ruin the reading, says: "No one would make that bet, boys." Before they all turn to the man and he chuckles and says: "Guilty as charged, boys."  
Making many snicker before he says: "But can you blame me truly? If I wasn't making sure Harry had a good home and someone to bring him there, I was either stopping by at some party to see if there were people who knew Lily and James there or comforting those that weren't partying that night." Everyone nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 09 – PS**_

Now many Muggleborns and even some purebloods look awed and the twins chorus: "Now that's wicked." And Hermione, her enthusiasm making me like the young girl all the more, asks: "Where did you get that, Headmaster?" And the man says: "I made it myself. A little invention I made when I was around my late fifties."  
Everyone looks awed and the man says: "Too bad that was the only one I was ever able to make, but I have been working on it since and now, it doesn't just take away and bring back light. But I have a feeling we'll find out the other use through these books. Arabella, if you would?" I nod at the man, intrigued at his words and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 09 & 10 – PS **_

"Minerva, how exactly did you know I was going to be there that night?" Albus then asks the woman and while she seems troubled with the answer, does she say: "I overheard you talking to Hagrid the other night. When you told him something had happened to a family that had gone into hiding, I was hurt, but also worried.  
There were after all two of our families You-Know-Who was after and that had gone down, so I feared with their deaths would come the deaths of the other family as well. I wanted to be sure you made the right decision and, if it came down to it, I wanted to be there when you dropped either Mr. Potter or both boys off there." The man nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 10 & 11 – PS **_

"I can't believe it took that long." Hermione gasps, many of the other studnets and especially those in Third year and younger sharing her shock as Albus nods and says: "Unfortunately at first people didn't fear Voldemort's name, but thought it funny and that he wouldn't get far. That he would fail like Salazar did a millennium ago.  
It took 2 years of terror and destruction for people to realize what underestimating Voldemort and thinking his name funny caused them and even then it took another half a year before we had a powerful fighting force to go up against him."  
The girl nods, some of the younger years looking at Albus reverently and I hear Harry whisper: "Sounds a little like Hitler and the Second World War." Hermione nods at her best friend, while their other friends are confused, but I too agree as that man too was a terrible murderer and dictator. And with that I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 11 – PS**_

"And now it will stay that way." Albus says with a large grin on his face and the twins chorus: "Yeah, and all thanks to Harry." The boy blushes and says: "Not just me, guys. The Champions." But Hermione slaps a hand over his mouth and says: "Harry, for once in your life, take a compliment when it's given." The boy blushes and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 11 & 12 – PS **_

"Professor, if not for the fact this should have been a private conversation, I would have truly called that a TMI case." Charlie says and Filius asks: "TMI, Mr. Weasley?" And he says: "Too much information, professor." The man nods and while Albus chuckles heartily at the comment, do I smile and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 12 – PS**_

"How is that, professor?" Hermione asks and Minerva answers: "I had, of course, overheard Albus saying that one of our families had been murdered, but had been too hurt to hear the consequences of that. It wasn't until I was leaving for that living area that I heard rumors concerning the rest of the story." She then softly sniffs and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 12 – PS**_

Now, as if reading each other's minds, Sirius, Cedric, Viktor and Remus all stand up and switch places, before Sirius pulls Harry close with thin lips, obviously trying to hold himself strong and Remus hugs them both to offer all of them comfort.  
The teachers also all seek comfort with each other, Snape even going to sit a little closer to his colleagues and even the Slytherins hold silent out of honor as I gulp to take a away the lump that has formed in my throat through the pain in my heart and when all it seems as if everyone – adult and child alike – has found comfort, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 12 – PS**_

All around a few tears start to fall, even with those that didn't know these brave heroes and Harry's shoulders shake silently as he is held by a softly crying Sirius, who allows the tears to fall, but on all other points keeps his strength in order to comfort his little boy, the same concerning Remus, who does cry, but at the same time pulls the two closer.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 12 & 13 – PS **_

"He never should have gone after you in the 1st place." Sirius growls, his eyes hard and his voice choked up in his pain and grief and all those around him nod, agreeing with him, but then Harry shocks us all and says: "But if he hadn't, he would have never vanished and would have continued rampaging England for the last 13 years."  
Everyone looks at the boy shocked and he says: "I miss my parents, yes. Since 3rd year even more than before. But I know of their sacrifice, how they lived up to it and what it caused and for that, I honor them. For that I live." Sirius nods, his lips thin in choked up pride and tears falling down his cheeks and he holds the boy close as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 13 – PS**_

"My mum." Harry whispers, only barely hard enough for all of us to hear and he says: "Just wait for it. The end of this book and the Third book will bring light to how Voldemort was destroyed all those years ago on Halloween." Everyone looks intrigued and highly interested and I read on, like Sirius worried for how he could have known that.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 13 & 14 – PS **_

"If only he knew the truth." Harry growls, the pain he experienced in his youth clearly ringing through his voice and shocking some of those around him as Sirius hugs him and says: "That wouldn't have made a difference. That stupid rat and his actions would have prevented any Black relative to be allowed to take you in anyway."  
Harry nods and says: "But if he knew I wasn't related to those people, maybe he would have put me with another Muggleborn family and I would have had a dream youth, instead of the nightmare I had to live out." This really worries me, even while I'm sure I know about most of the terrors he faced there and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 14 – PS**_

"How I wish she could have convinced him." Harry mumbles, now no longer sounding angry, but more defeated and I think: "How bad can his youth be that he wishes everyone to help him get out of there?" I fear for the worst as I know Harry long enough to know how independent he actually is and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 14 – PS**_

Now Harry snorts scornfully, the dark tone of his voice making some first years looking scared while his friends look at him shocked and he says: "No offence, Headmaster, but a letter won't explain a thing to those two. Not with how they try with all their soul to convince themselves and even me, even now, that magic's not real."  
The man sighs and says: "Then I really should have talked to your aunt when I brought you there. I just didn't want to take the risk she would deny you." Harry shrugs and says: "The worst she – wait, did just say worst? – I mean the best thing she would do, was take me to appease you and then dump me in an orphanage."  
The man sighs and Malfoy says: "You really don't like those Muggles, do you Potter?" To which Harry lets out another scornful snort and says: "Malfoy, let me put it this way. I am so crazy for my youth, I often try to forget I even had one, just to forget what I've been through during that time of my life." The boy looks shocked and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 14 – PS**_

"There isn't, is there?" Harry asks, suddenly white, those that know how much he hates his fame snorting as they see him like this and Amelia says: "No Mr. Potter. There isn't. I admit, many Ministerial officials did want to organize one, but your status as Last of the Potter line and an infant prohibited them from doing so.  
In the end some members of the Ministry that had been against it since the start – well – they made the papers concerning that idea disappear, so to say." Harry sighs relieved and says: "Good, because if there is anyone in my family who should be honored it's my mum and not me. The books will explain." The woman nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 14 – PS**_

"THANK YOU!" Harry shouts, shocking everyone as he actually shot up and threw his arms out and he says: "Finally someone who understands. I've been realizing that my whole life, but because of a stupid scar, everyone else just likes to forget that little fact. The fact that I was an infant and so don't remember a single bloody bit about that night."  
He then sighs and says: "Well, I used to." Everyone looks worried and Katie Bell asks: "So – you – you do remember?" Harry nods and says: "I've always remembered one small thing, but since my 11th birthday have I been remembering more and more. Some of it forced." The students look confused, but Harry hangs his head and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 14 – PS**_

"Professor Dumbledore, as much as I appreciate your effort, it was in vain." Harry then says solemnly and he goes on: "Yes, I lived without fame and so it couldn't turn my head, but the way I was raised wasn't right either as it made sure I would never, in my life, be able to live with the fame the Magical World is intent on pushing onto me."  
The man sighs and says: "I really wanted you to have a good and normal youth, Harry. But it seems I did so, while thinking more of your protection than of your happiness and that ruined all of my plans. I'm sorry, dear boy." The boy nods, but for some reason does Sirius not seem appeased by this apology and I read on, confused.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 14 & 15 – PS **_

"Wicked!" The twins shout, while a lot of others shout things similar and even a few Slytherins shout: "Awesome!" Obviously impressed, while Molly seems to be the only one of the adults who is disapproving, her angry glare not fazing me a bit. I smile instead, but Sirius lowers his head and pulls Harry close, whispering to the boy:  
"With that I lost my chance of raising you. And then to think I gave it away to make sure you would be brought somewhere you could be safe and well-cared for." But Harry smiles and whispers: "You did the right thing. It was never your fault. The situation was just out of your control." The man nods, smiling at his son and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 15 – PS**_

Now Hagrid chuckles good-heartedly and says: "Guess we can be assured no one of us will have the decent description." To which Harry says: "Wait until you read what I thought when I first met you, Hagrid." The man laughs, while Molly is blocked by her sons from getting close enough to rant at Harry and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 15 & 16 – PS **_

This makes Sirius smile and while he keeps a single arm around Harry and Harry lies himself in his armpit, does he say: "Ah good times. Remember all those times James convinced us to visit Lily – well, when he wanted us to or when Lily would call me and ask if I could take Harry for a ride, because he didn't want to fall asleep?"  
Remus laughs and says: "Yes, I do. And then you would first check your motorcycle to be baby-proof at least twice if not three times and then, when you finally had Harry safe in that sidecar of yours, you would first check it to have him tight and safe four times before you would even decide to start that damned engine.  
And then you were always back in three minutes because he had fallen asleep to the sound of the engine and the wind in his hair, the only part of him you would always allow outside of that sidecar." Everyone laughs and Sirius shrugs and says: "Hey, I might be a daredevil, but no one threatens – who I back then thought of as – my godson. My little boy."  
And he hugs Harry tightly, who's a little red because of the story, but still beams, obviously overjoyed at learning something new of the only part of his past that he does want to remember – the short time he was allowed with his parents. I smile at the small family, glad they now have each other to lean on and to support and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 16 – PS**_

"Again, almost a case of TMI." The twins chorus, while many look either grossed out or curious, especially those that are the twins age or older and then Harry asks: "Professor, now that Voldemort will soon be gone, because of the snake venom, if he's not gone already, can you please do something about it?  
I don't want to be reminded, either by the skin itself or by people gawking at it 24/7, of the night I lost my parents and my life changed from normal, slightly dangerous, but fun and loving, to a long-lasted hell." The man sighs and says: "I'll see what I can do, Mr. Potter. But it's been quite a couple of years, so it might be too late."  
Harry sighs and nods, but I again see Sirius looking at Dumbledore over his son's head with a distrustful frown and wonder what the man could have against Dumbledore – even if we now know that he was the one to place Harry there and that he didn't exactly make sure Harry was really safe. Deciding to wonder later, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 16 & 17 – PS **_

Now Remus growls and asks: "Albus, why does that book mention nothing of you casting protection spells?" To which the man seems disgruntled yet still willing to answer when suddenly Minerva gasps and says: "You didn't. Albus, you never cast a single Blood-ward. You bloody just left the boy there, no protection, nothing."  
The man pales and says: "Minerva, the blood wards –." But Lucius says: "Don't try the excuse of blood-wards activating themselves, Albus Dumbledore, because my father taught me all about Blood-magic and no Blood spell can activate itself. So did you put Potter there to keep him from the magical world or to protect him against Voldemort?"  
Everyone looks at the sweating man with glares of suspicion and questioning stares and then Harry asks: "Professor, don't tell me you knew exactly what kind of treatment I would get at that house." The man sweats even more and then Amelia says: "This isn't over, Albus. I will be looking into this." And with that I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 17 & 18 – PS **_

"You better not have known how badly he would need it, Albus." Sirius growls and Remus goes on: "Because if you did and you still do, I won't rest until I have every werewolf pack that's either Neutral or on our side on your hide, if only to make you pay for the suffering of my cub." The man whitens, making the werewolf's glare intensify and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 01, page 18 – PS**_

I mark the page and close the book, some students still looking at me in interest, while quite some of the adults are still looking at a sweating Albus and I think: "We learned of Muggle things, of what happened that night and of the Blood wards that are supposed to be there, but actually aren't. The rest should be interesting."  
But while looking at Harry, do I know that the story will indeed be interesting, not to mention all the other books, but the chapters about his youth will be terrible – if only because of the suffering the poor boy had to go through under the hands of people who had no blood-relation to him at all and who should have never been allowed near him.  
I sigh and wish I had magic, as it would make me capable of knowing that there were no blood wards active. As a Squib I am unable to do so, but had I had magic, I could have studied wards and would have had a chance to take Harry away from there. I sigh again and think: "If only to be able to do that, I wish I had magic."


	14. My Young Black-Haired Cousin

**Обичам** _ **is Bulgarian for my love**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 13  
**_ _ **My Young Black-haired Cousin**_

 _ **Narcissa's POV**_

The last chapter along with the comments from Arabella and Harry has me quite worried, but I brush it off like I always do. "Okay." I then say, gaining everyone's attention and I say: "I know the new daddies want to learn more about their son's life, but I think, seeing how we now all see and despise that fat whale – I mean, that fat Muggle."  
This makes some students snicker, the first and second years having trouble holding back their snickers longer than others and while Sirius and Remus send me grateful, playful smiles themselves, do I go on: "It would be best if we let someone else read. And still, I want to know of my nephew's life, so I'll read."

Everyone nods and Andromeda, my long lost sister, who I swore I would get back in contact with once our parents were dead, had it not been for Lucius' reputation, smiles and says: "You were always the best to hold a straight face where others lost their emotions, Cissy." I smile at my elder sister and walk over to the elder squib lady.  
She nods at me and sits down, shooting an angry glare at a still white Dumbledore and I think: "It's one thing he kept that poor boy from his true family. But that he did it, while knowing there were no Blood wards." I give him my best sneer, one filled with all the anger I felt since the discovery of this madness and start to read.

 _ **The Vanishing Glass  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 19 – PS**_

Now Harry scoffs, his tone as haughty as when Lucius speaks of Muggleborns or the Weasley Patriach and says: "The neighbors changed more than they did." And Hermione asks: "Were they that structural?" And Harry says: "Hermione, structure was all those Muggles had. To them it was like this; no structure, no living."  
And then with a voice that is so void of emotion it would have had more feeling if it came from an Inferi, he says: "Everything is always structured. Every minute of every day. Is it not, we die." And then he looks at the girl, who almost openly shivers and says: "And that's been my life for ten years. Nothing else."  
This makes me worry for the boy, but then the thought he had raised a personality behind the backs of those crazy people calms me down and when I remember what I promised the boy about his future, do I think: "Those lessons will have no structure at all, except for times and what to read." I nod at myself and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 19 – PS**_

Harry looks from me to the students and asks: "Anyone not understanding a word there?" And a timid Hufflepuff first year, who seems to be gathering more courage than I thought she had says: "What are a bicycle, carousel and a computer game?" And Harry first smiles at the first year, making her blush, but smile back and then he says:  
"Well, where we have brooms, they have something similar in use, but different in looks. The bicycle has a few, okay, a lot of differences, even if it's used for the same means. It's made of metal for once, instead of wood. It comes in many different colors and sizes. It has wheels and steps where we have just the broom and peddles.  
And well – I guess the best thing is if Dean draws it and then I enlarge the picture and show you what part of the bicycle is used for what." Everyone nods and Dean Thomas smiles at Harry, before he quickly grabs some drawing equipment and about three minutes later Harry enlarges a picture of something I have never seen before.

Harry then aims his wand at one part, where some kind of fabric is pulled over a straight pole of metal and he says: "This is called the steering wheel. If you want to go straight, you just keep it like this. But if you turn it to the left or right, your front wheel, this one."  
He aims at the wheel under the – so called – steering wheel and says: "Will turn with it and with that make the bicycle turn to the left or right. Then there's the seat." And he aims for another part, this one also covered and then I realize it has the perfect size for someone to sit on. I look at this shocked and Harry goes on, saying:  
"This one's of course easy and is meant for the rider to sit on. The metal you see behind it, over the back wheel has four purposes. It can hold carry bags, a child's seat, hold a friend – I'd put something soft on the metal first – or say keep your bag. And then there's the back wheel." He quickly aims for the wheel at the end of the picture and says:

"This is to keep the bicycle in sync, to make sure it can stand up straight without falling over the front wheel and to give extra speed to the rider. For, you all see this string of metal here, right?" And we all nod as he aims for a chain wrapped around the midst of the wheel and around the circular piece of metal in the middle of the picture. He then goes on and says:  
"This is because of your steps, those are these. You put your feet on them, like you put your feet on the peddles of a broom, and the more you turn them, the more this metal turns and the more this wheel turns, making you move. Like the wheel of a car turning over the road. If it turns, the car moves. So if you use your steps, you let the back wheel turn and you ride a bicycle."  
The purebloods nod and Astoria Greengrass asks: "So you can stand on those steps and the bicycle won't fall down?" And Harry answers: "Only if you're holding onto something or if you're cycling. Else it will fall, unless you use this metal bar here." And finally he aims for a small thin metal bar I barely even noticed before.

The Purebloods nod and Astoria asks: "And a carousal?" To this Harry shrugs and then seems to think for a few minutes, before his eyes widen and he asks: "What are the favorite creatures of you and your friends?" The girl looks confused and Draco says: "I like wolves, Pansy likes seals and Blaise likes Hydras. Don't ask."  
Harry nods and says: "Alright, now imagine statues of those creatures, with poles holding them onto two giant round plates, one above their heads one below their feet. The poles hold the statues just slightly above the ground and there are seats embedded onto the statues for you to sit on." The students nod and Harry says:  
"For money, Muggles use these things to have fun. Their kids sit on some of these things, a man controlling the round plates makes them turn on their spot, like a spoon turning in a pot or kettle, and the poles makes it feel as if you're really riding those creatures. Add a little fun music and you have a carousal." My son and his friends look shocked and Blaise asks:  
"So Muggles have a turning device, made out of two plates, poles and statues of animals, and they use that together with music to make their kids think they're riding those animals?" And Harry says: "Or carriages, motorcycles and that kind of things. It's all to make kids have fun and enlarge their imagination, really."

My son and his friends nod and Draco asks: "And that video thingy?" And while I can barely believe my son said thingy, which makes Lucius turn his eyes skyward, does Harry says: "Just think of it as a combination of pictures and games. You see a picture of something, whether or not it's real and you can play it like a game.  
You can really do all sorts of things. Shoot aliens, save princesses, dance, race, play card games, anything." Everyone looks shocked and Harry says: "It's like playing exploding snap, without touching the cards. You don't get the chance to be burned and still, through the devices they use to let you play the game, you can play it."  
The students look shocked and even professor Burbage looks shocked and intrigued and Hermione asks: "Harry, how do you know all this?" Harry shrugs and says: "I had to constantly watch Dudley do it. I pick things up that are repeated a lot." The girl nods and while wondering if he was ever allowed to play, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 19 & 20 – PS **_

Harry shudders and so does Severus, making the boy look at him and asks: "Heard that before, sir?" And the man, who became Lucius' surrogate brother due to how my husband worried for his homestate and life, says: "She always used that voice when she shouted at Lily not to use magic or tried to chase me away."  
Harry shakes his head and says: "I heard of people who never change, but that takes the cake. No wait, there is one thing that did change." And Crabbe asks: "The person?" And Harry says: "No, the voice. She's an adult now, so her voice is even worse." Both shudder again while some of the students laugh at the comment and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 20 – PS**_ _, trying not to move his right arm too much or to lie on those wounds that – sometimes – tended to open up again_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 20 – PS**_ _, her shrill voice so suddenly shocking him from his thoughts, he accidentally moved his wrist wrong, making him wince_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 20 – PS**_ _, trying to move the wrist back into a position it hurt less_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 20 – PS**_

"Brother dear." One of the twins says solemnly, his face the epitome of urgency which makes Molly look at them in shock, even if I saw the same expression on their faces before the meeting and he says: "I seriously don't know what's worse. That Harry, our – then – 10 year old brother, had to cook or that ridiculous nickname."  
The other brother nods, while many other students and a few adults now look as if the first voiced their thoughts and says: "I truly agree, dear brother mine, but the words I heard of Harry's wounds and wrist do still worry me a little – lot – more." And Ron and Hermione mutter: "You got that right." Making the other twin smile at them.  
But I myself too feel worry as I wonder why Harry hurt his wrist and even more how he knows how to move his wrist in such a manner it won't hurt too much. "Doesn't that speak of experience with similar wounds?" Is a worried thought that enters my mind, enhancing my need to look after my family and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 20 – PS**_ _Dudley better be kept busy, because Harry really didn't want a repeat of last year or when they were six._ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 20 – PS,**_ _finally getting his wrist to hurt less and not using it to cloth himself_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 20 – PS**_

Ron shudders, which makes me wonder where his fear for spiders actually came from and the twins ask: "Surely you're not still scared." But Harry says: "Yes, he is. Scaring a three year old like that scars them for life, like how Voldemort scarred me for life. And trust me, the next book will prove just why he fears spiders so much."  
The two nod, while I feel the almost undeniable need to open the next book and quickly check it for clues that can give answers to all the hints Harry has been giving about it. But I suppress this need, wanting to know what has happened to my cousin even more and with a strong face and voice, do I continue reading.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 20 – PS**_

My voice stocks in my throat as I realize what I just read, my stoic mask falling and my eyes widening, while a silence rings strong enough to make a hair falling sound like the roar of a nesting mother Dragon, none of the adults or students making another comment as everyone looks at me, their expressions mirroring mine.  
I silently repeat this sentence in my mind, the written words almost printing themselves on my retina as I keep myself to that one sentence; that one sentence that proves just how much my little cousin suffered. But then I tear my eyes away from the book, wondering why no one has shouted yet and see the Great Hall before me.  
The heads of the students are all at me, all of them with wide open mouths and their eyes almost falling out of their sockets while the teachers are slowly turning to the white face of the Headmaster, one face even more furious than the last – and Severus' scowl winning the cake – while at Gryffindor table – my nephew has vanished.  
I shake my head, wondering how that could have happened as I didn't sense any spellwork going on while reading and ask: "Where's Harry?" Everyone instantly turns to the spot where the boy was sitting – except for the teachers who are still glaring at Dumbledore – and they realize that Harry has really disappeared.

Sirius is the first one to react and jumps up frantic, but halfway in his shout of _**HARRY,**_ we all hear a loud _**Oomph**_. We all look shocked and Remus, who seems to try and use his understanding of the situation to temper his anger, says: "Drop the cloak, Harry." And a silvery kind of material falls off of a now visible Harry Potter.  
But his pose worries me. From falling off his mum's lap, the boy has amazingly fast moved himself in a position where his legs are pushed against his upper body, his hands are over his head and his head is against his chest, perfectly protecting every part of his body, while his eyes are looking straight ahead without really seeing anything.  
The boy whimpers and softly cries, tears falling down his eyes as he looks straight under the table without seeing the feet at the other side of it, but while Remus holds back Cedric and Viktor – actually shocking me as I had expected him to do something – does Sirius sit down cross-legged while facing Harry straightly.

I wonder what the man's on about, but after about ten minutes of Harry whimpering and lying like that, he slowly retracts his arms and Sirius asks: "Want a hug?" And a timid Harry seems to crawl over. Sirius first hugs the boy softly and then tightly, whispering all kinds of sweet nothings I know he will try and make true for the boy's sake.  
Then using a tone I once – and only once – heard his father use when he wanted to make something clear he says: "Anyone asking my son about this, bothering him about this piece of his past or thinking he doesn't trust him or her because he never told, don't. You'll be in trouble, not only for bothering my son, but for having the guts to try."  
Remus then goes on and says: "Harry, our son, already made clear before that his youth was so bad he tries to often forget he even had one, just to forget what hell he had to go through. This is a good piece of evidence that he has gone through hell and that he has a right not to be questioned about that." And finally Sirius says:  
"And anyone wanting to demand Harry explain this one further, just because of his fame or scar and who has the stupid belief he can demand it of Harry, because to that idiot he is just the Boy-Who-Lived I say – you don't mess with a Black, especially not a parental one. Are we clear?" Everyone nods and Sirius whispers:  
"We'll talk later. You need to tell someone and then you can get a Muggle shrink, who can help you get over your past, okay cub?" Harry nods timidly, still trembling and Sirius says: "Remind me to really check any shrink we try." But then Andromeda asks: "Why a Muggle shrink? Why won't you let me help Harry get over this?"

Sirius looks at her and then whispers: "You're too close to our family." Draco and Lucius then stand up and walk over to the Gryffindor table, shocking everyone, but Lucius says: "No one harms a Black, whether he's named Black, Potter or Malfoy." And Draco says: "And Blacks stick together, especially when a fellow Black is hurt."  
The Gryffindors sitting close to Harry smile and those sitting next to Remus and Sirius shove over a little to make room for my two favorite men. I smile at them, knowing how important family is for them and then Harry breaks my heart. As Sirius sits back down, still holding onto Harry softly, he asks: "So, you still want me?"

And he first looks at Sirius and Remus, then at his friends, then at Cedric and then finally at Viktor. Instantly Sirius tightens his hug and whispers: "You're my son and you've always been my nephew. Before and after you went to live with those – for lack of a better word – monsters." And Remus adds: "We all love you, Harry. We really do."  
And all of those sitting around the boy nod, Viktor even standing up to lean over the table and softly kiss Harry's forehead lovingly, making the teary boy smile at him, while I can already tell that Viktor's opinion means a lot to my nephew. He sits back down and whispers: "My confession will always count, обичам."

Then the teachers, who have been constantly glaring at Dumbledore throughout this scene, probably not even noticing anything happening as they must have been trying to keep their anger at bay for the sake of the students and their guests, start to speak to the man and Professor Flitwick is first, his squeaky voice slowly rising.  
"A cupboard under the stairs, Albus? You allowed them to raise him in a cupboard under the stairs? You actually left them with people who are capable of doing THAT to their family. To Lilly's family? To her own son?" These four words make the man cringe more than the rising voice of the man and then Flitwick goes on:  
"Have you forgotten everything Lily did while in school? All the charms she so quickly and amazingly well got the hang of? All those students she helped, not caring about the Houses they were in or the situations they were dealing with? How she was chosen as Prefect and Head Girl solely for her good heart and need to help others?  
Lily was the most brilliant student we ever had and that you, the man that put her only son with those, those – I don't even have a word for them – for reasons you don't even dare to confess, have the guts to ignore that and let her only son be treated like that – after all she has done for just about every adult present in this HALL!"

Dumbledore raises his hand and Minerva, of who I know is hurt more because of her invinite loyalty to the man, says: "You can't defend yourself from this one, Albus. The entire Wizengamot was against you putting Mr. Potter at that house, but you denied them every single opportunity to fetch him or even check on him.  
You knew, Albus! You knew they were the worst Muggles imaginable! You knew how much they hated magic and everyone who had and used it! You knew how they treat our people and still you put an infant, the son of two people who trusted you with their lives, there – TO ROT, ALBUS! YOU LEFT AN INFANT TO ROT!"

The man is now mumbling, his eyes wide and his entire frame screaming his fear and Severus states: "You swore! You swore me into an oath I would do everything to protect Lily's son, without growing too close to him to make sure the Dark Lord would believe I had stayed loyal which would in turn provide me more chance to protect him better.  
And in return no one would ever know how much I still love my first best friend and the only friend I had since youth. In return you swore to me you would openly care for the boy and protect him! You swore nothing would ever happen to him while under your care! YOU SWORE YOU WOULD PROTECT HIM, ALBUS!  
I believed lies! I kept my distance! I allowed a grudge I long ago got over to be my reason for a hatred I never felt for that lad to be shown! I MADE THE ONLY PROOF I HAVE LEFT THAT I WAS ONCE LILY'S FRIEND THINK I HATE HIM, BECAUSE YOU SWORE ME INTO A SECRET PROTECTION OF HIM!"

Everyone is shocked that Severus never hated Harry Potter and that he hates himself and Dumbledore for a fake hatred show he portrays and then suddenly Hagrid stands up, his eyes ablaze with fury. He walks over to the man and says: "I have no words for you." All teachers nod, while Amelia and Kingsley seem reluctant as they too nod.  
Dumbledore is now really scared as no one has ever seen Hagrid this angry and without pulling any kind of wand or other weapon, Hagrid grabs the back of the elder man's collar and pulls him up, with his other hand grabbing the back of the man's long robe. He then walks over to the doors of the Great Hall and opens them slightly.  
To my shock, he throws Dumbledore into the hall and the magic of the spell lets the man float just 3 inches above the ground. Hagrid scoffs and says: "Hopes he gets a harsh landing when time runs again." Before closing the Great Hall doors and leaving back for his seat, while Minerva vanishes the great seat of the probably ex-headmaster.

Then finally Amelia stands up and says: "I just want to let you all know that you can write down all that angers you about your ex-headmaster and that you can, when time is active and the books are done, curse the man to your heart's delight as long as my colleagues and I can take a recognizable Albus Dumbledore to court later."  
Everyone nods and I think: "And seeing that there will be 2 days between every book we'll have plenty of chances to curse that family-breaking child-abuser." Then I remember that everyone has to be present at the reading and shrug thinking: "We'll just throw him out once we've read a paragraph or two." And with that I continue reading.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 20 & 21 – PS**_

"Is a racing bike like a bicycle?" A 3rd year Gryffindor asks and a boy I know is named Creevey says: "Yeah, it's almost the same, just a different model, really. It's like brooms. You have school brooms and race brooms." The 3rd year nods and Harry smiles at the Creevey boy, making him smile back widely before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 21 – PS**_ _and he had his irreparable elbow to prove it_ _ **, PS – Chapter 02, page 21 – PS**_

"What do you mean, irreparable?" Sirius asks concerned and Harry says: "Dudley once made me fall completely wrong and I broke my arm so bad, the sling the nurse gave me couldn't even get it fixed right. The bones grow slightly over each other, making the lower arm bones stick out over the end of the upper arm bones."  
Harry sighs, while Madam Pomfrey is now white and mumbling about possible healing potions and his friends look shocked as he says: "My elbow is more a cross of bones than four bones connected together by a joint. Because of the sling and my chores my elbow joint got broken off and since I was 7 ½ I haven't had it anymore."  
Everyone looks shocked and then Madame Pomfrey says: "But Mr. Potter, the Skele-grow." Yet the boy shakes his head and says: "I checked to see if it affected my injury the morning after. Something kept the potion from working. Here, see?" And to my shock he actually turns the arm in an impossible angle. "HARRY!" Sirius shouts and Harry nods and says: "See what I mean."  
Sitting back down and unhappily rubbing his elbow. I myself can barely believe that the boy is really able to move his arm in such a position and that he has for years been able to move his lower arm without the joint connecting it to the upper and then, while again understanding my father's hatred for Muggles, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 21 – PS**_

"You have your parents' looks, that's for sure." Sirius smiles at his son and then he says: "But now that you're our boy, we'll be sure to leave some of our own traits in you, son." Harry smiles with small tears streaming down his face, while the teachers don't seem to know whether to be scared by what they hear or touched by what they see.  
I can't say I can blame them, even though I only spend three of my school years around my cousin and I think: "If you mix Harry's attraction to danger with the mischievous mind of Sirius Black." And instantly I pity the teachers even more, which makes me snicker inwardly at the prospect of the next few years as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 21 – PS**_ _to make him listen if his uncle gave him a chore to do_ _ **. PS – Chapter 02, page 21 – PS**_

"You actually liked it?" Ron asks shocked and Harry says: "It annoyed those idiots. Made them even more mad at my – as they called it – abnormality. And it was something I had that Dudley couldn't take from me." His best friend smiles and while feeling awful that he seems forced to see good things in life, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 21 – PS**_

"Car crash?" Filius asks shocked and then he, Severus, Sirius, Remus, Amelia, Alastor, Hagrid and Minerva all shout: "CAR CRASH?" And Sirius shouts: "Lily would never have wanted Harry anywhere near a car! It took me a crying, sleepy 3-month old Harry to make her finally accept my motorcycle for Merlin's sake!"  
But then Harry whispers: "If you think that's bad, you're going to hate the third book." And Sirius asks: "Why would I hate the one book I finally appear in?" And Harry, his voice almost cold with enough anger to make a shiver run down my spine, says: "Because Vernon told something even worse to his sister and she believed it."  
"Do I want to know?" Remus growls, the werewolf obviously quite close to the surface and Harry says: "Let's just say it's the whole damned reason I blew her up in the first place." This makes Ron burst out laughing and he says: "Still can't believe you actually did that, mate. Stays bloody hilarious." Before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 21 – PS**_ _This had been followed by a swing from a spatula.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 21 – PS**_

Now the teachers turn heads to each other, some of them with wide eyes and others starting to look guilty for some reason and Aurora Sinistra says: "So that's why he never asks questions in my class. Even Crabbe and Goyle do that. I always thought he was just stubborn and like his mother, but this makes a whole lot more sense."  
The other teachers nod, the three Heads now looking really guilty for not realizing this and I see that they, many Ravenclaws and the Granger girl are furious at this rule as if it's some kind of blasphemy not to ask questions. I too feel furious as that must have also cost him his education when he went to Muggle school.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 21 – PS –**_ _it was a relief to Harry, because else his morning greeting was a punch to the back of his head or three minutes with his head in the sink filled with dishing water._

This absolutely infuriates the entire room, even my Snakes and I know they consider it a terrible crime to treat the last of a Noble line like that. I look at the boy and then Amelia asks: "Mr. Potter, you do know that next to the Three Unforgiveables there are 5 other things that are considered instant lifelong in our world, right?"  
Harry shakes his head, while being held by a thin lipped Sirius, who obviously tries to hold himself back so he can be there for Harry and Amelia states: "A Lifelong sentence is given to someone if he or she abuses, neglects, starves, rapes or kills a minor." The boy looks shocked, but also whitens at the last two and I fear the worst as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 21 & 22 – PS**_

"Just like your father, grandfather and great-grandfather." Sirius smiles, speaking softly and with a steely tone hidden in his voice. But it seems as if Harry has heard the tone as I see his small body tense, which his new mother of course feels him do as Sirius then tries to keep the tone out of his voice, gulps and says:  
"Your mother even claimed that in the last month of her pregnancy, she could already sense you would grow that kind of hair. Even that first little tuft of hair she cut off to save was messy." The angered tone slowly recedes and gets replaced with a reminiscently, loving tone, showing that the man really cares for his son.  
Harry smiles at the man and asks: "What happened to it?" And Sirius sighs as he says: "It was destroyed. Lily kept it under your crib to make sure she could easily reach for it if you gave her something new like your first tooth or something. It got destroyed together with most of your crib when he attacked you."  
Harry looks hurts and Sirius holds him close. Then the boy whispers: "Will you continue that?" Sirius looks shocked and Harry says: "I can't give you one of my teeth, I'd like to keep those. But we can cut off some hair, right?" The man smiles and holds his son close again, whispering: "Right, we can. I'd like that." I smile at my family and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 22 – PS**_

This makes many people laugh and Harry snickers, obviously not wanting to ruin the moment with his mum. Sirius also shows a large grin and Remus says: "I don't recall Lily or James ever comparing people to animals." And Sirius says proudly: "They didn't. That's just something our little boy likes to do." Harry smiles widely at him and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 22 – PS**_ _, wanting to leave the room before Dudley decided to rant out on him, like he did last year when the birthday cake had the wrong kind of chocolate.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 22 – PS**_

"This is the worst kind of parenting I've ever seen!" Amelia cries out, her shrill voice proving her anger as she is usually just as well capable of hiding her emotions as I am and she voices my opinion perfectly as I have been wanting to comment on the terrible behavior of mother and child for the last three paragraphs.  
Then Hermione asks: "How did you not turn out like them, Harry?" Harry shrugs and says: "I guess that was the only good part of their bad treatment; it made me want to be nothing like them." And the twins and Ronald chorus: "THANK HEAVENS FOR THAT, MATE!" I nod, together with quite a few others and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 22 – PS**_ _Harry knew Dudley had trouble with all kind of school stuff as Harry was always the one handing in their homework – and pray to the Gods if his name was above the homework with the best score._ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 22 – PS**_

"He can't even count that?" Almost half of Ravenclaw asks and the Chang girl asks: "How old is he?" And Harry says: "He was one year and five months when the book began." And the girl asks: "ELEVEN?" Harry nods and I read on, disgusted by how this terrible boy has turned out – and blessing myself with a cousin like Harry.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 22 23 – PS**_ _, stomping Harry on the arm as he found a seat close to the presents,_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 23 – PS**_

"What is all that stuff?" Blaise asks, confused and slightly disturbed, probably by the weird names and Harry says: "The Video camera is like a photo camera only it stores more than one picture, a little like a Pensive stores memories." Blaise nods and asks: "So a mechanical device to store memories on?" Harry nods with a smile and says:  
"Yeah, and airplane is just as mechanical. You've seen those things that fly in the sky and carry a lot of people, right?" The students nod and Harry says: "Well, Muggles make toys out of those things, figurines of them so to speak and then use a small device to control them – little like how the Mobilicorpus charm moves objects."  
The Purebloods nod, Blaise and a few others looking quite interested so far and Harry says: "And a VCR. Well, that's actually just a device on which you can watch movies. What those are I won't even try to explain. We'll have to make a school trip to a cinema, because to explain that concept, we'd be busy for days."  
The Purebloods nod, while I look at Lucius and see his mind working on what he can do with these new products and loving how my husband has taught himself to see profit in anything and everything, do I hear Filius say: "We'll discuss the school trip and how to organize it later, Mr. Potter. Lady Malfoy, please read." I nod and read.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 23 – PS**_

"Sorry about that, Mrs. Figg." Harry says timidly, but the woman shakes her head and says: "It was my work, Harry. I had to stay there to keep an eye on you for Albus and to make sure I could keep on doing that, I had to make it seem as if you didn't like it with me. Although I think I overdid a little." The woman ends with a small smile.  
Harry nods, smiling back at her and says: "You could have after all told me you knew where I came from after my first. Would have been nice to have someone to talk to about what happens during the school years." The woman smiles and says: "Well, you're always welcome, Harry." The boy smiles and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 23 & 24 – PS  
**_ _Harry often thought they were the slugs as their life just seemed to drag by, making it the most boring time ever, if he wasn't chased down, put to chores or punished.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 24 – PS**_ _and Dudley hit Harry with his remote control airplane while Uncle Vernon threw a full plate of bacon at him._

"A full plate of bacon?" Susan screams and Harry, who's tone is much too casual for me not to worry even more as he says: "Don't worry, I dodged the plate. And most of the bacon." This still worries me because of what I read earlier and I ask: "Didn't you just fry that?" Harry doesn't answer and that makes my worries peak as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 24 – PS**_ _Neither were they paying attention to him and Harry quickly smuggled the bacon that was frying his forehead into his pocket,, ripping off a piece to eat it, fearing the rest would be his dinner.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 24 – PS**_

"That's disgusting!" Draco spats and he goes on: "That boy is the first born. He should be taught manners and etiquettes, not how to behave like an overgrown baby." I nod, while knowing it wouldn't have mattered as I am really starting to understand what my cousin mentioned earlier about the Muggles' illusive thinking and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 24 – PS**_

Now many students burst out laughing, the twins almost falling off of their seats and Ron turning red as he hides his face in his hands on the table, but Poppy shouts: "STOP IT!" Everyone looks at her shocked and she says: "It might sound funny and hilarious, but this is nothing more than another case of terrible parenting.  
Such a nickname is a blatant show of disrespect to her own son and him growing up. She's humiliating him and that often is the whole reason why people start to become bullies." I nod, knowing it was a particular reason why Sirius did with the Slytherins and Ronald asks: "So you appro-." But he gets silenced by the Granger girl and she says:  
"Of course she doesn't approve of that brat's bad behavior. She just doesn't want us to laugh and pester him like he pestered Harry. She wants justice and us laughing at his ridiculous nicknames won't bring that justice any closer." Ronald nods, while many of the older students now look down in guilt and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 24 – PS**_ _and used the remote control still in his hand to let the airplane hit Harry on the back of his head, making him hit the table with a nasty bang_ _ **.**_

This absolutely infuriates me and, knowing that Dumbledore will no longer be able to hindrance me when it comes to my cousin, do I say: "Madame Bones, I know those Muggles are no relatives of mine, but young Harry is and for all the suffering he had to go through under the hands of those monsters I want them punished."  
The woman nods and says: "It's clear that boy has been raised against our laws and even with him being a Muggle, a Muggle abusing a minor wizard is still a great offense. Lady Malfoy, I will be working on this case and they will be justified for all they have done to young Mr. Potter, you can be assured of that.  
Auror Tonks, write down everything that can be considered one of the five crimes and report your reason behind it and the paragraph of which you have heard it from." The young Auror – my niece – nods in anger and grabs a piece of parchment, quill and ink, quickly unscrewing the ink bottle and writing like hell as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 25 – PS**_ _– his favorite part of this – if it concerned Harry – was pulling their arms back far enough to hear a breaking crack._

Everyone growls, the Gryffindors close to Harry almost sounding like lions as they growl together and Madame Bones says: "Scrap the Dursley family. I'm going to investigate that entire neighborhood. They'll all be questioned. Mrs. Figg, would you mind coming with us to testify and point us to the friends of Dudley Dursley?"  
The woman smiles, her eyes shining with a need for vengeance and says: "I have always believed the Dursleys to be the worst that ever happened to that neighborhood, not to mention Mr. Potter. It'd be my pleasure to bring them and all of their own to justice. Would be a good payback too." I look confused at this, but read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 25 – PS**_

"That's not entirely true, you know." Sirius then says and Harry looks at him while I wonder how the man can speak so calmly after what he just heard and he says: "Sure, you never went to this zoo thing when you were a baby, but Lily and James did once bring you to Hogwarts to show you where you would go to study later."  
"What does that have to do with this?" Harry asks confused and he then suddenly rears back, fear in his eyes, which makes me know this reading is affecting him, but Sirius just hugs him and says: "Well, when you went there and visited Hagrid a lot of the more friendly animals suddenly came out of the forest to come and have a look at you.  
You played with Bowtruckles, a few friendly pixies and a baby Hippogriff, if I remember correctly." The boy looks shocked and while I love the chance the man has to bring up such happy memories, does Ronald ask: "So Harry always had a special bond with animals, did he?" Sirius nods and says: "Yeah, I guess he did."  
He then snickers with his eyes closed, obviously lost in that very memory and says: "James was so ecstatic when he saw you play with that Hippogriff chick. He called it a sign you'd be an amazing flyer. I swear that guy was obsessed with letting you like Quidditch." To which a sudden voice says: "Only better."

And when everyone looks at the closed doors, they see a tall young man with a well build and burly body, with brown hair that softly slides over his head and around his ears and with almost madly gleaming brown eyes, who wears a dark blue shirt with a shield symbol on the front of his shirt and a pair of black shorts.

Everyone looks shocked as they must all wonder how he got here and the boy answers our curiosity as he says: "Some voice told me that one of the readers of this Time Reading Spell was permanently suspended from reading and that it would be best if I came to replace him. Don't really get it, but I don't really care either. Hey Charles."  
The second-eldest playfully glares, while the teachers and those around Harry seem most relieved with this change of readers by the Time Reading Spell and then the Gryffindor Quidditch team hugs the man and Harry says: "Good to have you here, Oliver. Let me get you caught up." But Wood holds up his hand to stop the boy and says:  
"I received memories of what hass been going on here while Mrs. Malfoy read and hey –." He then stops, crouches down a little and whispers: "Did you really steal the heart of Bulgarian's Star player, Viktor Krum?" Harry blushes slightly and says: "I might have. We're taking it slow at the least." The boy smirks widely and says:

"That's my Seeker."

Making Harry and the twins hit themselves on the head, while two of the girls groan and the last, a dark-skinned girl with long brown hair and with brown eyes asks: "Oliver, what does Harry's possible relationship have to do with Quidditch?" But the boy looks at her as if she's mad and she shakes her head, as if used to this behavior.  
I myself am a little confused by his behavior and then he sits down, madly smiling when he shakes Viktor's hand, slapping Cedric on the back to congratulate him, while there is strain visible in his smile at this and dreamily smiling as he greets Fleur, obviously easily influenced by her Veela nature. I shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 25 – PS**_

"Cupboard?" Wood asks confused and Harry shrinks again, Sirius pulling him closer as Remus, who's voice proves he has yet to accept this unforgivable fact, explains: "Those blasted Muggles that our new cub was raised with thought it right to put our little cub in a Cupboard under the Stairs and make that his bedroom."  
The boy looks at his ex-defense teacher in pure shock, having taken a seat next to him and then looks at a slightly trembling Harry, who is held softly and is intensely petted by Sirius and suddenly he whitens as if remembering something he just then regrets. This makes me wonder what the boy could have said or done and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 25 – PS**_ _as he was always punished –whether it was something strange or if something just went wrong in the Dursley's life.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 25 & 26 – PS**_

"What? Really?" Nymphadora perks up, smiling widely at my nephew and Harry nods and with a voice proving he still worries over possible bad reactions to the story as it sounds quite timid asks: "Yeah, why?" The girl shrugs and says: "Just a hunch. Have you ever done that before?" Harry shakes his head and then Sirius says:  
"Hey wait a minute." Everyone looks at him as he almost shouted at the end and then he turns to face his beloved and asks: "Remus, remember all those times James was alone with Harry and that he would then come to us, stating Harry didn't have Lily's eyes but his own and that we would then think he had just been looking in a mirror."

"YES! I KNEW IT!" Nymphadora shouts, punching the air happily and then she says: "Harry, you've got a latent Metamorphmagus ability." And all Harry does is ask: "I have a latent what?" And the girl closes her eyes, her face scrunching up as her hair grows, shrinks and then changes from pink to ocean blue and back to pink.  
Everyone looks at her, some of the guys drooling after she shows them a certain hair color, others looking at her as if she's lost it as she says: "A latent Metamorphmagus ability. It means you can change your appearance at will. If you focus on that and work on that ability, you might even be able to hide that scar you so want to get rid of."  
This time it's my cousin who shines and perks up and asks: "Will you teach me? You seem quite good with it." The girl shrugs and says: "I am. It's a born ability. You just have to train really hard." The boy shrugs and says: "No problem, I've been doing nothing but for the last four years." The girl snickers and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 26 – PS**_ _– and talking had not been easy with how his aunt had chased him into that cupboard with a frying pan and his uncle had later grabbed and pulled his hair before giving him three punches in the face and throwing him back in.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 26 – PS**_

The angered tension in the room at the punishment is released as all of the girls and quite a couple of men all shudder. Then, while several of the Beauxbattons girls and some of the other fashionistas of Hogwarts start to whisper together, does Severus say: "Seems Potter wasn't the only one in that house who needed a pair of glasses."  
But Harry shakes his head and says: "Aunt Petunia just doesn't have any fashion taste. Unless what she wears was fashion somewhere in an ancient past." Some of the students snicker at this as the man asks: "Does she still have that hideous salmon pink dress?" Harry's answer; another wild shudder and a nod. I giggle at this and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 26 – PS**_

"What does the book mean _**as usual**_?" Remus growls and Harry says: "I'm sure the book will explain. I'm – nothing." He quickly ends, his face white and his head hidden in Sirius' chest. Sirius feels shocked, but then he hugs the boy and I wonder what more could be in the book that could scare that brave boy like this.  
I look at the book and think: "Seeing the effect the reading about those Monsters has on the boy I can't wait until we get to the Hogwarts chapters." And when I look up I see that this thought is shared by many, if their curious faces are anything to go by. I sigh, feeling worried for my little cousin and continue to read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 26 – PS**_

Severus shakes his head and Minerva asks: "You know what he did, Severus?" The man nods, gaining everyone's attention and Harry even pulls away from Sirius a little to better look at my friend and, while it's quite obvious that he is losing himself in his memory, does he say: "I lived near Lily's house and so often saw her perform magic.  
One day, when she was 9 ½ years old, Lily and Petunia were playing at an abandoned playground and they were both swinging. Lily knew of her talent, without knowing it was magic and so she swung higher and higher and at the highest point let go and flew down, landing amazingly softly. That was the day I told her that she was a witch."  
Everyone looks shocked and Severus says: "Dumbledore always used the words you were more like your mother than your wo – your father to annoy me and make me despise you even more, I see that now. But he was never lying when he said that." The boy smiles at his Potions Teacher and a small smile is his reward as I read on.

 _Uncle Vernon had heard from the headmistress herself that Harry would only have to spend a few days in detention, but the man had made a drama and scandal out of it and Harry had been expelled at the tender age of 6 ½.  
_ _Luckily his teacher, Mss. Crenson, had liked Harry and Harry had been allowed to still visit the school with the excuse he was visiting his old teacher, who then secretly taught him all she taught her class that day.  
_ _But that had ended on the 24_ _th_ _of November, a day Harry to this day on wanted to forget. He shuddered and thought: "Had it not been for Erica, I –." But he shook his head and focused on stepping into the car._

Everyone looks worried, some eyes almost as wide in fear as when we read about Cedric and Harry being kidnapped and Sirius asks: "Harry, what did that last part mean?" But Harry shakes his head frantically, his eyes closed and his hands over his head as though expecting shouts or hits or something of the like.  
I realize that that is exactly what the boy is expecting and my heart goes out to my nephew as I fear for what could have happened. Then Sirius hugs the boy again and whispers: "Please, just tell us – Remus and me – one day, alright?" And Harry nods and says: "One day, I promise." I smile at the small family as Remus hugs them both and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 26 – PS**_

"Harry!" The Granger girl scolds her friend and while Sirius sends her a strong look to make sure she won't start ranting as now is just not the time, does Harry look at the woman in apology, but she says: "Hey, I bought as many cats as I had neighbors to make sure no one realized what was really going on with you and me.  
It's just not easy to take care of a house and over 20 cats." Everyone looks shocked and Harry asks: "You had a cat for every house in Privet Drive?" The woman nods and says: "Yes, but – oh, I should have realized it – Albus forbid me to let my cats into your house. Other houses he didn't care about, but my cats were not to enter yours."  
Everyone glares as that makes things more than crystal clear. Dumbledore knew the Dursleys would abuse Harry Potter and knew that Child Abuse was one of our highest punishable crimes and so he let someone keep an eye on the poor boy without letting her get close enough to find out what was happening to him at home.  
I growl at the idea that the man can even think of doing something like that as I have – during my youth – heard plenty of rumors of what abuse can do to your magic and only the sound of a furiously scratching quill calms me down enough to read on, as I know my niece will do everything she can to make Dumbledore pay.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 26 & 27 – PS  
**_ _And Harry didn't really care about this, because if Uncle Vernon wasn't complaining or working – Harry would be in trouble._ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 27 – PS  
**_ _He hoped his uncle would coo over that like he constantly praised and cooed at Dudley if the boy talked about wicked dreams, but then realized – it was_ _him_ _who had the dream.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 27 – PS**_ _, while uncle Vernon grabbed aunt Petunia's food bag and hit Harry over the head with it.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 27 – PS**_ _as uncle Vernon continued to drive and gave the bag to Dudley, who continued his dad's work_ _ **. PS – Chapter 02, page 27 – PS**_ _as he avoided a nasty sling to his head_ _ **. PS – Chapter 02, page 27 – PS**_

"Should we watch cartoons, Harry?" The twins ask, their smiles excited, but their faces serious making me know they're trying to distract Harry and Harry laughs and says: "Only if you intent to use them on Dudley and the others. Not if you plan to use them here, I like to keep Hogwarts standing and you're dangerous enough without them."  
The boys pout and Harry says: "I'll just check the cinema information and see if I can find a good film starring cartoon characters." The boys perk up widely and Sirius says: "And we'll take that film too. If it's as funny as it sounds, you should definitely go to one. Merlin knows you deserve something to laugh about." Everyone nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 27 – PS**_

"Dirty bastards." A lot of people growl, while other insults are also heard throughout the Hall and then Kingsley, his deep baritone voice sounding calm and tranquill as he says: "At least we have another witness. That woman must have wondered why Harry got such a cheap ice-cream and the others the more expensive stuff."  
The others nod and then Granger says: "But a zoo is visited by a common 2500 000 people a year. There's no way that woman would remember Harry." To which one twin asks: "Are you nuts, Hermione?" And the other says: "Harry's unforgettable." Harry blushes at the praise and the smiling face of his new mum confirming this and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 27 – PS**_

"HARRY!" Sirius shouts and Harry looks shocked as Sirius sounds really angry at him and Sirius asks: "Has me being a Dog Animagus and Remus being a werewolf taught you nothing? Haven't you learned anything from Care of Magical Creatures?" The boy looks as confused as I feel and Sirius, his tone wavering as he speaks, spats:  
"Don't insult creatures like that. That's a terrible insult to that poor gorilla. What has that ever done to deserve that?" The boy shakes his head a minute and the Thomas boy is the first to start snickering as soon the entire hall laughs at the joke. Sirius smiles at the Hall and then pulls Harry into another hug and says:  
"Just pulling your wand, kiddo. No need to look like that." The boy laughs and says: "You shocked me, Sirius." The man shrugs and says: "Hey, I have to keep you alert, don't I? If I want you to work at the best of your ability and be the best you can be and all?" Harry nods and I smile at the eagerness in my cousin's tone as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 27 & 28 – PS **__– he was after all finally offered a chance to heal the wounds and painfully sore muscles he's gotten over the last week and he didn't want them hitting something that still hurt, as they loved to do – like his softly burning wrist._

Everyone now looks a combination of furious and worried, the teachers sitting closer together as they whisper for ways to use their subjects as punisments and Sirius mutters: "Harry, after this we'll either let Fawkes bring in a Potter or Black Family Healer, or you'll allow Madame Pomfrey to do a full physical on you."  
The boy nods and says: "I'd like the second, Sirius." I myself feel a little worried and hurt at that as the Black Healer had been amazing for me during my pregnancy with Draco, but on the other hand can I understand that the boy would rather let himself be examined by someone he knows and thrusts than a complete stranger and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 28 – PS**_ _He of course had been careful not to sit anywhere near Dudley or Piers and had even asked Uncle Vernon if he could have a table to himself. To his shock he had been granted this, but he realized it was a benefit to both of them – he wouldn't get punished and they got to pretend he wasn't there with them.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 28 – PS –**_ _wanting to break the snakes free and let them chase Harry and – as they called it – other losers around._

This makes the Gryffindors sitting close to Harry, together with Cedric, Viktor, Fleur and my family, glare at the book, obviously furious that anyone would try to put an animal on Harry and Hermione says: "Don't worry, it's impossible to do that. Those snakes are deadly strong, so the glass is at the least three to four layers thick."  
The group nods and a small First year Slytherin asks: "I know there's snakes there, but are other House creatures there too?" Harry nods and says: "A zoo is actually nothing more than a large park where people can see animals in their natural environment and where endangered animals – like the white tiger – can live safely."  
Everyone nods and the same first year asks: "But why are white tigers endangered?" And Harry kindly explains: "The fur of a Siberian or white tiger is known to be extremely thick, warm and beautiful. People hunt them down for it and many of their natural environments all over the world are being destroyed for firewood and other material."  
The students look shocked and Harry holds up a piece of parchment and says: "Even this is made of wood and that comes from trees in rainforests and other areas that are being cut down, thus making it harder and harder for animals to live as their living areas and natural environments grow smaller." Everyone's disgusted and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 28 – PS**_

"Reminds me of a certain rat we used to have." The twins chorus and then while Remus and Sirius seem to try and hide a sudden anger, does Ron look at Harry and asks: "Is this that snake you set on your cousin like you told us?" All of us look shocked and Harry laughs and says: "Yep, although I might have over exaggerated that little story."  
His friend smirks, obviously thinking that whatever his friend did was well worth the story and asks: "Then what happened? Did you let him fly into the tank or something?" Harry shakes his head and says: "Just wait and let Mrs. Malfoy read. You'll see." Ronald looks disappointed and I read on, feeling curious about what happened.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 28 – PS**_ _Harry made sure to stand far to the back, intending not to get a look at the snake until the group was gone. Still there was enough space between uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia – who quite despised animals – for him to see the snake from afar.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 28 & 29 – PS**_

"You actually thought you had it better than a snake? While you were the one being abused and all?" Granger asks shocked and Harry says: "Hey, I was used to it, it didn't even seem like abuse to me back then.""How could it not?" The girl asks shocked, but I already know and hate the answer as Harry answers:  
"It wasn't to me because I didn't know any better. I had barely ever seen other families behave together and all I saw was those Muggles, kids at Primary school and Mrs. Figg." The girl looks shocked at this, while I hate how my little cousin lived more isolated than Sirius did while in Azkaban and Harry says:  
"Hermione, I had only been around kids till I was six. For the rest of those ten years all I knew were Mrs. Figg and my own hellhole that I had to call home." The girl nods, while I hate how everytime Harry mentioned his home he calls it a hellhole and while wondering how no adult could have caught onto that, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 29 – PS**_

"That's impossible. Snakes don't have eyelids." A Ravenclaw Sixth year shouts indignantly and his friend, who is small enough he seems to be a year younger says: "No, but they can move their eyes amazingly fast to check all of their surroundings. Maybe the snake was just doing that and it looked like a wink."  
The Ravenclaw nods and Ronald says: "And don't forget that Harry's Parsletongue. It might be the magic making it look like the snake was winking. That too could be a possibility." The Sixth year nods, while the twins smile at their little brother's theory and Harry shrugs and says: "Don't care really. Both are good to me." I agree and read.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 29 – PS**_

"Harry, did you even realize you were talking to a snake?" Ronald asks his best friend, his raised eyebrow proving he is just teasin the boy and Harry says: "I did, but I was used to strange things happening and believed that endangered species that had learned to survive differently, like the snake, were amazingly intelligent.  
I guess I just thought that, after hearing all those people talk, the snake had, at the least, grown intelligent enough to understand us." The boy looks shocked and Harry snaps: "I was ten! Give me a break, will you?" His best friend smiles, while the twins snicker at the playful banter between them and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 29 & 30 – PS **__and he felt the bones in his elbow scrape together painfully, while a small welt on his back opened up slightly thanks to the thin shirt and the rough floor_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 30 – PS**_

"That is an amazing amount of Accidental Magic." Filius says and Pomona goes on: "Especially if you count in the fact Mr. Potter didn't even know he had the ability to perform magic." The other teachers nod, while Minerva mumbles: "An entire glass. He vanished an entire window." Harry blushes at the praises and Poppy says:  
"I'll be sure to check his magical core when I do that physical. It could be that there is a lot of suppressed magic that is released whenever Mr. Potter feels a high emotion and else gets suppressed." To this, while the other teachers now look at her worriedly, does Harry state something that shocks and worries me and says:

"No wonder regular school spells are so hard unless I'm doing exams." Everyone looks at the boy shocked as he has his head down and his lips pressed together and Minerva says: "You have a point, Mr. Potter. Your parents were both highly talented and showed it more in classes than in other things – except pranks of course.  
It could be that Poppy and you are on to something that could explain why your situation seems the exact opposite." Harry nods and then Sirius, who was still holding onto him, hugs him a little tighter and says: "I don't care if you have an opposite reaction to school and other forms of magic. I just hope you're wrong about that suppressed magic."  
I nod at him as I can still clearly remember the many times my father called Bella, Andy and me together to explain us why we should always be proud to show our magic and why hiding it was a dangerous and wrong thing to do and while I know that Sirius got the same speeches from Orion Black, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 30 – PS**_ _Quite a couple of them hit Harry in the ribs and legs and apologized swiftly as they kept running, but there were so many cases of it that Harry ended up twisting and curled up in pain on the floor, unable to get up because of his injuries._

This makes Sirius hug Harry closely, obviously into the book and worried and Viktor quickly stands up to take a seat next to the man, wrapping his arms around the two – just like Remus. Harry's other friends also look worried and all of the Quidditch team and Weasley family – excluding Molly of course – have gone to sit with them.  
Harry smiles at all of them and says: "Don't worry, all those wounds healed overtime. You don't even see them anymore." And Hermione, her voice almost choking up with worry asks: "And they don't open up anymore either?" Harry shakes his head at his best friend and everyone sighs in relief before I continue reading.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 30 & 31 – PS **__as he didn't want to worsen the punishment he's just come back from.  
_ _After calming down and having taken a brandy Uncle Vernon had renewed his anger, had taken Harry out of his cupboard and over to Dudley's second bedroom – the punishment room in Harry's eyes. He had tied Harry down and thrown books at him, together with other broken toys. He had then used his fists to open up old wounds and further break Harry's wrist.  
_ _And finally had he taken out his cigarette lighter and undone his belt, hitting Harry's open back with it 40 times – as was custom with heavy punishment – before using the lighter to scar the belt wounds, making sure the skin inside and the torn blood veins would heal, but also that the skin could not fill up the welts and streams on Harry's back.  
_ _He had then shouted Harry's hide full, calling him worthless, a freak, a waste of his time and space, the evidence his parents were useless and that he'd be better off dead with them before grounding Harry and taking him his blanket as he send him back to his cupboard._

Everyone's furious, some of them angry enough that their magic is almost becoming palable and others cursing under their breaths and I don't know what made them more furious; the hits, the throwing, the insults or everything together. I myself think: "This is worse than when my sister sends a Cruciatus curse at one of her victims."  
Then a tearful Hermione asks: "Harry, af-after all that – how – how could you have – have grown to – to – be who you are?" Everyone looks at Harry, their friends teary-eyed with worry and a slight hint of pride and while he has his head down, does he say: "You'll understand soon enough. Just read on." I nod and do as he asks.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 31 – PS**_

"You survived the Killing Curse?" Many of the younger students shout, while many of the older students ask: "You actually remember that?" And Harry, his voice hollow and almost dead answers: "Yes and yes. And why shouldn't I? If my life had been as miserable as described, would I not try and remember happier times?"  
The students nod and Harry says: "As I said before, I've gone to know more and more about my life before those Muggles. At first, yes, it was only that, but ever since I came into the Magical World, especially since Third, have I come to remember more and more." The students nod, while I feel for the boy and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 31 – PS**_

"Mr. Potter, we should have told you this in your first year, but we suspected that you did know your parents and that you had pictures of your own." Minerva speaks to the boy, her voice clogged up and proving that this terrible reading is too much even for her mental defences and he turns to look at her as she says:  
"After your parents' death a lot of us remembered the wonderful time we had with them as our students and Albus allowed us to use our memories and his Pensive to make pictures of your parents. We used a secret room, known only to the teachers, to make a memorial to your parents and put all of those pictures there."  
Harry looks shocked, his eyes wide with wonder about the possibility of such a room and Filius says: "Once the time starts running again, we'll bring you there, Mr. Potter. You'll be the only one allowed." The boy looks at his teachers with teary eyes and Sirius hugs him softly with a large smile on his face as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 31 – PS**_

"If only –." Draco mutters, but Lucius shakes his head and says: "Son, it would not have mattered. Even with my growing connection to Minister Fudge, it would not have mattered as the Adoption centre would have investigated our entire family and would have found Sirius to be your mother's second cousin.  
His wronged sentence would have kept us from taking Harry home." And Draco asks: "But we could have fought for at least visiting rights, right?" But this time Remus is the one shaking his head and says: "I was James' closest friend, but Albus was Head of the Wizengamot and the Adoption centre listened to the word of the Wizengamot.  
He denied me those rights year after year and even brought in a vote to have all of Harry's mail and inheritance be sealed away until further notice. I don't think he ever undid that unanimous vote." To which Harry asks: "So some stranger is now in charge of my mail and inheritance?" To which Amelia instantly says:  
"I will look into it at once, Mr. Potter." Harry nods, his eyes wide with both worry and an obvious wonder about what could be in those letters and what his inheritance could hold and while I feel furious that Dumbledore thought it right to keep an Heir of an Ancient family from his birthright, do I keep my anger down and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 31 & 32 – PS  
**_ _That had resulted in being the first time uncle Vernon used both sides of his belt as punishment.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 32 – PS**_

"Talk about disgustingly rude behavior." Draco growls and says: "It's all fine and dandy if they get to meet their hero, but what happens with his mind if they do and then vanish they don't even care about." This makes quite a few Purebloods look down and I realize they did the same but from afar. I smile and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 02, page 32 – PS**_ _And that had been before he was expelled and before he had sworn never to return or visit Mss. Crenson again._

This worries me and while the hall is dead silent yet again, do I think: "What on earth happened that year?" But part of me doesn't want to know and I walk over to my family, leaving the book open and not caring about it as every member of my family is now more important. Especially my young black haired cousin.


	15. More Abuse, More Comfort

_**Here are the Translations.  
**_ _ **Tiens moi serré. Ne pas lâcher is French for Hold me Tight. Do Not Let Go  
**_ **бижу на сърцето ми** _ **is Bulgarian for Jewel of my Heart.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 14  
**_ _ **More abuse, more comfort**_

 _ **Filius' POV**_

"Lily was my favorite student and all that has been done to her son was disgusting and terrible. Albus, you better watch out, because you're really going to pay." I steam on the inside, trying to hold in my magic as my talent as a Master Duelist makes my magic stronger if my emotions are too. I then shake my head and say: "I would like to read next."  
Of course no one stands at the owl stand anymore as Mrs. Malfoy hurried to her cousin and his family the minute the book was over and so, while feeling very happy at the fact that this book is reuniting the Black family, do I simply levitate my seat over to the stand and stand on it, using my wand to raise the chair a little so I can reach the book.  
I look at the next chapter and think: "This might explain the reason behind all those letters. Minerva, Pomona and I were going stir crazy having to constantly send those letters and hearing from Bella how those Muggles just destroyed them." And with that, while trying not to fume at the insolence of those monsters, do I read.

 _ **Letters From No One  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 33 – PS  
**_ _And not having to go to school was both a blessing and a curse to Harry. Every day he had to work in the garden and make sure nothing was out of the ordinary as the Annual Garden Contest was coming up. For hours on end Harry would mow the lawn, paint the fences, tend to the flowerbeds, water them, pull out weeds, take old and dried leaves out of the tree and plants around the garden and all of this was done in sweaty old and ripped cloths.  
_ _Aunt Petunia had even given him his oldest, dirtiest cloths because she didn't want to smother or bring dirt to 'good' cloths – cloths that had tears, but no stains and weren't color-worn – which was the only set of cloths he could wear to stay warm during the winter, thus making it even warmer for him outside.  
_ _And of course, whenever Dudley would come home Harry would have had prepared a good meal for him and serve it to him while he sat on the garden bench. And if Dudley ever left the bench Harry was told to clean it and repaint it.  
_ _Once all of this was done Harry was told to go back to his cupboard until dinner, of which he got less than the usual leftovers – uncle Vernon made sure only half of that was left every meal and Harry had to tar on that until the next day.  
_ _And they might think he didn't hear them, but the Dursleys always waited for him to sleep so they would open his door and then hiss all kinds of terrible insults at him before laughing and locking the cupboard door until 12 o'clock the next morning._

This turns everyone furious, many of the older students whispering about how they can use the spells they learned to get back at those monsters and I myself, while holding the book with one hand, use my other to cast fire spells at the gargoyles around the Hall, lighting their torches and the candles flying overheads to vent my anger.  
Starting this once I started reading about the punishments, the students had been amazed as the first gargoyle almost exploded with the flames, but now seem used to the amazing bursts of flame coming from some of the candles and torches and this distraction no longer working makes them unable to not focus on their own anger.  
Then Poppy says: "No wonder he pulls such dangerous stunts. Hearing those insults in your sleep is, psychologically, the best way to undermine someone's self-confidence and self-preserve. It makes us remember it sub-consciously and that is often worse than when we know and remember something by having heard of it consciously."

I shake my head and Pomona says: "No child deserves that." And then she asks: "Mr. Potter, how –?" But the boy, being as intelligent as I often saw him, knows her question and says: "The hissed insults were not part of the punishment; that was a monthly activity. They've been doing that since Dudley knew what he was talking about."

Everyone's fury rises even more and then suddenly I turn to the Three other Champions, knowing Cedric Diggory to really care and worry for those that are important to him and apparently he, Andromeda and Viktor are holding back a furious Fleur Delacour, who in her anger has transformed into her Veela Form.  
Andromeda has her wand out and is swishing circles with it, obviously casting silencing charms as I don't hear any of the Veela's shrieks or shouts and while Cedric keeps shouting for Fleur to calm down and that this won't help, does Viktor seem to be casting Bulgarian curses to keep the Veela calmed down.  
After about 10 minutes of this, me watching intently and with that drawing other people's interest to the event, Fleur calms down and her blond hair, beautiful face and soft skin all return back to normal, but she still whispers: "Tiens moi serré. Ne pas lâcher." Cedric, of who I know had French as second language taught by his dad, nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 33 – PS –**_ _uncle Vernon telling him his punishment was over and his aunt agreeing he would no longer needed to work in the garden_ _ **– PS – Chapter 03, page 33 – PS**_

"Which is exactly one of the reasons I'm delighted to get back at that fat, selfish, spoiled pig." Bella smiles sneeringly and I shake my head as Arabella had once tried on the Sorting Hat during a party of the Order – a little prank the Prewett brothers had pulled – and it had Sorted her into Slytherin, which is now proven by her devious smirk.  
I shake slightly as Arabella has a hunger for vengeance that can sometimes be deadly, seeing how she reacted at Order Headquarters when she heard that the Prewett brothers had been killed – later we discovered that Arabella had taken the two under her wing and had helped them try to be the greatest they could be.  
I shake my head and think: "I don't know whether or not it was wise of Amelia to request for Bella's help in this. Surely she'll ask for a punishment worse than – wait, these are the Dursleys I'm thinking of. The ones that hurt Lily's son." And immediately any pity I feel for the Dursleys vanishes and I smirk as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 33 – PS**_

"That makes no sense." Draco Malfoy scoffs, beating his father and several Ravenclaws to the bush and then Harry says: "Malfoy, these are five boys that never make sense, no matter what they do. Of course they follow the dumbest leader theory possible." The Snake smirks and says: "Couldn't have said it better myself, cousin."  
I see Harry whiten a little and this seems to confuse Draco, which Harry sees and makes him hang his head down in shame as he says: "Sorry, reading about my home life gets some old wounds and fears to come back up." Draco nods, his silver eyes filled with understanding for his cousin and Sirius softly hugs him as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 33 – PS**_

"What exactly, if I may ask, is Harry Hunting?" Amos asks, his face contorted in pure fury and his fists holding onto two Golden goblets with a bend stem under the drinking parts and while I am amazed that the man can still speak as he often had a vocal problem when really angry, does Harry answer with a shrug:  
"I run, they chase and if they catch me they got to beat me to their heart's delight. Why do you think I enjoy going fast so much, Mr. Diggory?" The man looks shocked and then Alastor, who has only been grunting since we started reading, says: "I'm all in for ruthless training, but even I would never think of bullying as a good form of training."  
I can't agree with him more together with most of the school and Sirius says: "And his training really was ruthless." Remus snickers and says: "I know. The first night you came back from training to be Aurors, you and James actually crashed at my place because you were too tired to apparate or floo and my house was just around the corner."  
Sirius punches the man and Moody says: "Okay, so I was harder on them the first day than I was at others. But hey, deal with it. I had heard all about your reputation and could easily tell from your faces you were too young to understand true danger." Sirius shrugs and says: "Hey, I'm not complaining, am I?" Moody smirks in pride and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 33 – PS –**_ _shockingly enough arranged thanks to Erica's will_ _ **– PS – Chapter 03, page 34 – PS**_

I look at the name and ask: "Mr. Potter, who exactly is this Mss. Erica?" Harry sighs, while he had been snickering at Sirius' earlier conversation and says: "She was a friend of Mss. Crenson and was a retired member of the US army. She met me when I was around halfway through December 1986 and – well, you'll see."  
I nod, while his hurt and scared tone frightens me and makes me feel for him as he must really care for this woman. I then look back down at the book and wonder if we'll find out more about this woman in this book and what on earth could have happened to her that makes young Harry sound so scared and hurt. I shrug and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 34 – PS**_

"You wish, Dursley." Sirius smirks and then, just when I wonder what the man has planned to keep Harry away from any other plans of that monster, does he turn to Harry and asks: "Do you know what the first thing was that your dad did when he discovered you were coming?" Harry shakes his head and Sirius smiles and says:  
"He went, visited Albus and used his right as Potter Lord to make the man write down your name on the Hogwarts register. He of course only put down your last name, he and Lily were arguing about names for you till she was 5 months pregnant, but when you were born and named James immediately made sure Albus put your full name down."  
Harry looks shocked and asks: "Dad actually signed me into Hogwarts before I was even born?" Sirius nods and says: "He trusted Albus intently and he loved the time we had spend there so much, he wanted you there as quickly as possible, if only to make sure you would have such as a wonderful time as he had." Harry smiles widely and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 34 – PS**_

"I'm still wondering if he even ever got it." Harry snickers while the whole hall roars with laughter, the twins and their rivals in pranks laughing the loudest. Then Sirius hits his son on the back and says: "A comeback worthy of a Potter, Harry, truly." The twins then look at each other and one of them asks: "Prank 265, George?"  
The other nods and Ron asks: "Do I even want to know?" To which the other twin states: "Prank number 265." And the other says: "A prank that only works if you have several victims." And the first says: "As it makes them see each other as something hideous, like a hippo-head, a toilet seat for a lap and that kind of things."  
Everyone laughs at this and Arthur says: "That sure does explain your O in Transfigurations." And the two say: "Of course we got an O. We showed the examiner all kinds of Transfigurations spells we either tweaked to serve our own purposes or that we created ourselves." Molly and several of my colleagues look shocked and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 34 – PS**_ _The best was that the shopping started at eight thirty in the morning and didn't end until a quarter to three in the afternoon and even then aunt Petunia didn't want him home, because she wanted to make sure Dudley was prepared to show his new cloths that evening.  
_ _And so, Harry finally had a whole day to relieve his tired bones, catch up on his never-ending hunger and heal his wrist – as the break was still smarting thanks to the hard work he had to do all throughout his punishment._

Now relieved smiles are on just about everyone's faces and Harry says: "Thanks again, Mrs. Figg. I needed that." The woman smiles, her eyes obviously tiery over what was actually ailing him that day and she says: "It was my pleasure, Harry. Although I did hate that you were yet to turn eleven and had yet to receive your letter.  
When you were there I was just bursting to tell you everything and get you ready for your letter." Now Harry blushes and says: "Preparation might have come in handy." This intrigues and worries me at the same time, seeing the treatment of the Dursleys and Mr. Potter's reputation to find danger and I quickly read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 34 – PS**_

Just about every girl in the room has their faces scrunched up in disgust, while the boys are laughing themselves silly, except those who like the girls have a high sense of fashion like Seamus Finnegan and a few others and Ron says: "You never really appreciate what you have until you see someone who has it worse."  
And he pulls softly at his black school robe with red Gryffindor trimming and then tips his wizarding hat a little further up his head with his thumb. The rest of the Gryffindor table nods in agreement and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 34 – PS**_

"Those Muggles really are the weirdest bunch I have ever met." Blaise Zabini says with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised in confusion and Percy, shockingly enough jokes: "And you spend the last four years with these two." Aiming at the twins, who look at their brother in shock before large, proud grins grow on their faces.  
Then Amelia says: "I can now slightly understand why that man is so stupid and abusive. Being taught to hit whoever he wanted, no wonder he's that violent to Mr. Potter." Everyone nods and Sirius asks: "You won't let this weaken his punishment, will you Amelia?" And the woman almost cries: "Oh heavens, no!  
But I will look into changing that school's policy. It's almost the very source those Muggles have so many criminals and such a terrible rising in the violence ratings." All adults nod, some of the parents looking worried and Lucius says: "I'll help you change that policy, Amelia." The woman smiles gratefully and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 34 & 35 – PS **__and he didn't want to take the risk of that coming true or letting his uncle make it be true_ _ **.**_

Any possible laughter from the students dies out as I read this and anger takes the place of happiness, but then Harry says: "Wait just a little longer. If I'm not mistaken my first letter should be arriving soon after this." The students nod and I feel relieved as the anger is, this time, replaced with lots of excitement as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 35 – PS**_ _Then he heard soft taps, like very thin heels, and quickly turned around to find his aunt with her hand slightly raised, obviously with the intent to push his head into the tub.  
_ _Harry quickly stepped aside – remembering how his aunt used to do that if he asked for a bath as an infant – and instead the woman grabs the spoon lying in the tub and starts turning the rags around in the water.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 35 – PS**_ _, faking to let her arm slip and giving him an elbow to the stomach, making him gasp in slight pain_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 35 – PS**_ _, easily recovering as he had had worse blows than that,_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 35 – PS**_ _, turning the spoon to one side hard enough to splatter the dirty water all over Harry's shirt_ _ **. PS – Chapter 03, page 35 – PS**_ _As if a freak like you is even worth this trouble._ _ **"**_

This makes almost everyone glare at the book with furious eyes, their eyes closed like slits and steam almost coming off of some of them. Then one of my favorite Ravenclaws, who seems to hear the reading but not get affected by it as she gazes out the window, says: "Only those that harm others and believe it normal are freaks."  
The rest of my House looks at her shocked, while I smile at her and Minerva says: "Very well said, Mss. Lovegood." The girl smiles at her dreamily, which I know annoys Minerva and Severus to no end as neither can really get a reading on the dreamy girl and I snicker, knowing: "Only a chaotic mind is a brilliant mind." Before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 35 – PS**_ _, deciding not to bother his aunt as today was the day of the contest, making the woman snappy and irritable_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 35 – PS**_

"Mate, if you looked like that, how would the other students look?" Ronald asks, the tone in his voice proving he's trying to cheer everyone up and Harry, with a grateful smile, says: "Ron, the other students would at least look as if they were wearing fabric, like silk and stuff. Mine would really look like elephant skin."  
The boy nods and Harry says: "Count along with that that I have untamable hair, that the cloths would be oversized and baggy and that my glasses were still kept together by tape and I'd be the scapegoat for bullies all over again – which was exactly the reason I was glad to go to a different school than Dudley." Ronald nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 35 – PS**_ _stroked Dudley's hair and hit Harry with the morning paper before he_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 35 – PS**_ _– but not before trying to give Harry a good hit with it under the table_ _ **.**_

This raises the anger of everyone yet again and I whisper: "Please let this junk with those monsters be over soon." Hating to hear more and more of this garbage come out of my mouth. To which Harry says: "I couldn't have said it better myself, professor." I smile at the boy, amazed at how developed his senses are and say:  
"You have good ears, Mr. Potter. Quite good ears indeed." But the boy says: "No, the anger just rises the tension and makes it easier to hear things. Plus, I don't think you really know how to whisper." The students laugh and I see the boy winking at me. I smile at him, realizing he just wanted to relief everyone's anger and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 35 – PS**_

"You mean owls don't just drop them through – oh wait, right! No owls." Brad Stern, a friend of Collin Creevey and a year younger than the boy, even if he is always seen around Collin outside of classes and seems to learn from his friend about the Muggle world, says and he asks: "Then how do they get their mail?"  
And Harry answers: "Well, while Muggles, like us, have post offices, but instead of owls, they let people deliver the mail. Some people like doing that and it's a good exercise. To Muggles, it's even the best part-time job to start with when you're a teen." Mr. Stern nods while Collin is excited about the interaction and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 35 & 36 – PS **__Dudley said trying to hit Harry again.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 36 – PS**_ _Harry said, hoping to get some more time to heal. Uncle Vernon closed his eyes, rolled up his paper and hit Harry on the head with it again before reopening it.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 35 – PS**_

"Can't believe that just happened." Viktor says, finally speaking while I can perfectly understand how he's been silently raging and then he stands up, making some other Bulgarians stand up as well, but then he quickly looks at Remus, who nods at the young Bulgarian, while the others sit back down at Slytherin table.  
The boy nods back and slowly takes the man's seat, holding Harry close and whispering: "I can't believe someone like you had to live with people like them, бижу на сърцето ми. You, of all people, don't deserve this. I bless all of my Bulgarian Goddesses and stars that you turned out the wonderful way you are."  
And he softly kisses the boy's steaming red forehead, before hugging him close, holding him soft enough to give Harry chance to push off, but still having his arms close around to prove his love and care. I smile at the picture and at the fact that Harry seems comfortable enough not to push away from the elder boy and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 36 – PS**_ _, his move making a few sore joints hurt_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 36 – PS**_ _Erica and Mss. Crenson had wanted, but Harry had never received any of their letters. And because he had made his promise before Mss. Crenson could properly teach him how to write, Harry had never been able to write a letter to either of them._

"Then how is it you write us?" Sirius asks shocked, while my Ravens share scandalized looks that an 11 year old didn't know how to write and Harry says: "Let's just say that the Hogwarts letter arrival and the fact Dudley will never want to learn helped me along." The man seems confused and I too wonder what the boy is talking about.  
But on the same time are I myself and – by a quick look proving – my colleagues glad our letter arrival had some help in Mr. Potter's situation and education, even though it took a week before he truly received it. I shrug, remembering what Bella told us and feeling that it's nothing the Muggles didn't deserve and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 36 – PS –**_ _even though he and Erica met there all the time to read her own books , her reading them to him for fun_ _ **, PS – Chapter 03, page 36 – PS**_

"What's a stamp?" Crabbe asks, for the first time speaking more than grunting and to my shock actually asking a sensual question and Harry, while shocked at his soft voice, says: "Well, it's really a Muggle way to pay some extra to the post office.  
You see, where wizards pay the post office to let their owls fly out and give them the money to buy the owls treats, Muggles put stamps, small pieces of glued paper, on their letters to pay the mailmen just that little bit of extra money as a treat for their hard work."  
He then shrugs and says: "It's really that simple. You just check the weight of your letter, check the info sample or pamphlet how much money goes with what weight and then pay a little extra to the mailmen through the stamp.  
So all in all, to put a stamp on a letter gives extra money to a mailmen, like the post office gives treats to the owls that deliver wizarding post." The Slytherin nods and I shake my head, barely able to believe at how easy Mr. Potter makes it for us to understand Muggles and their ways of living without magic. I then shrug and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 36 & 37 – PS**_

"And that mistake became my best move in ten years." Harry smirks before anyone can tell him it would have been better to open the letter later. Everyone looks shocked, some of them already with their mouths open, while the Slytherins all have their eyebrows raised at him with clear interest and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 37 – PS**_

"YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARD!" Lucius shouts, shocking everyone as the man has barely ever yelled before in his life and he says: "To receive your first Hogwarts letter is a privilege. There are over ten different Magical schools in England and to be enrolled in Hogwarts is like a golden ticket to see the queen herself!  
Potter senior went through a whole lot of trouble to allow his son this privilege even before birth and now that fat Muggle thinks he can just take all that hard work away? He IS! DEAD!" Almost everyone in the hall looks shocked, except for the other Purebloods, who get over their shock and nod in agreement and Harry asks:  
"Is the first letter really that important?" Narcissa smiles at him, having gone to sit with Sirius and says: "Harry, it's a Black tradition to preserve the first letter of every child in a special hall. They get send there once the child steps onto the train for the first time. And both your mother and grandmother are born Blacks, so you are too."  
Now Harry winces and says: "Then I guess my uncle made me break that tradition." The woman looks curious and confused and she says: "Harry, no Muggle can stop that magic. It gets transported like a Portkey." But I can see Potter thinking, his eyes turned away from her and up to the enchanted ceiling and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 37 – PS,**_ _his glare promising punishment if Harry didn't back down_ _ **, PS – Chapter 03, page 37 – PS**_

"I'm never eating porridge again." Many students shudder and others nod, apparently too sickened by the amazingly well-detailed story to speak for themselves, while Pomona says: "Better inform the House Elves they won't have to make anymore porridge." Aurora nods and whispers: "And we better organize a meal soon.  
The students must be getting hungry, even though I have no idea what time it is." And with a shock I realize that thanks to the many interruptions and long chapters, not to mention that my wristwatch no longer rings at every hour, hours must have past and I quickly read on, not wanting to starve the hungry students.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 37 & 38 – PS**_

"He actually did that?" The teachers ask shocked and Harry throws his arms up and says: "And he hasn't even gone to Smeltings yet." This makes many look at each other, shocked that a boy can actually behave like that, but I think I know what went through Mr. Potter's head as he spoke: "Welcome to my world."

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 38 – PS**_

Now Mss. Granger and Ronald look at each other and Ronald asks: "Remember the Remembrall?" Hermione nods and asks: "And the speech before the Stone." Ron nods back and asks: "And Sirius last year?" Hermione nods again and they share one more look before they chorus: "Oh Merlin." And Harry glares at them while I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 38 – PS,**_ _making sure to slam Harry against the wall as he did so,_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 38 – PS**_

Now some of the students look sad and defeated and Harry says: "First of all, that boy had the size of a baby killer whale and I was the size of a – a straw. He could have easily gone and sat at me. Second, I'm glad he was so interested in that letter or I would have had worse." The casuality with which he speaks makes many of us shrink back and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 38 & 39 – PS**_

This makes me fall silent and the silence that rings around me is more deafening than when we discovered where Harry slept for the first ten years of his life as these are words I was sure no Muggle would ever be stupid enough to speak about. Everyone around me is shocked silent and Amelia says: "We've got him."  
Making many smirk and Tonks, her ever changing hair now pure, onyx black and her eyes a devious red it's almost scary, almost pushes through her own parchment as she writes the sentences down, a large grin on her face so devious and cynical it's almost too easy to recognize her as a member of the Noble and Ancient House of Black.

I myself feel a little scared of this as Tonks, being her usual, unusual self and expressing her rights as a witch and an individual had always been one of the things I liked about her so much, especially when people pestered her about being the cousin of a mass murderer or that her special powers would let her end up as a whore.  
I look from the young Auror, who looks so different from the bubbly teen I used to know to said murderer and see that he's biting his lip in worry and concern, softly stroking Harry's hair as the boy is held by Krum, but that his eyes are set aflame like they often were when he was arguing with Severus as a teen.  
I know the man is furious about that Muggle trying to harm his son, not to mention saying stuff like that and that he wants to go and make the man pay, but the way the worry and concern overpower the anger shows me how much the man has grown up and how much he really loves his son. I smile at my old student and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 39 – PS**_

"HE WHAT?" Lucius shouts and Harry says: "Told you. Told you my uncle broke the tradition." But Narcissa smiles and says: "Harry, we have our room very specially charmed. If something happens to the first letter, the letter that lets out child know he has been accepted at Hogwarts will take its place in the room."  
Harry smiles and says: "Good to know, Mrs. Malfoy. Too bad that took a little too much use of parchment.""You still got it, didn't you Harry?" Hagrid says with a wink and Harry laughs and says: "That I did, Hagrid. And thanks." The man nods, while I wonder what he did when he went to pick up young Harry and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 39 – PS**_ _, one of which his uncle threw at his face. But Harry was so used to spiders he just sat stock still and the little creature easily tripled over his shoulder back to the wall and up to the ceiling_ _ **.**_

Ron shudders and Harry shrugs, saying: "I don't mind spiders, but I never more want to meet Aragog. That's for sure." And a trembling Ron, who squeaked softly when that name was mentioned again says: "Hear you there, mate." But these words not only intrigue me, they also have quite the interesting reaction.  
Viktor smiles worriedly down at his crush and jealously pulls the boy closer when Ron calls him his mate. I shake my head at the implications and Sirius seems to whisper comforting words in the Bulgarian's ear as he relaxes his hold again. I smile, wondering how deep that bond between them can grow and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 39 – PS**_

"Still can't believe that git actually has 2 rooms." Ron grumbles, his face almost as red as when he shouted at his mother and Draco, who doesn't even seem shocked as he speaks says: "I know. I mean, sure the family wing gives each member a set of rooms of their own, but even we have a joined dining room and study."  
Now the Weasleys look at Draco incredulously and Lucius mutters: "Not really what they meant, Draco." The boy shrugs and Sirius says: "Draco, the real reason behind their disbelief is the fact that pig gets 2 rooms, while being spoiled stupid, and that Harry has to do with a cupboard, while he never did anything to deserve that kind of treatment."  
Draco nods and Sirius says: "And besides, Malfoy Manor might have that kind of rooms, but the Centre home of the Black Family, Grimmauld Place is only furnished with one kitchen and study room and with several separate bed and bathrooms." Draco seems shocked at such – as I believe he thinks – poverty and I read on

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 39 – PS**_

" **EXCUSE ME!"** Almost the entire hall shouts, something I know they wanted to shout before, but that I overpowered by reading quickly and Minerva says: "It's bad enough that the brat has 2 rooms and Mr. Potter just a cupboard, but there was actually even a 4th bedroom? And they still had the guts not to give Mr. Potter a proper room?"

Everyone seems to think the exact same, their faces almost red enough to resemble the red hair of the Weasley family and then Luna, who seems best at keeping her anger at bay says: "Maybe a Thestrall visit will remind them of what they are losing and what they have already lost." Everyone looks at her confused and then Hagrid says:  
"That is a very good theory, Mss. Lovegood. The Thestrall is after all known to only be seen after you've seen death." The girl nods, but then Parvati says: "But professor Trelawney said it can only be seen before some kind of terrible misfortune meets you." The woman nods, smiling ethereally, while Hermione snorts and then Harry asks:  
"Parvati, is seeing death not the worst kind of misfortune you can imagine?" The girl looks shocked and nods slightly and then Harry asks: "So what would make more sense, before or after?" And the girl whispers: "After." Making Harry nod and causing the smile to be wiped off my colleague's face as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 39 & 40 – PS**_

"Only one? And you were almost eleven?" Narcissa asks, looking shocked and worried as Arthur, while his sons all share shocked looks with each other and Harry nods and says: "I only had two extra sets of cloths, a pair of old sneakers and some old toys that were so broken and overused even I couldn't play with them anymore."  
The woman looks shocked and hurt and then Remus pulls out some parchment and as he writes he says: "Things to do once we get out of here. Make Albus pay. Get Muggles to court. Buy family new wardrobe." And while Harry wanted to protest once Remus started the last sentence, does he stop and smile once he hears the word _**family**_.  
I shake my head at how hard it is for the boy to accept anything nice, which is now more than clear to be blamed on those disgusting Muggles and their treatment and then Narcissa says: "Do write down with that that Andy, Dora and I will come along, Remus. I want to be there when my cousin goes for his first shopping spree."  
To which Sirius shouts: "YES, I GET TO SEE SOMETHING HE DOES FOR THE FIRST TIME!" And everyone laughs while Remus hits him over the back of the head and then writes the names down before pulling Sirius back down and strongly into his arms, cuddling with the excited and happily smiling man as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 40 – PS**_ _and Harry couldn't wait to use them to read, so he wouldn't be behind or make a bad impression on the teachers once he went to Stonewall. There were even some books on the alphabet, which he could use to learn how to write._

Now my colleagues and I smile and Sirius, his face still showing the excitement over going shopping with his son, says: "Normally, I'd be against you learning so much, but seeing how much has already been taken from you, can I only be proud at how you still want to achieve and accomplish after all those Muggles did to you."  
The others sitting around Harry nod and the teachers smile at the boy, even Severus and Minerva, who then says: "This sure does explain why your essays are wonderful in summary, but severely lack structure, paragraphs and have quite some grammar mistakes. You only had one month to teach yourself what others learn in 6 to 7 years."  
Harry nods and many students look impressed, while Hermione, Remus and the Malfoy elders smile in pride of the boy being able to do so. I too smile at the amazing talent of the young boy, wondering what else he can learn now that he has people who want him to do his absolutely best and then read on, wanting to know more.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 40 – PS**_ _Of course a combination would have been good too, but this room felt as much given away after being overused as all of his cloths and other things._ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 40 – PS**_

"He actually got to do all that without any of his parents stepping in?" Lucius asks shocked, while some of my students look white, obviously thinking of the punishment they'd get for doing so and Amelia and Narcissa ask: "How on earth did they hide that from the neighbors?" And Harry answers: "They didn't and wouldn't want or need to either."  
Everyone looks at him, the parents shocked and appalled at his answer and he says: "You've read and heard what tha – Dudley and his friends are like to me. They're the same to other kids in the neighborhood and it doesn't matter how many times their parents complain about it. Those Dursleys always ignore it."

Harry then shrugs and says: "So it wouldn't have mattered if the neighbors had seen, they're too used to this kind of behavior from the boy and his parents denying that it's wrong what he does." To this the twins and Percy look at each other and then at their ex-mother, the twins moving their head to Percy and Percy giving the woman a stern look.  
The woman looks confused and then angered and asks: "What?" Everyone looks at her, shocked at the sound of her voice as Arthur has been keeping her silenced up until now and the twins ask: "Sound familiar?" But the woman only glares and spats: "As if I would ever behave like that." And Percy spats back: "You did, with me."  
The woman looks shocked and Arthur says: "Boys, just leave Molly alone. She'll be pointed out to her mistakes throughout the books, but I don't want you to have any more contact with her. I don't want her making you even more miserable." The boys nod, while I wonder what the Family Meeting was about and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 40 – PS**_ _as he had yet to hit Harry over the head or make a rude comment, or even order him to do something,_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 40 & 41 – PS**_

"Is he actually that stupid? Anyone wanting to read that letter would have had enough brains not to shout about it." Draco sneers and then Harry says: "To be honest, people might want to compare him to Crabbe and Goyle, but even that would be an insult – to them that is." This makes everyone in Slytherin laugh and he goes on:  
"They at least passed their tests and exams by themselves. I still wonder to this day how Dudley even passed his first year at Smelting, let alone the last three." Everyone snickers, while Crabbe and Goyle obviously don't seem to know whether or not they were insulted and I read on, shaking my head that anyone can me dumber than they are.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 41 – PS**_

Now Ron and Hermione share a look before looking at a blushing Harry who had seen their glance and Ron says: "You really jump everything attacking or forming a threat, don't you mate? Your ex-uncle, Halloween, Sirius." He then sums up and I wonder what means, but his friends laugh, Harry still slightly red and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 41 – PS**_ _, his nails digging into Harry's skin_ _ **. PS – Chapter 03, page 41 – PS**_

"Oh Merlin." Ron and Hermione moan and so do Sirius and Remus and Sirius says: "Please tell me he got Lily's amazing brain in coming up with plans." But the two shake their head and Ron says: "The only plans that ever work are plans Harry comes up with when he's in the face of danger. Else –." He shrugs and says: "They suck."  
This makes the two grown men moan, while Harry glares at his best friend and Sirius says: "Just like James. The only plans we ever let him make were prank plans. Else – Oh Merlin – he was a terrible planner." Now the hall snickers while Harry turns from glaring at his friends to smiling angrily at his mum and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 41 – PS**_

"Okay, not a bad idea, but a little simple to think of, don't you think?" Sirius asks his son sweetly and the boy moans and says: "Tell me about it. Escaping the house through the cupboard had been much easier." This both intrigues and worries me and a lot of the rest of the hall – especially the teachers – and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 41 & 42 – PS **_

"Way, way easier." Harry moaned while Sirius now looks at his son worriedly and says: "Had I escaped the cupboard the darkness outside it wouldn't have been as thick as the darkness inside and I would have been able to see that man. Would have made me know in time that I could better escape through the back door."  
Everyone shakes their head, the eyes of the Weasleys, Remus, Sirius and Hermione closed in pain and Ron says: "That you still think living in that cupboard is right. No wonder you didn't mind it when _**she**_ took some blankets out of that cupboard near my bedroom." Everyone looks shocked and then Ron thinks again and shouts:  
"HOLY MERLIN! THAT I DIDN'T NOTICE SOMETHING WRONG THERE! WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?" And Harry lies a hand on his as he has jumped up and has his hands on the table and says: "You were probably still with your head at the rescue and the punishment she thought was right to give you for it."  
And then Sirius asks the question that was on my mind – along with probably the minds of many others: "What rescue?" Harry shrugs and says: "Just wait until the start of the next book." This intrigues and worries me about the contents of the next book – of which I know concerns the Chamber of Secrets – and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 42 – PS**_ _holding him by the back of his shirt and pushing him against the wall and into a small side table holding an inexpensive vase as he shouted_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 42 – PS**_ _, trying to pull some broken pieces out of his shirt without cutting himself or worsening the few small cuts he had gained_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 42 – PS**_

This seems to be the last straw for many in the Great Hall as their shouting can now be compared to a rampaging elephant while Viktor and Sirius grab Harry tightly around the back with one arm as Vitkor uses his other hand to rise the boy's shirt up, showing skinny flesh, small signs of a few visible ribs – but no scars or left over wounds.  
Harry blushes and says: "Don't ask me how, but I really heal fast." To this, while some of the students calm down in relief over hearing this, do I say: "I might have two theories on that, Mr. Potter, and I don't really like the second one." The boy looks at me, while his parents and crush hold him tightly and I say:  
"The first is that your magic has been protecting you all this time, making sure you didn't catch any flue or other diseases and healing what it could heal of your wounds. The other –." I wince and say: "The other is that your magic put up glamours all over your body and that the glamours take away the pain you should be feeling."  
The boy looks shocked, while Viktor pulls the boy close against his side and almost onto his lap in worry and Poppy, sounding ever the professional says: "I'll be sure to look into that later, Filius. And Mr. Potter, if you don't mind I would like to do that full physical once we reach the Hogwarts chapters." The boy nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 42 – PS**_

"Was that bad for you?" Ginny asks worried, while others bite their lip at the answer and Harry shakes his head and says: "I stayed in my room. Decided I could just as well learn how to read and write. Thought that if I had to stay out of their way and pretend I didn't exist, I could just as well take my own profit out of it."  
This makes the Malfoys smile, but I feel worried about his words and the casual tone with which he said it and then Susan asks: "What do you mean, _**pretend I didn't exist?**_ " Harry shrugs and says: "The Dursleys like to pretend I don't exist, I like to pretend they don't exist. It's just our way to live under one roof together."  
This makes me shake my head and I think: "That is just so plain wrong. Just plain wrong." And then Luna speaks up again and says: "Home is where the heart can be and rest. Home is where the mind is appreciated. Home is where the soul is loved." Her fellow Ravenclaws are shocked at her intelligent words, but I smile at my little smart Raven.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 42 – PS**_

"Is that woman really the smartest in the house? Because I can't really call her intelligent with the way she treats her son." Narcissa sneers and then one of the twins says: "Of course she's not the smartest." And the other says: "Harry is." Narcissa and many others nod, while Harry turns slightly red in the face and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 42 – PS**_

Now Arabella smiles deviously and Minerva shocks the Hall as she says: "Quite creative work, Bella. Thank you." The woman nods and says: "No problem. It was my pleasure to annoy them, so I'm glad you send those owls to my place for me to properly deliver them." The students snicker at the weird creativity of the Squib and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 43 – PS**_

"Is that a good song?" A Seventh year asks and Harry shakes his head frantically, but then he stops and says: "Well, the song's not too bad, but that Dursley humming it gives me the creeps." And he shudders, making others shudder as they try to imagine it, while others laugh, believing it a joke of a song as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 43 – PS**_ _All the while Harry kept pretending he didn't exist, unless he went to get some food and continued to learn how to read and write by trying to write down every word he read in his books._

"Good technique, Harry. No wonder you picked up reading and writing so quickly." Hermione smiles at the boy and Harry blushes, but then she asks: "But then how come you didn't know how to put structure to your writing?" And Mr. Potter's answer shocks me as he mumbles it, but when I realize what he said, I have to laugh: "They were dictionaries."

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 43 – PS**_ _as he passed his room that night to go to bed_ _ **. PS – Chapter 03, page 43 – PS**_

"Is that really true?" Blaise asks shocked and he asks: "I mean, they really don't get mail on Sundays?" Harry nods and while Arthur looks at him in excited intrigue for his answer, does he say: "You know how some stores, like apothecaries, are closed on Sundays, right? Same goes for the Muggle post offices."  
The tanned Slytherin nods and Hermione, deciding to aid her friend in his answer, says: "It's mostly because of the Christians, one of the Muggle cults. They believed it to be a day of rest and where you went to church, a large building where you praised your God, in their case a man they named God and his son, Jesus."  
The Snake looks intrigued and asks: "So Muggles actually meet together somewhere to praise a god?" Hermione nods and says: "Like the end of the first chapter. Only they don't drink wine or other beverages and instead sing songs dedicated to the two and read from an ancient book called a bible." The Snake, and some other students nod and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 43 – PS**_

"Why?" Hermione asks, while Oliver shouts: "My Seeker. That's my Seeker." Making many of us shake our heads at the lad and Harry says: "It's not like that Oliver. I was trying to get a letter and get the hell out of that house. I saw it as my only way out." Oliver pouts, while many others look hurt that Harry actually wanted to flee and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 43 & 44 – PS **__making sure his head hit the balustrade of the staircase._ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 44 – PS**_

Harry shudders, probably envisioning the image in his memory again and Viktor, his other arm still around Harry's back softly moves his head to push the boy's face into his shirt as he softly strokes the boy's hair in a comforting way as Sirius pulls them both closer and Remus leans in, both wanting to be there for their son.  
The others sitting around also look worried, while students outside the group whisper angrily at the fear their fellow student feels over his uncle, Narcissa urging her husband and son to sit a little closer to her cousin and Ron and Hermione switching seats to sit next to Remus, while Fleur, Cedric, the twins, Bill and Charlie take their places.  
The table now has quite the united front at the midst and on the left side are in exactly that order; Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ginny, Arthur, Cedric, Fleur and Gabrielle on the left and Ron, Hermione, Remus, Harry, Viktor, Sirius, Narcissa, Draco, Lucius on the right. I smile at the unity between Houses, schools and family and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 44 – PS**_

"His first hit and he actually thinks he has the right to sniffle and whine about it?" Ron growls and Hermione says: "That hit can't even be 1% of what his father constantly did to Harry." And Harry's slightly defeated, agreeing nod angers everyone as it confirms the words of the young Gryffindor. Everyone glares at the book and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 44 – PS**_

"The food I can – slightly – understand, but honestly. The television and those games? Is he really howling because of those?" Arthur asks angrily, making many of those around him growl at the disgusting behavior of that pampered boy and Bill says: "And what's worse. If he's hungry, how would Harry be feeling?"  
This worries the group, mostly the girls, Sirius and Viktor, and I think: "I hope the House Elves will soon fetch us lunch. And I better ask Severus for some malnourishment potions." But by looking at the man, can I tell he already has that planned and I smile at him, the man nodding when he sees me smile before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 45 – PS**_

This sentence makes the whole Hall gasp and when I look up, I see that all five tables are filled to the brim with foods and drinks, bowls of it, plates of it, cans with drinks and so on and so forth and that the midst of Gryffindor Table is even filled further, almost to the point where the food and drinks threaten to fall off the table.  
But Sirius only grabs a few sandwiches and a few pieces of fruit and he places those on Harry's plate, stopping others from putting on more by wrapping his arms around the plate and bending over it and telling the boy: "Make sure you eat this and I mean, only this, okay?" To this Harry nods and Hermione asks: "But, Sirius –?"  
But the man shakes his head and says: "The first thing you need to know with a malnourished person is that their stomachs shrink the longer they stay malnourished. If I now fill Harry's plate like this table is filled, I can count my Galleons on it that he'll be puking half of it out later – if not all of it – and I don't want to take that risk."  
The girl nods and I smile at the man, but while he talks, do I see Harry quickly grabbing a piece of Treacle tart and hiding it under his few pieces of fruit. I snicker at how the boy is as crazy over his Treacle tart as James was over pineapple pie and then walk over to the Head Table to take a small lunch of my own.

For about half an hour all that is heard is the scraping of cutlery against golden plates, the chewing of food, the gulping down of drinks and the chatter about everything the students have so far discovered and the main topic is their anger at the Headmaster and the Dursleys and plans on how to get them back buzz all over the Hall.  
Some of the plans make me fear for the old man's life, while others, especially those of my ravens, make me proud of their intelligence and some students – mostly the Slytherins already sitting at Gryffindor table – even join the twins in coming up with plans, making me fear for the lives of those three Muggles.  
But even at the Head Table teachers and Ministerial members are plotting revenge – the Ministerial members trying to make it look as if it's just routine behavior to embarrass criminals before a trial – and the plan of Arabella Figg reminds me of why I never wanted to get on her bad side when we were both part of the Order of the Phoenix.

The woman plans to put an illusion charm on the house to make the Dursleys believe her cats to be monsters as the windows will show them as 40 foot tall creatures whenever they pass by and to let it appear as if the cats can speak, but then with Harry's voice, accusing them of their abuse and neglect on him throughout the years.

I shake my head at this and think: "I wonder if she'll try to get that done next time the spell ends." But I don't pay attention to it, instead conversing with Pomona, Poppy, Severus and Minerva how we can best help heal Mr. Potter once we know what injuries he still has and whether or not he hides other injuries under glamours.  
This conversation takes to the end of lunch when the food disappears and to my shock, Harry whines as it does. Sirius laughs and Ron says: "Harry was about to take his treacle tart. I think the House elves took the whole only this thing that Sirius said a little too literally." This makes many of the students laugh at Harry's pout and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 45 – PS**_ _the strain in his arm proving how badly he wanted to do more_ _ **. PS – Chapter 03, page 45 – PS**_

"He really should have. She after all spend almost 17 years with a witch for a sister, or what she must have thought was her sister. She would know we wouldn't give up on one of our own." Charlie says vehemently and I smile as I had missed the sparkly, energetic Weasley boy with the wild dreams and love for the outdoors.  
I smile at my ex-student, knowing he came out almost perfectly, as his ex-mother obviously forced him away from those he seems to love more than his creatures – his siblings. I shake my head at Molly's actual actions, having heard from Minerva this week what Charlie discussed with her during his Carreer Day and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 45 & 46 – PS**_

"Wow, if even pork chops can realize that you know it means bad news for the sanity of that elder Dursley." One of the twins says shocked, but then the other slaps his brother on the shoulder and with a tone that sounds as if he worries for his brother's sanity, does he say: "Fred, Fred, Fred. My dear brother, my dear, dear Freddy."  
He then smiles at his brother, his smile obviously trying to burst through his face and says: "It was never critical for that elder Dursleys sanity, because he never had a sanity to begin with. I mean, a life with no imagination? What do you mean, no sanity." Everyone laughs, mostly because of the serious tone the boy uses and Fred says:  
"You're right as always, dear brother mine. What was I thinking that man having a sanity?" He then turns to Harry, who has his face still in Viktor's shirt to hide the snickers, which makes Sirius smile from his son to the twins and Fred goes on and say: "Harry, I'm sorry I insulted your ex-uncle and said he had a sanity."

Now even the shirt of the Bulgarian Seeker isn't enough to cover the tremendous laughter rocking the boy's form and Viktor has to hold him tightly to make sure the boy doesn't fall from his seat, while Lee and Ron fall off their seats laughing and Charlie falls face forward onto the table, his fist hitting hit as he laughs.  
Others seems confused and those sitting close to the twins explain, word for word, what had happened at Gryffindor table, causing a domino effect of laughter to roll throughout the hall from the midst out to the sides and even a few of my colleagues are unable to keep professional, calm faces as they snicker and hide their smiles while I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 46 – PS**_

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" The twins and quite a few other, exuberant students shout together, making Harry laugh and he says: "Thanks, you're only one month and four days early." To which some of the students pout, feeling their actions to be in vain, but then the twins high five and shout: "Yes, we're the firsts!"  
This makes the Trio hit themselves on the head together with Percy, who also has a hand on his mouth, obviously trying to hide his snickering. I smile at the slowly reuniting family, knowing that their love for one another is still quite strong, even if Molly tried – and almost succeeded in – to break it apart, and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 46 – PS**_ _and when he turned eight – Harry shuddered and tried to sit a little less on his ass as he thought back to it_ _ **.**_

This makes me look at the boy worried and while Harry's emerald green eyes now gaze at the table looking dark forest green, does he mutter: "He's been making me wear it since I was eight, but I always pull it out secretly whenever I leave the place. I just put it back on the train back to London to make him believe I wear it all the time."  
This really doesn't sit well with me and Sirius, who is obviously putting the facts together like my mind is currently doing asks: "Harry, is this what I think it is?" And, from an inside pocket, Harry pulls a small string with four balls of less than 1 inch long attached to the string, shocking all those realizing what it is.  
Sirius furiously takes it from the boy, while Remus lights a torch up against the wall and Sirius throws it at the flames, while Viktor pulls his crush close against his own body and whispers sweet nothings in his ear, the two men following his example once they've seen the string of balls disappear in the fire. I look at the boy worried and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 46 – PS**_

"W-was it a – painful one too, Harry?" Fleur asks, trying to hold up against the glare on Viktor's face telling her to back off while her question is obviously to try and pull Harry out of his dark thoughts and Harry shakes his head and says: "It was terrifying. It was one of the only times I was actually scared of him."  
This angers me even further – something I didn't think possible – as no child should feel scared of their own relatives and I think: "No wonder the lad has so little trust in adults. I just hope we didn't do anything in the last couple of years that gave him reason to fear us as well." And with that – and new hope in my heart – do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 46 & 47 – PS**_

"Let me get this straight." Remus growls, still holding onto his three favorite men, and he looks at me straightly and asks: "The place they stay in is the most miserable shack you could imagine, it's in the middle of the ocean, there's a storm forecasted that night and still that MONSTER thinks it wise to go out to that place – in an old rowboat?"

I nod and then Sirius, his voice strained and his eyes no longer blue-gray, but pure grayish black, says: "Narcissa, please take Harry from me for a minute. I'll be right back, pup." He kisses the boy on the forehead, softly ruffling his hair a little and then Viktor, Fleur, Cedric, Remus and he himself leave for the antechamber.  
I myself and several of my colleagues quickly cast several protection and silencing spells on the room as we all know the vocubalary of the Blacks and just as we're finished the first, quite strongly muted, explosion is heard; the sound not all that strong, but the power of it enough to cause a small tremor to go through the Great Hall.  
Then many others are followed, all of them muted and yet all of them strong enough to make the Great Hall shake, making many elder students look shocked while some of the youngers now grab onto their tables feeling terrified. Then suddenly something that doesn't sound like an explosion, but a crash is heard and Harry shouts: "NO!"  
Running out of the arms of Narcissa and into the antechamber before the woman even realizes it. We all look shocked and worried as I had seen Minerva cast several locking spells on the door, but Harry's form was filled with enough energy to break through the enchantments and open the door before he raced through.

Then, after a few minutes of us all worrying for him and the others as no more explosions are heard, does he come back out, slightly coughing as smoke starts to rise out of the door and he carries an unconscious Sirius Black in his arms, his hands wrapped under the man's arm pits and a large hole in his head, the wound bleeding freely.  
Harry is crying as he carries the man out of the room and lies him down in front of me as he shouts for Poppy, who is already at his side as she was the only adult not to freeze in shocked concern at the sight. The woman quickly jumps to the other side of the man, using her wand to conjure a mattress under him and asks:

"What happened?" And Remus answers: "Sirius ripped a shield from the wall and threw it at some point without looking at where he was throwing it. The wall he threw it at was quite close to him and was, at the same time hit with a cutting spell by Charlie, causing the wall to crash. He got a large rock to the head and fainted."  
He then looks at the man worried, his eyes dark amber with fear and love for the man and while Harry holds Sirius' hand and cries, does he say: "Had Harry not come in at that time exactly he would have been caved in. He would have been completely crushed by the wall coming down had Harry not quickly grabbed him."  
He then smiles at his crying son and says: "He saved his life. He really is a fast little bugger." And Minerva says: "And his accidental magic is absolutely unbelievable. I had several of my strongest locking spells on that door and he burst through them even before reaching the door. He didn't have to open it, it just flung itself open."

Remus smiles at his son, while his eyes show his shock that Harry had done so and in the mean time has Poppy closed off the wound, has Severus put a soft balm on the flesh to ease the pain and has Narcissa come to sit next to her cousin, softly pull Harry away and hold him close to her chest as he cries at the sight of his mum.  
Poppy then softly lets the man drink a potion with steam coming out of the vial and slowly the man's eyes flicker open and when he sees Harry crying, he looks worried and while leaning up on his lower arms does he ask: "Harry, pup, what's wrong?" Making Narcissa, Remus and I myself hit ourselves on the head.  
Harry then grabs Sirius around the neck and cries in his shirt, his fear obviously making him overreact a little, but I can honestly say I can't blame the poor boy as Sirius is finally in his life in exactly that way that can be most profitable for both mother and son and of which both must have definitely dreamed about endlessly.  
I smile at the small family picture and then slowly, Sirius raises Harry up in his arms and while he holds the boy tightly and Harry keeps sniffling in Sirius' shirt, does the man carry his son back to their seat. They all sit back in their old seats and after the rest of the group that had entered the antechamber returns to their seats, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 47 – PS**_ _Harry was given one and a half a banana (the half because Dudley didn't like his banana), but in return did Dudley take all of his chips and afterwards he only got to snag a few chips off the sandy floor that had fallen out of Dudley and uncle Vernon's hands – he knew better than to touch those that fall out of their mouths as they smacked._ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 47 – PS**_ _pulling off his jacket and actually throwing it over Harry while there was a rotten old coat hanger only three inches to the left of him_ _ **.**_

Everyone growls at this and Harry, who still sniffs every now and then, lies his head against Sirius' growling chest. The man realizes that his son's sleepy and to everyone's shock, he softly starts to purr, making sure the sound comes from his chest and softly stroking his son's hair as he holds him against his body with one arm.  
Harry slowly falls asleep and I quickly cast a spell, making Sirius look up, but I say: "It's just to make sure that me reading and the reactions throughout the hall won't disturb him. Little like a Dreamless Sleep potion." Sirius nods, his eyes showing his gratitude and I read on, knowing that Harry will really need it after the fear he just felt.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 47 & 48 – PS **__In the end he just pushed as much sand together and formed a small bed with it, the heaps actually making it look like a basket, but Harry had formed it that way so cold winds couldn't reach him from the ground._

This makes the students smile, those sitting around Harry and Sirius showing the biggest smiles of them all and Sirius mutters: "That's my clever little boy." And Remus says: "He's a fighter. No way will he let those Muggles have their fun at his expense." And the Weasleys nod, while the twins and Viktor say: "And neither will we."  
The twin Beaters look at the Seeker and then smile widely, obviously approving of the young man's love for their Seeker, while Wood seems ecstatic that members of his old team have something in common with a famous Seeker, and then Sirius mutters at Remus: "We better include something about Harry in our Marauders' oath."  
But Remus whispers back: "We already included cubs in our oath, remember? Because James was so sure he would one day get Lily and have a kid with her, if not more." Sirius smiles and says: "And now we're doing this for them. And for Harry." And Remus mutters: "Merlin knows how much he deserves it." To this I nod and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 48 – PS,**_ _his wrist smarting, but only on such a low level Harry knew it was soon completely healed again, as he laid his head on it to get a bit more comfortable_ _ **. PS – Chapter 03, page 48 – PS,**_ _not that he wanted them as them remembering his birthday always meant either extra chores, yells, punishments or worse, like when he turned eight,_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 48 – PS  
**_ _He wondered if maybe the letter writer would soon come to find him and if he would then take Harry away, but even if that happened, Harry knew it wouldn't be forever and that turned his happy thoughts down.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 48 – PS**_ _And if he died by it, it wouldn't matter as he would be with Erica and his parents again._

This makes people look shocked, some of the girls even screaming softly at the very idea, while Minerva and Pomona get teary eyed at hearing this and Harry grunts in his sleep as Sirius tightens his hold. The man looks down at the boy in his arms and Cedric asks: "Harry actually thought of dying at that age? At barely eleven?"  
Now all of the girls at Gryffindor table, mostly those sitting close to Harry (Hermione, Fleur, Ginny, Angelina, Katie, Alicia and Narcissa) all have tears streaming down their face and while Lucius, Arthur, the twins, Bill and Ron start to comfort the girls, does Sirius whisper with a hollow voice: "I almost never met him."  
Making me blanch as Sirius is right. Had Harry indeed died at that age, he would have never known the love, care and comfort his godfather-uncle-now-dad could give him and would have died with the belief that his parents died in a car accident. I shake my head, feeling relieved at the fact that that never happened and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 48 – PS**_

"You actually heard that?" Hagrid asks shocked and then hits himself on the head as he asked a question to someone who is currently unable to answer. But Harry stirs a little and quickly Remus conjures a blanket and Sirius lies the boy over his, Viktor and Remus' lap, before Remus lies the blanket over the boy.  
Harry pulls the blanket close, while Remus charms the blanket to wrap around Harry like a sleeping bag and then casts another charm, probably to make it a little more comfortable for the boy to lie on the laps of three men. I smile at them and when I see the small smile peaking out of the sleeping bag, do I read on, feeling relieved.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 49 – PS**_

I squeak the last word, trying to shout it without making it too loud and everyone laughs at the strange tone leaving my throat. Only Remus, Sirius and Viktor don't laugh and instead keep their focus on the little boy sleeping in their laps, while Narcissa and Percy try to slightly shush the laughter of Draco and the twins.  
I smile at the fact my spell kept the boy from waking and then charm the sleeping bag not to let any sound through, a new way to make sure Mr. Potter won't hear us when we shout or speak loudly. I smile as the charm takes effect and quickly explain it to those sitting around the sleeping boy before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 03, page 49 – PS**_

I stop and think: "And this was just the Third chapter. That Mr. Potter actually thought of killing himself." I shake my head, worried for the youngster and hating how Albus placing him with those monsters made an eleven year old think such things and then suddenly a new, terrifying thought enters my mind:  
"The last chapter had Mr. Potter thinking _**had it not been for Erica, I.**_ Does that mean that on the 24th of November that year, this Erica person kept Harry from killing himself? He was only six! What on earth happened that made him want to do that?" But I quickly shake my head before any possible thoughts can worsen my anxiety.  
I look at the boy in pure fear, trying to use his current form to calm my worries and think: "Please let this book have some answers." And with that I spare one last, worried glance at the family of three – with a possible future fourth – and sit back down, moving my seat back to the table and quickly tell my colleagues of my beliefs.


	16. The Truth And Tentative Trust

_**Chapter 15  
**_ _ **The truth and tentative trust**_

 _ **Poppy's POV**_

The air all around us seems filled with mixed emotions, the meaning of them seemingly divided. One part of the group is obviously filled with curiosity and wonder as to what will happen next, while the other seems terrified of what more they will discover. But one emotion overpowers all of that curiosity and fear; anger.  
The entire Hall, especially the Purebloods, are furious at what young Harry had to go through and I know they all badly want Harry away from those abusive Muggles. Then suddenly Mss. Granger, who seems to feel that enough anger has been felt by all those around her says casually: "Am I glad Mrs. Potter's adopted."  
Everyone looks at her and she says: "Because she was, her Blood sacrifice is useless around the Dursleys, but amazingly valid around Sirius and other born Blacks. And with Sirius being Harry's blood uncle and adopted mum, Harry has double the blood protection." Everyone looks shocked at this, before large grins appear on everyone's face,

Everyone feeling glad that Harry no longer has to go back there. I then look at my colleague and Filius nods, understanding my need to read next. I walk over to take his place and share a look with Madam Bones as we had agreed that she would further list any injuries read about. I turn the page to the next chapter and start to read.

 _ **The Keeper of the Keys**_

"Hagrid!" Many students shout and Ronald says: "Only he could make such a loud noise when knocking." The Half giant smiles ruefully and Ronald goes on: "Do continue, Hagrid. Scare the living crap out of those Muggles." The man laughs, together with most of the room and I shake my head at his language as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 50 – PS**_

"What's a cannon?" Susan asks and Hermione, obviously feeling responsible for taking Harry's place as the one to explain Muggle stuff to the Magicals says: "It's a metal weapon Muggles use to blow holes into walls and fortresses. They use it during war times. It kind of causes the same effect as when you cast the Bombarda curse."  
The girl nods, but I can tell that many students are a little bored by her explanation and that they would have rather had Mr. Potter explain. Feeling I can't personally blame them as Mr. Potter has an imaginative way of explaining and knows how to speak both languages – Magical and Muggle – do I smile at the sleeping boy and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 50 – PS**_

"He was holding a WHAT NOW?" Mss. Granger asks furiously and Susan asks: "That's bad?" Hermione nods and says: "Where a cannon is a large, tall and heavy metal tube which you can use to blow up entire armies, the rifle is a little more dangerous, because of its effective uses on singular targets and easier usage.  
The rifle is, as the story described, long and thin and has two holes at the end of the tube, while the start holds a hand and a small ring with a small piece of metal inside the ring called a trigger. If someone is to, as they call it, pull the trigger, a small missile called a bullet shoots out of the metal tube with amazing speeds.  
If you get hit with that bullet, the pain and your life endurance depend on where it hits. If it hits you in the arm, leg or below the chest, it hurts a lot and can even make you cripple. I even read somewhere that the pain can be compared to the Cruciatus If it hits you in the head, neck, heart or lunges, it has the same effect as the killing curse."  
Everyone looks shocked, the adults white as we must all thinking the same thing right now and Amelia asks the very question I have on my mind: "And he thought it appropriate to take that along and bring it out in front of two kids?" And Hermione growls: "Apparently." Making me growl as well before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 50 – PS**_

"So is the whole world, you dumbass." One of the Weasley twins says, their voices proving they're too angry to try and make a joke, but Hermione shakes her head and says: "A Muggle says such a thing when they have a weapon out and ready to use it. It's their way of telling intruders they'll be under attack if they dare come in."  
To this the twin nods and the other asks: "So it's their way to say _**I warn you, I'll curse**_." Hermione nods and says: "Yes, because Muggles don't have magic, they use weapons like this to defend themselves. Although that Muggle took defending over the extreme with that riffle." And she shakes her head as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 50 – PS**_

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the description Harry gave for the first time to one of his friends." One of the twins says, while his angry voice makes me amazed at how well he can still try and crack a joke and the other, his voice slightly calmer, comments: "So don't get your hopes up on a good and friendly description for yourself."  
To this Cedric asks: "You do know that will count for you boys as well, don't you?" The twins nod and the second says: "We know." And the first goes on: "And we can't wait." Cedric shakes his head at them, while the anger at the description of the rifle and its effects are finally lessened a little and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 50 & 51 – PS  
**_ _Harry had moved to stand next to the chimney, but on the side he could easily escape the house would the giant turn violent.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 51 – PS**_

"George, I'm confused." The other twin, apparently Fred, says and he goes on: "Which comment was better. The long journey and cup of tea, or the great lump." George then pats Fred on the shoulder and says: "The great lump of course, my dear brother. That one insulted the fat pig." Everyone laughs and Fred says: "Of course. How could I be so stupid?"  
Making the students laugh even harder. I quickly look down at Mr. Potter, but Filius seems to have put quite the spell on the sleeping bag as the roaring laughter and hits on the tables by the students doesn't seem to bother the boy at all as he sleeps on. I smile relieved, knowing the boy must have had a terrible time reliving his past and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 51 – PS**_ _Harry wanted to do the same, but knew his uncle would just throw him at the man and, for now, had no intention of getting anywhere near the man._

"And the dumb thing was, I could still see most of him." Hagrid then tells the hall, his eyes showing the hurt he feels that at one point Harry was actually scared of him, making many of the students and some of the teachers laugh, while I shake my head and think: "A boy too fat to be hidden behind his father. Preposterous."  
I then look up and as I look at the young, small frame of Harry Potter, sleeping on the laps of his parents and possible boyfriend, I sigh and think: "Too bad those Muggles just don't know how to treat kids. Whether they actively try to hurt him or not." And with that, while hoping Amelia will take that along in her report, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 51 – PS**_ _This shocked Harry as he had never heard his name be said like that, as if it was a good thing he was there._ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 51 – PS**_

"And still there is so much of him that is just his he's a son to be proud of." Remus comments, smiling proudly down at the softly sleeping boy and Sirius, whose eyes show so much love I am almost blown away by it and again wonder how we thought him a criminal, says: "That he is. A treasure to whoever gets to raise him and a friend for life."  
And very slowly, gently and carefully as to not disturb the boy in his sleep, does Sirius raise the boy and does he softly kiss his forehead, before lying him back down, even going so far as to tuck the sleeping bag around the boy a little more comfortable.

I smile at this action and the love shining in the man's eyes, knowing that under that rough, prankster exterior the man has, as a teen, shown to his fellow classmates a soft, kind-hearted soul hides itself, one that will – even if he had been through hell and back the last fourteen years – make the man a wonderful mother.  
This makes me snicker as I know darn well that any child born from a male automatically calls his or her birth giver his or her mother, because of the many months they share a body and the long time within which the mother shares his magic with his child and I wonder how the proud Sirius Black will react to this news as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 51 – PS**_ _Harry couldn't believe the man had that much strength and for a second he thought: "Maybe he has enough strength to make sure Uncle Vernon won't punish me anymore." But the rational part of his mind knew that would only temporarily cause the punishments to stop. One drink too much and Uncle Vernon would be even worse than he was now._

Everyone looks hurt that Harry didn't even dare ask Hagrid to help him and Hagrid says: "Should have seen something was up. He was bloody smaller than a nine year old." He then grumbles more insults, mostly to himself, and I look at Minerva, who sits closest to him, with the request to cheer the Half-giant up a little.  
"Good for you to get rid of that riffle, Hagrid." Minerva then says and Hagrid stops his rant to shortly blink at the Deputy Headmistress and when her words sink in, he smiles and replies: "And then to think I didn't even know what that ruddy thing was. I just didn't want him interrupting me anymore." The students laugh and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 51 & 52 – PS **_

This relieves me as I know that Hagrid would never use green for James Potter's son and I think: "Thank goodness he didn't make it himself. I have enough First years hiding from that man that they get sick of his food and then visiting me in the Hospital wing for healing Potions." I sigh, not wanting to hurt him by saying this and read on.

 _Harry could barely believe what he was seeing. This man, this strange, large_ _man, who only knew him from when he was a baby, actually cared enough for him to buy or maybe even make him his own birthday cake. He wondered what he could have done as an infant to make the man like him this much – to actually do something like this for someone like him._

Everyone looks hurt, all of them feeling deeply pained that Harry didn't even believe himself worthy of receiving a cake and then Hagrid, who has his face down to hide his tears in his bushy beard, says softly: "If I had known it would mean that much to him I would have let the House Elves work harder on that cake."  
The students now smile at the man, even those that normally never want to be around the half-giant like some of the Slytherins and even Mss. Granger smiles widely, while I know that she is against us and our ways of using House-Elves. Sighing and hoping she will see differently as the books are read, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 52 – PS**_ _Immediately he whitened as Uncle Vernon always got beyond furious if he didn't use proper titles and respect when speaking to him.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 52 – PS**_ _, unknowingly relieving the tension out of Harry's shoulders_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 52 – PS**_

Now Hagrid looks sheepish and says: "I really got to keep an eye on my strength, don't I? I mean, I get a little too often, don't you think?" And many students, who probably often visit Hagrid and get the same, nod in agreement, but with gentle smiles on their faces to show they don't mind it. I smile at my visitors and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 52 – PS**_ _This scared Harry again, as his uncle was always terrible whenever he was drunk. But then he mentally shook himself and thought: "This man has shown no likeliness's to uncle Vernon, no way will he be like him when drunk."  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 52 – PS**_

Now students look at each other, while the Ministerial officials seem to share worried glances with each other and Hagrid and then Minerva says: "I heard from Albus that Hagrid had permission to use magic as long as he was looking for Harry or as long as Harry was with him." The students nod and then Ron says:  
"And besides, he might have been expelled, but who says he's not another Sirius case?" The students look confused and Sirius says: "He means that Hagrid could have been framed." The students nod and I read on, wondering what had happened to Hagrid as I only got appointed in 1968 and so wasn't there when Hagrid was expelled.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 52 & 53 – PS **__part of him wary of his form as he could easily do more harm to him than uncle Vernon ever could, though the other part of him curious as to who this man really was and how much he knew of him and his parents. And more importantly to Harry than that was whether or not the giant really meant his friendliness_ _ **. PS – Chapter 04, page 53 – PS**_ _as he saw anger replace the confusion and knew he should have just done what he always did; pretend he didn't exist.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 53 – PS**_ _shocking Harry as he had been sure he had done something wrong like always,_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 53 – PS**_ _Harry pressed the ragged blanket against himself tightly and pushed his head down, trying to let the blanket, dark wood and his black hair blend together to make him invisible and so making the giant unable to find and hurt him._

This really hurts me and Hermione sniffs: "Survival instincts at age 11. What boy has such survival instincts at age eleven?" And to everyone the answer is as clear as water; Harry Potter. The boy that was forced to gain survival instincts at the tender age of eleven, just to survive his own home and the people he lived with.  
I sigh at this, having always known that the boy had a way of surviving and fighting that wasn't truly his own as it seemed too advanced for his age and now the truth comes out. A truth I had always suspected with Harry's talent for survival, but that I never wanted confirmed, just for the sake of that poor young lad. And with that I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 53 – PS**_ _Harry looked up through his fringe to see if the man had noticed his disappearance and whether or not he could escape the hut.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 53 – PS**_ _Harry was doing no better, but he was slowly, while making sure he didn't leave any footprints or make a single sound, making his way to the door.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 53 & 54 – PS **__especially thanks to Mss. Crenson_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 54 – PS**_ _He knew this was partially a lie as they had only begun to learn math when he was expelled, but he had been taught enough to know the basics, like sum numbers up.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 54 – PS**_ _but this time Harry dropped the blanket and wished that the man would be kind enough to only yell and not hurt him. This trust came from the fact the man had not raised his hand all throughout his anger.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 54 – PS**_ _Harry couldn't imagine how two people could become famous for being drunk and dying in a car accident. The only way possible was if the car accident had also killed some kind of criminal, but Harry had never heard of such a thing on the news or from his previously fellow classmates.  
_ _And that he was famous was something he really couldn't think of. If he had been, wouldn't his uncle had known that? Surely, had he been famous, his uncle would have known that hurting Harry like he did, could get him in a lot of trouble.  
_ _No, there was no way either him or his parents could be famous._

Everyone looks down, all of them shocked by the logic of the boy and Minerva says: "We should have never left him there. It took away all his self-confidence." And then Severus shocks me, the Gryffindor fourth years, Sirius and Remus as he has his head down and his voice is filled with self-hated as he says:  
"That boy really is nothing like his father." They all look at him and he says: "Not in the way I thought he was. He would have taken in the fame and glory and would have basked in it, had he been." The two men, three girls and four boys nod in agreement, while Sirius and Remus seem slightly angry with the man and I read on

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 54 to 57 – PS**_ _making a grab for Harry, but the boy threw his blanket at him and quickly ran back to his side of the hut_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 57 – PS**_ _Harry didn't know whether Hagrid meant literally or figuratively, but either way, he agreed – silently._

This makes a lot of students, Pomona, Tonks, Arthur, Amos and even Nella laugh and Hagrid, who tries to speak through his own laughter says: "I meant figuratively, but in my head, I really meant both." Making the twins laugh even harder and they chorus: "So true, so true." As they wipe away their tears of laughter.  
Then a soft yawn stops me from reading on and we look at the midst of Gryffindor table, where a grunting Harry Potter tries to get out of the strongly tucked in sleeping bag. His friends snicker and Sirius smiles as he undoes the zipper and help Harry sit back down. Remus vanishes the sleeping bag and I read on, Sirius talking Harry by.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 57 – PS**_

"The only one who you should call dratted is yourself, seeing all you were willing to do to your own nephew." Narcissa hisses furiously, the happy smile she had on her face at the last interruption gone and Hermione then asks a question I didn't even think about: "Wonder why she never told others she wasn't related?"  
Everyone looks at her, some of the teachers and Harry in pure shock and while Minerva seems as curious as her student, does she say: "Well, I mean – surely Professor Dumbledore had put some form of communication in the letter he wrote her, so why didn't she ever use that to tell him there was no blood between her and Harry?  
Surely she read the letter and knew that the Blood wards only work if there really is blood shared between two of the inhabitants." Everyone looks at each other and Amelia says: "A brilliant question, young lady. I will be sure to ask them once I arrest them." The brilliant girl smiles widely at the elder woman and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 57 – PS**_

"That can't be right. Muggleborns aren't allowed magic around Muggles." Seamus says and Minerva says: "Back then it was different, Mr. Finnegan. Until 1984, it was allowed for Muggleborns to perform one spell and one potion each summer to show their parents what they were learning." The boy nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 57 – PS**_

"That's not what I heard." Minerva then growls and when everyone looks at her she says: "I'm sorry. This concerns conversations between me and Mr. Potter's mother and so are personal information. Mr. Potter, if you wish to know, I will inform you of the conversations after this chapter." Harry smiles widely at his Head of House and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 57 – PS**_ _Harry wondered if this angered hatred was the whole reason why she seemed to hate him so much. If so, he disliked her even more than before – hating someone for an ability they couldn't control, preposterous.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 58 – PS**_ _He wasn't stupid; he heard her last words and knew he had been lied to. Lied to about his parents and since he was bloody five!_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 58 – PS  
**_ _He wanted to know. He had to. If there was even the slightest of proof his parents hadn't been money-stealing and spending drunks with no acceptable job or responsibility, who drove themselves to their death – as he had always been told – he wanted to grab onto it and never let go.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 58 – PS**_

"Hogwarts? It would have been a disaster for you to enter our world without knowing. Who knows what kind of crackpot story you would have heard and believed?" Sirius tells a now fully awoken and eager Harry and the boy, who apparently caught onto the worried tone of his mother's voice, tries to hide a snicker and say:  
"Yeah, I could have actually read a book about what happened, like _**The Rise and the Fall of the Dark Arts**_ or _**Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century**_. I mean, come on. How could any book hold any valuable, truthful information about an event of which only a dead guy and an orphan were actual living witnesses?"  
Everyone looks shocked, while some of the Ravenclaws look appalled and I smile at the intelligence of the boy, while Amelia says: "Better make sure we let book store owners know that, not to mention the publishers, so they can adapt the books before anyone else realizes." Her fellow Aurors nod and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 58 – PS**_

"Nice, Harry, you already knew part of it." Fred snickers, but Harry suddenly seems intent on letting us see logic as he says: "You know what I don't understand? If people were so terrified of him that they didn't even dare say his name, why didn't they try and find out his true name? I mean, who would name their kid Voldemort?"  
Everyone looks at each other and Amelia asks: "Mr. Potter, I take it you know You – Voldemort's real name?" Harry nods and says: "It's actually one of his biggest secrets, together with him actually being a hypocrite. You'll see what I'm talking about when we read the next book, Madame Bones." The woman nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 59 – PS**_

I see the Trio share a significant glance and whiten, realizing that You-Know-Who actually has tried and succeeded in infiltrating Hogwarts. Wondering when and how I quickly read on, while fearing how Mr. Potter and his friends could have survived attacks from – I gulp – him when they weren't even halfway through their teens yet.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 59 & 60 – PS  
**_ _Harry himself felt a few tears take form in his eyes and he scolded himself for crying over people he never met – people he would never remember._

Immediately Sirius hugs the boy and whispers: "I'll tell you all about them, Harry. Remus and I will. By the time we're done, you'll feel like you've known them your whole life." The boy happily smiles at his mum, while some of the girls have tears in their eyes at the thought of never knowing one's parents and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 60 – PS**_

Harry shakes his head with his eyes closed shut to hide his tears, actually pushing closer into the hug and mumbles: "Famous for losing family. Joy." And many students look at him guiltily, probably having either been jealous of his fame or wanting to be him or hogging him for it at some point in time, like Mr. Creevey.  
I shake my head and then Harry asks: "Professor McGonagall, could I please talk with you and the other Heads after this chapter? I have a suggestion I would like to make." Minerva nods, while Pomona looks interested and Severus seems to try and hide his, which would have worked were it not for his eyes. I snicker at the man and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 60 – PS**_

Now Bill, Charlie, Sirius, Percy, Amelia and Susan all lower their heads, while Arthur seems to care enough for his ex-wife motion her over and to pull a comforting arm around her as she softly cries. Harry looks timidly curious as he tries to look away from the shirt he still hides his face in and Ron whispers softly:  
"The Prewetts were mum's brothers. They died, fighting off a mayor bunch of Death Eaters, Bill told me. I don't really know them myself, but the twins apparently do, they talk of them a lot." This makes Hermione hug the boy while Harry lies a hand on his, even though he didn't lower his head and he smiles at his friends.

Harry then looks at his dad and Remus, who is holding the man tightly, says: "Marlene McKinnon was like Lily to Sirius. Even though he faked to love her and wanting to marry her, he really loved her like a sister. Her death in the summer of 81 urged Sirius to try and hide you and your family even quicker and better."  
Harry looks at his mum in sorrow and hugs him from behind, his parents smiling proudly. In the mean time have Hannah Abbott, Justin Flinch-Fletchley and Amelia come to sit with Susan and all hug the crying girl, who I know cries for the loss of her parents, while Amelia sheds a few tears for her lost brother and sister-in-law.

I look at the sorrowful room around me and then Harry raises a goblet, filled with clear water and says: "A toast to those who should never be forgotten, as it is them that allowed us to be here today. To our loved ones." And everyone stands up, all of them grabbing and filling a goblet with water and shouting as one: "To our loved ones!"  
The Houses toasting together, while the Weasleys, Susan and Amelia and Sirius all smile at Harry in gratefulness and pride and Harry shrugs and says: "I have my own loved ones to honor too." And they all nod, knowing he means his parents and they all slightly raise their goblets for him again, making him smile as they all sit down and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 60 & 61 – PS  
**_ _Harry was slightly scared for Hagrid. While his rough exterior clearly hid his soft, gentle personality, was he still a force to be reckoned with, as Harry had witnessed when the man was angry, but still he wondered if the gentle personality of the man would keep him from defending himself against Uncle Vernon, should his uncle decide to attack him.  
_ _Harry didn't want the only man who could tell him the truth to get hurt – mostly because he was afraid the man would then leave and leave him with his uncle all over again – but part of him wanted the man to leave if it got too dangerous or if his uncle got too violent, even if it meant he could lose his first and only friend since Erica._

Hagrid smiles at the boy, while some of the girls tear up at hearing that last sentence and says: "Don't you worry, Harry. That uncle of yours had nothing on me." Harry smiles and says: "I know, Hagrid. You just seemed really worried and caring for me and I didn't want my uncles behavior to take that chance away."  
The half-giant Care of Magical Creatures teacher smiles at the person who is probably his favorite student and Sirius proudly pulls him close and ruffles his hair, smiling at the boy, who playfully tries to struggle out of his grip. I smile at this and at the fact that Harry doesn't really seem to put too much effort in the pushing and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 61 – PS**_ _taking a threatening step towards Harry, but before he could do anything, did Hagrid pull Harry close to him on such a way he was near Hagrid and that Hagrid was sitting in between him and his uncle_ _ **, PS – Chapter 04, page 61 – PS**_

Now rage like no other sears through the room and Lucius hisses: "That low life piece of scum. Does he have no respect for anyone?" And Harry answers drily: "He does. For himself. He just wasted all of it up on him and only him and that dumb act makes him thus incapable of ever feeling respect to anyone else."  
This only relaxes the mood a little, the dry humor making some people smirk and snicker, but the United Hogwarts front, as I now call the midst of Gryffindor table, stays pissed and I quickly ask the House-elves for some water and snacks. This does the job and while the group calms down and eats some more, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 61 – PS**_ _He spared a glance at uncle Vernon, wondering if he would get punished for asking other people questions and then the need to know of his parents and the history behind them and his scar over won his fear for the man, cowering with his wife and son in a pitiful corner.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 61 & 62 – PS**_

Now Harry looks up, his bright green eyes suddenly shining, making me know he thought of something and says: "Huh, I guess you can't really call someone with that many soul parts locked away human. You were actually right there, Hagrid." Hagrid looks shocked, while Sirius whitens and asks: "What do you mean soul parts?"  
And Harry's answer scares me, Sirius as well as Severus as he asks: "How do you think he survived that night?" Sirius and I share a glance, while Severus starts to curse under his breath behind me and I suddenly realize what exactly happened when Mr. Potter came back from the Graveyard and grabbed his scar.  
It had been a soul part and when Voldemort had died, he had tried to use it to keep himself alive, but Harry's love and amazing heart had saved him and broke the connection made through the soul part. I shake my head, barely believing that the boy can survive something like that and then still party almost all night long as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 62 – PS**_

This shocks me and seems to confuse the school, but then Sirius grumbles: "Rotten Muggles." And he pulls Harry ever closer. We all look at him and he says: "It's obvious, isn't it? Harry doesn't believe he can be a wizard, because of all those times his relatives talked him down, both awake and when he's asleep."  
Everyone looks shocked and Collin says: "But surely –." But Sirius stops him and says: "Collin, that only makes it an even bigger problem. What Harry did was beyond amazing and so, because he was constantly told he was – which he is not – beyond worthless – I repeat, which he is not – that made it even harder for him to believe all of this."  
The boy looks shocked and Harry asks: "How do you know all this?" And Sirius whispers something in his hair that the school obviously considers too personal as the charm Albus cast doesn't make us hear what he says. I shrug at this, hurt and worried over Harry and his mental state and continue reading the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 62 – PS**_ _the pain in his wrist the proof – and on the same time making him wonder if that will ever heal_ _ **; PS – Chapter 04, page 62 – PS**_ _Why hadn't everything uncle Vernon used to punish him turned against the man if he had such amazingly magical powers?_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 62 – PS**_ _– not to mention all the kitchen utensils aunt Petunia used and all the ways uncle Vernon punished him?  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 62 – PS**_ _wanting to disbelief his own words as it would mean his way gone from the Dursleys_ _ **, PS – Chapter 04, page 62 – PS**_

"Of course he chuckled. You not being a wizard?" Sirius asks his son incredulously and he says: "That's like Hermione not being smart, the Weasleys not being gingers, Remus not being my one true love." He then softly caresses the boy's face and says: "You not being my son and baby boy." Harry smiles at his dad and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 62 & 63 – PS **__when Dudley had thrown him out of the window he had somehow survived the fall and fallen into a coma instead of dying_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 63 – PS**_

The last part I read silently, trying to just continue reading and hoping to find something that can distract us, but then Harry says: "All parts of the November 1986 story I will tell you about soon. I –." He then stops, obviously trying to find his courage again before he says: "I just first want to find someone I can trust with this story."  
The Hall nods, the students and even Sirius and Remus understanding that with Harry's trust issues and the magnitude of this particular story it's hard for the boy to just come out with it. But the words still scare me and I whisper: "From what floor did he fall?" And while hoping it's just a window on the ground floor at the Muggles, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 63 – PS**_ _His tone scared Harry and, trusting Hagrid one last time, he quickly ducked onto the couch. Hagrid did not fail him as the man glared at his uncle and drew a gentle arm around him._ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 63 – PS**_ _pulling Harry closer as Uncle Vernon had walked away from the corner in his anger_ _ **. PS – Chapter 04, page 63 – PS**_

"Even before, thanks to James." Sirius smiles at his son and Harry smiles back, but then he looks from Sirius to Remus and suddenly blanches. The two look confused and then a peaceful smile adorns Harry's face and he whispers:  
"I'll be a good son, I'll make you proud." The two smile and Remus says: "We know you will. And you'll be a great big brother too." And Harry asks the one question that makes me realize why he blanched earlier on: "Will you werewolf adopt more kids?"  
The two look at each other and then Lucius says: "Harry, Magical Creatures, such as werewolves, have, as you now know mates. But once the Mate – if male – and Magical Creature bond a small womb will start to grow inside the Mate's body, making the Mate capable of being pregnant once the two are ready for kids."  
Harry looks wide eyes and Narcissa says: "It's also possible with powerful wizards, such as Godric Gryffindor, who was rumored to be the bearers of his own heirs." And Harry repeats: "Wizards can get – pregnant?" The four elders nod and when a small smile returns to Harry's shocked face, Remus says: "Like I said, great big brother."

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 63 – PS**_

"Seeing what that man did to Harry and what he caused him, I can't say I can agree with myself anymore. But at least I don't think as bad about him as those rotten Muggles." Hagrid grumbles and this intrigues me as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 63 – PS**_

My eyes widen at reading this and my mind fills with possible reactions from Hagrid to this. "Did he just actually." One of the twins then starts and the other goes on: "Have the guts." And the first returns: "To say that." And they chorus: "In front of Hagrid?" Hagrid nods and all of Gryffindor choruses as one: "He's dead."

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 64 – PS**_ _Harry took comfort from the fact Hagrid actually sort of hugged him and that it were his uncle's words that set the man off to keep himself from getting scared and cowering in front of his first friend_ _ **, PS – Chapter 04, page 64 – PS**_ _Harry could barely believe that had happened, but knew that – if such things happened again – his uncle would one day snap and would take his punishments to a whole new level.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 64 – PS**_

"Glad I can help you use some magic, Hagrid. Merlin knows you deserve it." Harry smiles at his elder friend, who smiles back widely. And Ron mumbles: "As long as you keep Aragog and Skrewts away from us." Hagrid laughs at the boy's words and I snicker myself as I read on, glad that the chapter's almost over.

 _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 64 & 65 – PS  
**_ _Harry was relieved and honored at the same time. Hagrid had actually let him borrow something and its uses were obvious. On the same time he was relieved that his questions, which had been becoming a little too personal he now realized, had not angered Hagrid.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 04, page 65 – PS  
**_ _If ye wan' ye can sleep on the couch._ _ **"**_ _Harry looked at it as Hagrid lay himself down on it and then sat back up. The couch was now almost even with the floor and the arm rests were no longer attached to the couch except for a few strings.  
_ _Harry knew he could kip there and be close to Hagrid's warmth, but the couch would not keep him from rolling off and he declined, saying the couch was now better suited to Hagrid's size. The giant agreed, offered again, but when he was again declined, shrugged and slowly lay down.  
_ _Harry lay himself back down in his little sand-made basket and felt proud of himself as he pulled the coat over him – he had pushed the sand together near the fire and now the heat had warmed up the sand surrounding him. Soon the same happened to the coat and while now being used to the thundering storm and blowing winds, did Harry feel himself falling asleep to the rhythmic sound of Hagrid's even snores._

Everyone smiles, all of us relieved to finally have a happy ending to a chapter and Harry says: "I have to admit they forgot to add something, Hagrid." The man looks at him and he says: "Part of me was indeed scared I would fall off, but I was scared of it, because I feared you could turn in your sleep and then squash me."  
The man looks shocked and then the Hall bursts out laughing as the man turns red and snickers. Harry smiles, obviously glad that his words hadn't angered the Half-giant and then he stretches his arms out and asks: "Professor, would now be a good time to have those conversations?" The Heads nod and all of them leave.  
Harry then also stands up, slowly hugging his parents and tentatively giving Viktor a kiss on the cheek causing for most of the females in the Hall to coo and some of the males around him to hoot at the sight, before thanking his friends for their support and understanding and they all nod before he leaves to follow the Heads.


	17. Finally A Turnaround

_**Шампион на сърцето ми**_ _ **is Bulgarian for Champion of my heart.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 16  
**_ _ **Finally a turnaround**_

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I wonder what my mum told my Head of house and why it makes the woman doubt that my – adopted – grandparents were ever proud of her being a witch. I walk into the antechamber with the four Heads of Houses, shortly reminded of the Night of the Champions' Choosing, and sit down on one of the five chairs Professor Flitwick conjures.

He, Professor Snape and Professor Sprout then leave the seats behind and wander to the other side of the room, their faces close together and their angry hushed whispers making me know they're discussing the Dursleys, while Professor McGonagall sits with me and sighs. I look worried, curious and concerned and the woman starts her tale:  
"Mr. Potter, your mother once, at the start of her 5th year, conveyed some information with me that, had she not told me, would have made her 5th year really awful for her. You see, she told her parents everything about her previous and upcoming year and thus also that in 5th she would have to take one of the two most important tests in the Magical world.  
Her parents did not react like Petunia must be thinking they reacted; exuberant, proud and wanting her to do her best. On the contrary, Mr. Potter, they told her, all summer long, to fail her O.W.L.s and that she didn't – and would never – belong in the Magical World. That the proof lay with her being born in the Muggle world."

I look shocked and the woman goes on: "I slightly believe this has to do with Walburga Black's actions. My reason behind that being that if Walburga didn't want her daughter, she probably didn't want to chance any form of contact with her either. When the Evans family adopted Lily, she must have told them to keep Lily out of her world."  
I nod and ask: "So, they tried to keep her in the Muggle world?" The woman nods and while I feel hatred growing for my grandmother, do I ask: "Then why make it look to Petunia as if she was the most brilliant of them all?" And the woman gives me an answer I never would have expected: "They did that, because they did the same with Lily."  
I look at the woman shocked and confused and she says: "Mr. Potter, all those times your aunt was told how wonderful and magnificent and terrific Lily was, it was behind Lily's back. And behind Petunia's back." And I end the sentence: "They praised Petunia to my mum and made her feel as if she was the less talented. But why?"

The woman sighs and says: "I believe they were just not ready to be parents and thus didn't know how to properly motivate the two girls, especially not with how different they were. Had Lily and Petunia both been magical, I believe the upraising would have been easier and they would not have resorted to this form of upbringing."

I nod and then ask: "Professor, I have to know. How close were my parents?" The woman sighs, shocking and confusing me and she says: "Your parents were as different as your mother and Petunia. They were alike at some parts, but their personalities, at first, didn't match at all – more like pushed them away."  
She then looks up, looking back to the door to the Great Hall shortly before she says: "You can best compare them to Mss. Granger and Mr. Weasley. I've seen their behavior to one another, especially this year, and it really reminds me of Lily and James. Only difference, they're friends." I shake my head shocked and ask:  
"My parents weren't friends?" The woman shakes her head and says: "They weren't, Harry. James was a prankster and mostly targeted Severus, who was Lily's friend until the end of Fifth. But somewhere around the end of that year, Severus and Lily broke their friendship and halfway through sixth, I saw Lily and James become friends.

And the responsible way James handled his friendship with her, not asking her out, like he did daily, not pushing against her, just to touch her, not playfully flirting with her, made me realize there was more behind James' prankster side. I used that to convince my colleagues of making James Head Boy and that, I believe, brought them together.  
Lily saw that James, not just with their friendship, but with the care and responsibility that came with being Head Boy, was very serious and careful and eventually, I believe, she got a crush on him, got sick of him not asking her out anymore and –." Now the woman shakes her head with a small smile on her face and says:

"It was during a meeting between the Prefects, Heads and the Head boy and girl. Remus and Lily had talked beforehand, I had spotted them, and Remus, all throughout the meeting kept shooting James signs he should ask Lily out. James kept refusing and showing Remus signs he wouldn't and when Lily noticed, she jumped up and shouted:

 _ **Would you just ask me out already?"**_

James was so speechless and then I guess your mother's temper got the better of her and she said; _**if you don't ask me out before the next Hogsmeade weekend, I'll go with Black**_! That really shocked James and after that Hogsmeade weekend, they slowly but surely got together." I smile at the story and then motion the other teachers over.  
And as they walk over, I whisper: "Thanks for telling me, Professor. Next to knowing I got my dad's looks, flying talent and my mum's eyes and part of her temper, I know less than nothing about them." The woman looks shocked at me and I smile as if nothing's wrong as the other Heads of Houses join us at the seats.

"Thank you for your time, Professors. My suggestion? Muggleborns." The Heads look confused and I say: "You've seen what happened at my place. I knew nothing, my relatives knew but said nothing and I had – as much as I like him – someone who could tell me nothing about the regular comings and goings of this world.  
Most Muggleborns have the same problem, but then with parents who know as little as they do. I mean, take Hermione for example. She saw Dobby and Winky, knows nothing about how our world fully – as a whole – treats House-Elves and instantly believes she should free all House-Elves, which in turn angered those working here.  
There are a lot of things people take for granted and there are even more things that Purebloods take for granted, but they shouldn't, because we live in a mixed world. Now, if there is anything I have learned about Purebloods, it's that they like to think they know more and are better than the average Muggleborn student here.

So I've come up with a solution that helps Muggleborns, makes Purebloods feel good about themselves and give aid to Muggleborns before they go to Hogwarts and while they're at Hogwarts." The teachers look intrigued and I say: "If a Muggleborn gets their letter for Hogwarts, one of you four goes there to explain things to them, right?"  
The teachers nod and I say: "Well, here's what you can do. Pick one Pureblood child, say my apparent cousin Draco, take him with you to a Muggleborn and let him get in contact with that Muggleborn, so that the Muggleborn has someone who can, at their level, explain things to them. Just make sure they have an owl or connection to the Floo.  
That way, you make Purebloods feel superior and they help Muggleborns become welcomed into our world gently and with proper common knowledge on laws, customs and the history of our world." The teachers look at each other and then Professor Snape says: "That is devious, loyal – and just outright a brilliant plan."

I look shocked, never having expected those words from the man's mouth and before my mouth can fall down in shock, do I reprimand myself thinking: "He was your mother's friend, he liked her, he might like you." And then my suspicions are confirmed as the man says: "Your mother would have been proud of you, Mr. Potter."  
I smile at the man, my eyes locking with his in wonder and him nodding, telling me silently he'll tell me more about my mum later and Minerva says: "I will inform the Board of Governors. Surely those Purebloods will love this plan. It will stroke their egos and relieve their fears that Muggleborns will ruin the world they live in."  
I nod and so do the other two teachers, Professor Flitwick muttering: "As brilliant as his mother, he is. As brilliant as his mother." I smile at the man as we leave, having barely ever to never been compared to my mother, but as we leave, do I still catch Professor Snape as he mutters: "They sure have a good reason to fear it."  
Making me wonder what it could be. I quickly decide to check the Muggleborn history concerning the Magical world and all they might and could have done that made Purebloods hate them so much. But as I decide this, can I barely imagine all the things I will discover – things I should never think of telling Hermione.

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

I see my son returning from the Antechamber, with the Heads looking at him with new respect and intrigue and smile in pride at the fact he impressed them so much. I then grab my chance as Poppy has left the owl stand and after kissing Remus on the lips and Harry on the forehead, do I quickly stand behind the stand and say:  
"I know I already read a chapter a few days ago, but a new book a new chance. Can everyone agree on that?" Everyone nods, my friends smiling because they know I just want to read this chapter, because it will most probably be a Dursley-free chapter and so I fake to scrape my throat, making some students laugh before I start reading.

 _ **Diagon Alley**_

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 66 – PS**_ _No way will uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia ever give me a new room._

This makes my lips thin in anger and I think: "This better be over soon. I can't stand hearing about my son's self-doubt, let alone reading about it." And when I look up briefly, I can see that the same thoughts – well, almost the same – go through my lovely Remus' mind. I smile at him and he smiles back before I read on

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 66 – PS**_ _The coat was still warm, even though the fire seems to have died out hours ago and in some weird way, his basket made of sand was still in perfect form._ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 66 – PS**_ _The fact his dream had not been a dream meant he could soon escape the Dursleys for a whole school year and find out more who he was supposed to be and who his parents really were._

Everyone smiles at the happy thoughts and I think: "If it's up to me, those thoughts are the only kind he will ever think off again." But I know that won't be easy as Harry must have been raised to think bad and dark thoughts and my determination to care for my son and help him get closure with his past grows as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 66 & 67 – PS**_ _trying to swap the bird away, which hooted indignantly, but didn't attack him_ _ **. PS – Chapter 5, page 67 – PS**_ _The owl recognized the items as something he apparently needed as he slowly settled himself on Harry's thin shoulder and gazed at the coins intently.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 67 – PS**_ _Following his instincts just for a minute, he softly petted the owl's upper belly and he gave a grateful hoot. Then he flew off through the open window, but as he did, Harry noticed two things. One, the owl was female. Two, she was a little heavier than she should be, if the ache in his shoulder was anything to go by, so she was probably with young._

Everyone looks shocked and Harry snickers and mutters: "Wonder if she ever got her eggs." His dry tone breaking the shock and making many students laugh, some of them even tearing up, while Ron howls: "Only you, mate. Only you." I laugh too and after a few minutes of calming myself down, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 67 – PS**_

"Oh help." Ron and Hermione moan and I too sigh, but shoot them a glare, telling them not to complain. They nod and Harry, who just wanted to start retorting, looks at me and I smile helpfully at him. He smiles back gratefully and I think: "If I want to help Harry get over his past, I can't let others be bothered by the small things,  
Like Harry's pessimistic thinking. That will just worsen the progress." I then sigh, knowing I learned all of this from my aunt Dorea, who took me in and raised me, like I knew I always wanted my mother to. And after Dorea and Charlus' death, did Lily take that role to help me get over my past, if only so I could help her raise Harry.  
I look at the boy I took therapy for and think: "He doesn't need a shrink; he needs a Black. My Great-aunt and sister helped me and I can, through their help, help him." This makes me smile as I know Harry won't spill his secrets to a stranger, especially seeing the mysterious Erica, who keeps coming back in the story. I shrug this thought off and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 67 & 68 – PS **__Harry knew it was stupid to think his parents would leave everything in their house, but if they were to go in hiding, would they not hide their most valuable possessions with them?  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 68 – PS**_ _(Harry flinched at the word, but kept the flinch as invisible as he could)_ _ **! PS – Chapter 5, page 68 – PS**_

This makes many students smile in happiness at the man, who smiles back, but I still hear Narcissa grumble: "Now if only we could trust Albus as well." And I nod, agreeing with my cousin, but glad the comment didn't pass throughout the hall, as only Gryffindors and a few Ravenclaws who also heard with me, before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 68 & 69 – PS **__He imagined Hagrid to do the same as the famous movie character, Mary Poppins, that Mss. Crenson always let him watch if he visited her – every visit a small part of the movie – and then looked back at the coat hiding Hagrid's umbrella, thinking: "If that thing can perform magic, can it fly like Mary Poppins'? There sure was enough wind last night."_

Hagrid looks shocked and confused and he says: "Harry, I didn't fly that way. I used your mum's old motorcycle. I just landed near the rocks and shrunk it, with one of those buttons he installed on it." Now, while some of the students – obviously Muggleborns – look defeated, does Remus shake his head and says:  
"The Shrink button. One of the first things Sirius installed on that racket on wheels. He was so crazy for it when he bought it, he wanted to be sure he could take it with him wherever he went." I smile and shrug at the man, who rolls his eyes but smiles back at me, his eyes full of his love for me, before I read on, feeling that love.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 69 – PS**_

"I sure hope not." Charlie glares at his older brother and while I personally feel very proud of the animal lover, does the other boy say: "Listen Charlie, I don't know if there's dragons inside Gringotts. I worked at pyramids and things like that and yes, I did find a few enchanted skeletons there, but that's all I know. I swear."  
Charlie nods and grumbles about Dragons and how people shouldn't mess with them or their skeletons. I snicker as I hear this as it reminds me of how Remus always complained about there not being enough chocolate snacks during Hogwarts meals and feasts and how James always complained of Lily not going out with him. I shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 69 – PS  
**_ _Then suddenly, he saw that Hagrid wasn't paging or really seemed to read as his eyes seemed glued to one small spot of the same page and snickered. The man was just trying to be busy and give Harry the room to ask whatever he wanted._

This makes many of the students snicker and Hagrid grumbles: "Really thought I fooled him." Making those sitting close to him who heard first laugh even louder. Harry snickers and shrugs and says: "What can I say? I always trained my instincts and senses, so I just notice the craziest of things." To which his friends shout: "You can say that again."  
The boy pouts, which makes Viktor send him an adoring smile and when my son catches it, he blushes a bit and hides in Remus' jacket, making the man laugh. I snicker at his innocence, glad he still has some childish traits left in him, but then see the anger and revulsion with which Cho Chang glares at Harry and Viktor.  
I glare back at her and when she notices, she looks at me and I warn her with my glare. _**Don't you dare try anything. Don't you dare break them up**_. The girl whitens when she realizes what I'm thinking and quickly turns her head away, turning to look at the table in front of her with a deviant look that bugs me, while I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 69 – PS**_

"We don't mess things up." Fudge glares at Hagrid, but Harry stands up and says: "Minister, I'm sure Hagrid just thinks that, because of his way of seeing things and because of what happened all those years ago when he was expelled." The minister nods, while I wonder what my son knows of Hagrid's expulsion and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 70 – PS**_

"I take that back. The biggest bunglers I've ever seen are Bagman and Crouch. Betting on a minor and sending Sirius to Azkaban, while he's obviously innocent. Did he even give the man a trial or what?" I feel tempted to say Crouch didn't but decide to just leave that information to the side until later and instead just read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 70 – PS**_

Now Harry shakes his head and says: "I agree with what Hagrid said, Minister, but not with the way you're handling that." The man looks at him shocked, while the Heads look intrigued, obviously wanting to know if he has a way to handle it better. The boy takes a deep breath, obviously steeling himself for something and says:  
"You hide us from the Muggle world so well, we don't even pay attention to them anymore. Yes, we know they have cars like us and that they have jobs and eat at restaurants like we do, but we know nothing of phones, postal services and other ways the Muggles have evolved over time. And that's dangerous." Fudge looks confused and Harry says:

"It's dangerous because the Muggles of America, in 1945, build a weapon so powerful and destructive it totally wiped an entire city off the map, killing hundreds of thousands and still causing trouble, through the after-effects of the chemicals inside said weapon." The minister, many other adults, some Purebloods and I look shocked and Harry says:  
"On the 6th of August in 1945, America dropped a weapon also known as an Atomic bomb, which they named Little Boy, on the Japanese city Hiroshima. This bombing caused 66.000 citizens to be killed instantly, while the radio-activity that was used as fuel affected the survivors so terribly, at the end of 1945, the death rate had gone up to 100.000.  
The after-effects of the bombing consisted of deathly diseases, miscarriages and people's bodies to be disfigured or for them to die with one or more parts of their bodies paralyzed for life. One of the survivors even calculated it and a total of 69.000 people had been injured to varying degrees, because of the bombing.  
According to what I heard, within 5 years after the bombing the long term effects of the radio-activity, such as cancer, caused the death toll to reach 200.000 and maybe even more." The Minister and other adults look shocked, while some purebloods look scared at the information they've been given and Harry goes on and says:

"And that's why it's wrong what you're doing, Minister. That happened 50 years ago and Muggles have really evolved and become better with mechanics and weapons since. So if we don't want another, more gruesome and terrible Witch Hunt, we have to learn more about Muggles, so that we can blend in better."  
The man nods, while many of the younger Pureblood students now whimper at what they were told and then Minerva asks: "Students, who of you believes it would be best for us all to have Muggle Studies as a Mandatory class?" And mostly the Purebloods quickly raise their hands, followed by the rest of the school.  
The woman nods, while Narcissa had been silently asking Andromeda for confirmation and while Ted and his wife confirm what they had been told does my old Head of House say: "Mr. Potter, please put your words in an official report and I'll make sure the Board of Governors hears of this." Harry nods at the woman and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 70 – PS**_

"Not really a good way to blend in, but it does proof my point." Harry states with a grim face, while Hagrid seems a little embarrassed by his actions of four years ago. I shake my head at the man, knowing many of us behave like that and read on, hoping more than ever that we're not leading ourselves into another dangerous war.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 70 – PS**_

This makes me gulp as the fact this was put into the story worries me and I think: "It wouldn't be put in it if it wouldn't have any significance to the story. But by Merlin, I really hope Hagrid didn't let Harry get around a dragon that early on. That Hungarian Horntail was enough at his age." I take a deep breath to calm down and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 70 & 71 – PS  
**_ _Harry wondered how Hagrid couldn't understand the paper money, as it had the numbers of value written on it, but he was glad Hagrid couldn't as it was a way for him to perfection his reading skills._ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 71 – PS**_

"It was a blanket I was making, Harry." Hagrid tells the boy and he shrugs and asks: "For who was it?"And when Hagrid answers: "Fluffy." Harry, Ron and Hermione whiten. This worries me as I know Hagrid only gives cute names to dangerous animals and I think: "Please, let it not be too dangerous. Let it be something like Buckbeak."  
But just by thinking it do I already doubt it, as Buckbeak doesn't sound sweet and cuddly, but proud and strong. "Still that could be because of their proud nature." I think, but know I'm just trying to fool myself and – while my need to read the book around my family grows with each disturbing new fact – do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 71 & 72 – PS – **__or maybe it was just not an ordinary way for him_ _ **. PS – Chapter 5, page 72 & 73 – PS **__Harry now slightly understood why Hagrid was against the Ministry. If they didn't even keep their own people from saying things about the Magical World out loud, he wondered what else they could be doing wrong.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 73 – PS**_ _This didn't bother Harry at all, although he was still slightly high on his instincts, that made him careful not to bump into Hagrid or in any other way anger the man._ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 73 – PS**_ _– no matter what his instincts told him._

Everyone smiles and Minerva says: "You do have that effect on people, Hagrid. Which makes me understand why Albus send you to fetch Harry. It might have been harder for him to trust myself or one of my colleagues." The man turns red under his beard, while a goofy grin appears on his face and I smile and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 73 – PS**_ _Immediately he understood. Muggles weren't supposed to know of Wizardry, so the magical stores and all were of course hidden by magic. Harry wondered if there were more magical stores in the alley that he had missed.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 73 – PS**_ _or ask if there were more_ _ **, PS – Chapter 5, page 73 & 74 – PS  
**_ _Harry guessed that the dark, dangy exterior was just to keep Muggles away if they accidentally did enter the place. A man like his uncle would immediately leave upon seeing the customers in this place._ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 74 – PS  
**_ _For a minute, when the mob had gone for him he had wanted to hide behind Hagrid, crouch and pretend he didn't exist, but Tom had still been holding his hand tightly, preventing his escape.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 74 & 75 – PS **__He was glad to see a familiar face, because all these people talking to him as if they've known him for years was freaking him out._ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 75 – PS  
**_ _Harry was starting to get scared and the longer he shook hands, the more it felt as if the looks he was getting were hungry looks, as the people around him didn't want to meet him, but hurt him.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 75 – PS**_ _Harry wondered if the man was getting as scared of the current situation as he was.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 75 – PS**_ _although Harry would have been happier just to keep talking to the man than continuing to meet all those other people_ _ **. PS – Chapter 5, page 75 & 76 – PS  
**_ _Harry had never been as happy to be in a small, lonely space as he was then.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 76 – PS**_ _as the boy turned around, faking to examine the small courtyard, while he breathed a sigh of intense relief.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 76 – PS**_ _Harry's fear mounted and he only barely stopped himself from flinching away from the man, afraid of getting hit and momentarily forgetting who he was with.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 76 – PS**_ _Harry blinked and focused on this, if only to find something he could focus on and with that let his mind slowly get used to all these strange, new concepts.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 76 & 77 – PS **__Part of him was terrified now as that was his only known way out would things turn as bad as they were in the pub._

Now the students look sad and Hagrid says: "Really should have noticed he didn't like being around all those people. Should have been more discrete." To this Pomona pats him on the shoulder and says: "There, there, Hagrid. You just weren't the right person to help Harry confront his fame. In every other aspect you're doing great so far."  
The man smiles at her and I nod in agreement, along with quite a few other teachers and Amelia. This really seems to cheer Hagrid up and I smile at the man, while squashing down the envy that he got to take Harry for his first trip to Diagon Alley. I shake my head, thinking of how I can be there for his first ever shopping spree and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 77 – PS**_

I see Molly look shocked and while her sons groan at seeing her wide eyes, do I think: "Oh Merlin, you have to be kidding me." Then the woman, obviously feeling righteous over the wrong reasons, gushes: "Oh Harry, that was me. See, Albus was right. You and Ginny are meant to be and us indirectly meeting proves it."  
But Harry, seemingly angry over something important with the woman, spats: "Hearing someone saying something isn't what I call an indirect meeting, Mss. Molly. It's coincidence." The woman looks shocked, while Ron smiles, the twins give him a thumbs up and Bill and Charlie nod with proud agreement as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 77 – PS**_ _As they passed Harry heard a screeching and saw an amber eye look straight at him._ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 77 – PS**_ _Harry smiled at their innocence and thought: "Maybe this world can help me be like them, wanting regular things like cool brooms and regular meals."_

Everyone looks down, some of them with self-hatred and I know those are the people who thought Harry had it all and had probably made his school years bad out of petty jealousy. I shake my head at what I see around me and while feeling determined to make sure that never happens to my little boy again, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 77 & 78 – PS **__Harry noticed that he wore several rings on one of his hands. Around one of the fingers was a ring with some kind of emblem on it, while on the other was another, this one with the word schnezleclaw on it._ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 78 – PS**_ _Harry spared a glance at Hagrid, but the giant seemed to take this for silly granted. Nevertheless, Harry gave an almost invisible nod at the Goblin and saw his eyes widen before they entered the building._

"Harry dear, do you know what you just did?" Narcissa asks and Harry asks: "Something bad?" But the woman shakes her head and Lucius says: "You're the last of the Potters and thus the Goblins will see you as Lord of your family. For a Lord to nod at a Goblin is a sign that he recognizes the Goblin as a creature of the same stature."  
To this Harry shrugs and says: "I don't see what's the big problem." And before Hermione can utter more than: "The probl –." Has Ron slapped a hand over her mouth and does Harry send a significant look at the Heads who nod. Then Narcissa says: "Goblins believe we see them as creatures below us. By nodding, you showed different.  
And because you are seen as a Lord to them, it means all the more. I'm sorry, Hagrid, but had one of the Heads taken him, he would have surely been allowed to have a meeting with Prisnov himself." The man looks shocked and then Harry shocks me and Narcissa deeply, if not all Purebloods in the Hall as he asks: "Prisnov?"

Everyone looks at him and Bill says: "The vice-president of the Bank. He goes over other faculties, the Vaults and the Lords of families, while the President, Ragnok goes over the contacts with other societies, the Goblins and the working conditions of his employees." Harry nods and Narcissa mutters: "So much to learn. So, so much."  
I can't help but agree and feel angered by this fact as Harry should be ready to wear his Head of the Family Badge by next year – as is custom for orphaned Lords of Most Noble and Ancient Familes – and while hating Dumbledore for not giving Harry this chance and myself for being locked away from my son, do I read on with a sigh.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 78 – PS,**_ _Harry again nodding at both invisibly, making sure to be a few steps behind Hagrid and receiving more wide eyed, shocked stares_ _ **. PS – Chapter 5, page 78 & 79 – PS  
**_ _The goblin saw him looking and when their eyes met, Harry bowed his head with his eyes almost completely closed, allowing enough of his vision to remain seen to see the goblin drop a stack of rubies onto the counter loudly._

"Not just showing respect as an equal, actually showing yourself to be inferior to them. Is there anything you can't do?" Lucius asks and Harry asks: "Did I do wrong?" But Narcissa, having taken my place next to Harry, hugs the boy close, smiling at him and I see Harry's tense form relax after a few seconds, before she says:  
"No dear, Lucius is just showing how proud he is of having you part of our family." The boy looks shocked and spares a quick glance at Lucius, who must be giving him the same invisible nod he gave the goblins years ago and Harry, misty eyed, nods back and hides his face in Narcissa's shoulder, obviously hiding the tears of joy.  
I smile at my son, glad and thankful that Lucius is actually helping and think: "Okay, I will allow him around Harry, if he hands in his wand and I will let him be around Remus, if he hands in his wand and Narcissa and I are around." And I smile at my family as a whole – my mate, son, his crush, my cousin and her son and husband – before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 79 – PS**_

Immediately I hit myself on the head as Harry had been curious about things he couldn't reach since he was an infant and so do Ron, Hermione, the twins and Remus and one of the twins says: "If there is one thing." And the other goes on: "You should never do around Harry." And they chorus: "It's talking about important secrets."  
The boy scowls and Minerva says: "Perhaps it would have been better if one of us had also been at the Leaky Cauldron that day. Then we could have taken Mr. Potter for his shopping, while Hagrid went to pick _**it**_ up." The other teachers nod, while I can barely believe their feeble attempt to have secrecy and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 79 – PS**_ _He actually bowed his head to Harry and Harry did the same, seeing a sign of respect and showing it back. But as he moved his fringe in front of his eyes, he saw that he had shocked the goblin, as if no one had ever responded to his bows.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 79 – PS**_ _Harry had wanted to ask on, but while he respected Hagrid enough not to, the fact he could ask the man questions freely awoke a strange new sense of curiosity inside of him.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 79 & 80 – PS**_

"That's really impressive, Harry." Bill says and I go on and say: "Yeah, I went down to my vault at least twice a year back in the seventies and even when I went down to get money for a wedding present I could only remember three turns." My son smiles at me, while he's a little red and with a large smile do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 80 & 81 – PS**_

"Mr. Potter, I think they did know. They were after all send a monthly stipend to raise and take care of you. And that alone consisted of 500 pounds, together with another 150 pounds Christmas money." Harry glares as Minerva explains them this and then Bill lies a comforting hand on his tightly closed fist and says:  
"Don't worry, I'll make sure the Goblins let them return every last penny. Those Muggles obviously used the money for their son and the Goblins – well, they won't be happy campers when they hear the money has been used for another target instead of its intended." Harry smiles at the eldest Weasley and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 81 – PS**_ _How often had he heard Uncle Vernon complain about his parents and how their drinking problem had led them to take care of him without any money available?_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 81 – PS**_ _But before they entered back into the cart, Harry whispered at the Goblin: "Please make sure no one can exchange this for Muggle money without my permission."_

This makes me smile and Harry, feeling very proud of himself obviously, asks: "That means the Dursleys haven't been receiving any more stipends, have they Professor?" But the woman sighs and says: "They have, Mr. Potter. The vault we just read about is your Trust Vault, set up by your father just before your birthday.  
The Vault used for the stipend of those Muggles is your Economical Vault, which holds money for funds and stipends and holds reports on your funds, foundations and the use of stipends." Harry looks shocked and asks: "Another Vault? How many do I have?" And Bill says: "The Potters currently hold a total of 7 vaults."  
The boy looks shocked and asks: "What – what's in them?" But then Narcissa lies a hand on his shoulder and says: "I'm sorry, Harry, but that's best discussed somewhere else. I know the students now respect you, but Family Secrets are best to remain Family secrets, okay dear?" Harry nods at her and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 81 – PS**_ _Harry felt bad for worrying his friend, but his curiosity had been fueled by the fact that the Goblins would not have made such a deep ravine without protecting the ground – in case someone fell out of the cart.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 81 – PS**_ _Harry felt terrified of the grin, but also assured that his money, what he had anyway, was safe.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 82 – PS**_

This makes students, who have leaned forward in anticipation to moan disappointed and then Luna says: "I guess that package is the reason the title of the book is hidden. It will probably show once the book tells us what the package is." I look at the front of the book and I too can only read the name of my son. I nod at the girl and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 82 – PS**_ _He badly wanted to know, but he didn't want Hagrid to feel like he disappointed someone and this Dumbledore person seemed really important to Hagrid.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 82 – PS  
**_ _But then he stopped thinking of what to buy and thought: "If I come back with all kinds of stuff, they'll know I have money. I have to buy some second-rated stuff or I can say bye-bye to my money."  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 82 – PS**_

" **HAGRID!"** I shout furiously and go on: "You don't! EVER! Leave a Muggle-raised wizard in a magical alley by himself. Especially not on his first trip or if he has Harry's fame. You were standing only TEN BLOODY STEPS away from Knockturn alley for Circe's sake!" The man looks ashamed, but when I want to continue reading, do I notice something odd.  
I look up and see Harry glare at me. I look shocked and Remus says: "Harry, don't glare. Sirius is just worried and he does have a point. He's not angry at Hagrid – okay, maybe he is – but he has a good reason. He cares for you and wants you safe. Hagrid, as you know, can protect you just fine, but then he does have to be around you."  
The boy sighs and Hagrid says: "I'm sorry, Harry. Sirius is right. You were my responsibility and I shouldn't choose a good drink over a friend." Harry smiles at his elder, half-giant friend, but I feel myself hoping Hagrid will show something to appease me and make me feel as if I can really trust him with my boy. And with that I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 82 – PS**_

"A friend, Harry?" I ask, but Harry shakes his head and says: "Family. Although I didn't know that back then." Instantly Narcissa and Lucius look at their son and I feel dread as I wonder how Draco was back then. I also see an intrigued look on Snape's face and know he wonders what happened back then. Agreeing with him, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 83 – PS**_

This makes his parents raise their eyebrows at their son and Harry pats his shoulder, while he hits himself on the head and Harry says: "Welcome to my world." Draco glares at the boy, but I can see the playful humor shining in his silver eyes, while Harry tries to keep the humor out of his own smile and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 83 – PS**_

"WHAT!?" Oliver shouts, looking shocked, terrified and scandalized, somehow, all on the same time and Harry aims at himself and says: "Muggle-raised, remember Oliver? That was the first time I even heard of the Magical World, let alone be in it." The boy looks at his ex-fellow player shocked and I shake my head as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 83 – PS**_ _He badly wanted to hate this boy for making him feel like it, but knew where the real source of his anger should lie – uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia, who knew of the Magical world, but never told him a thing.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 83 – PS**_

"Sorry to blow your bubble, little cousin, but I'm the first Black to be in Gryffindor and your cousin, Tonks doesn't really seem like the proper Slytherin either." The girl shakes her head and says: "A Hufflepuff and proud of it." Draco whitens at this idea, while Narcissa smiles at Andromeda, who smiles back and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 83 & 84 – PS  
**_ _Still, he decided to hold back his judgment until he knew more of this boy – as currently he didn't even know the boy's name.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 84 – PS**_ _Now Harry really had to hold back on his judgment as this tone reminded him of how little his uncle cared for the sacrifice his parents had made for him.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 84 – PS**_

I then suddenly see Harry send a wink at Minerva, who shows him a small smile and a nod, together with the other Heads. This confuses me and I think: "What could Draco's words have to do with Harry's suggestion?" But when Harry turns back to me, do I realize I'm the only one who saw the exchange and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 84 & 85 – PS **__and he certainly wasn't planning to tell the boy his true last name_ _ **, PS – Chapter 5, page 85 – PS**_ _The day had been going too great for him and Hagrid and he didn't want to ruin it for the gentle giant.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 85 – PS**_

"I really should have known then what I knew now. Had I, that would not have worried me so much." Harry mutters and I look at my son in concern as Viktor and Remus hug him, Viktor softly kissing his hair and Remus drawing comforting circles on his back. Draco also looks guilty and I smile at my cousin as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 85 & 86 – PS**_

"Well, I now know one and he was in Gryffindor." Everyone looks shocked and Fred asks: "You really knew a Gryffindor who went dark?" Harry nods and says: "Wormtail. He and the Marauders were all Gryffindors and he betrayed his friends and well – you heard what he wanted to do." The twins whiten as they nod and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 86 – PS**_ _Before they left the store Harry quickly bought a few books on reading and grammar, distracting Hagrid with books on Dragons._

This makes the gentle giant laugh and he says: "You little rascal. James always did that whenever he wanted to play with my pets." Now Harry whitens and asks: "Pets like Fang or Fluffy?" And when Hagrid answers: "Fang." Harry sighs in relief, making me worry all the more about this Fluffy character as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 87 – PS**_ _Harry again distracted Hagrid, this time by asking if he could try and find the rarest ingredient this store had, and quickly bought an extra set of basic ingredients for Potions to study them, feeling himself immensely interested in the oncoming subject, along with three Unicorn horns and a few beetle eyes.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 87 & 88 – PS**_

I look at my son shocked, together with almost the entire Hall and Harry turns red as he sees all the stares aimed at him. Viktor is the first to recover from the shocked awe we must all be feeling and hugs the boy proudly, kissing the top of his head and whispering: "I knew you were amazingly powerful, Шампион на сърцето ми."  
The boy smiles, but as he looks at me from over Viktor's shoulder, I see he seems worried about something as he gazes at the book. I look down at it as well and realize now will be the first time Harry hears that his wand is connected to Voldemort's. For a second I wonder how the man's doing, but I shrug it off and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 88 & 89 – PS**_

This makes Filius smile with sad pride and I smile myself as I remember how the man had always jubilated and encouraged Lily to perform to the best of her ability and how it was often him backing her up if my friends and I pulled another stunt. "Yeah, Lily really was his favorite." I think, while shaking my head and reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 89 – PS**_

Now a small smile graces Minerva's lips, while I hold back a snicker and when I notice her look of reminiscence, I have to work even harder not to laugh as I think: "Best in Transfigurations. Go figure, Prongs." I then shake my head, share a quick meaningful glance with Remus, who smiles back at me and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 89 & 90 – PS**_

Now Ron seems shocked and Remus asks: "Is something wrong, Ron?" The boy shakes his head and says: "No, it's nothing." But as Remus turns away, do I spot him grabbing his wand and glancing at it. I wonder what could be wrong with the wand as it seems only a year or two old and while I hope to find out soon, do I read on.  
But then I get interrupted by Neville, who asks: "Professor McGonagall, if what Mr. Olivander said is true, could you please let my gran know that too? She's been insisting I use my dad's wand for the last four years." The woman looks shocked at her lion and I can't say I don't feel the same shock at hearing this.  
The Longbottoms are after all on the Top 5 Richest Wizarding Families list, together with the Malfoy, Black, Potter, Bones and Lestrange family, not to mention that the marriage between Harfang Longbottom, Neville's great-granfather and Callidora Black gave the Longbottom family access to the Black Inter-married vault.  
I wonder why Augusta allowed Neville to use his father's wand, while it was obvious since his birth that he would more be a child like his mother and think: "I really hope she doesn't see a replacement of Frank in her only grandson. Else, I'll see what I can do to change her mind." And with that plan in mind do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 90 & 91 – PS**_

"How many did you try?" Chang asks the boy, trying to wiggle her eyebrows at him as if to seduce him, but Harry gets pulled closer to Viktor's side by the jealous elder boy as he looks at the girl and says: "I think it took me a total of 14 to 17 wands or something, right Hagrid?" The Half-giant shrugs and says:  
"Sorry Harry, but I lost count after your tenth wand. All those contents just confused the heck out of me." Harry and the rest laughs and I smile, glad to see my little boy so happy. I then sigh and think: "Finally, a turnaround. Now we just have to keep away from Dursley chapters as much as possible." And with that I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 91 – PS**_

"Now what's going on?" A bored voice drawls and I feel my eyes dwindling to Draco, but the voice sounded more to the right of the room and so I see a 4th year looking at the book lazily. Recognizing his looks, I glare as I never liked Jeremiah Smith and then remember he mocked Harry during the first chapter and say:  
"You don't really have that good a memory, do you?" The boy glares at me, but I snap back: "Olivander is obviously talking about how Harry and Voldemort's wands are connected. Something told to you only 3 days ago." The boy's glare doesn't waver, but he does turn pink and while his glare doesn't affect me, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 91 – PS**_ _Harry almost took a step back, feeling scared that the man would hit him with his own new wand for asking a question, but he held back, hoping that the people in the Wizarding world were just a little more open about questions.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 91 & 92 – PS**_

I sigh as I read this fact and whisper: "At least it saved pup in the books." And Remus nods, while Harry smiles at us and says: "Yeah and I didn't even need to use this in the graveyard against Voldemort this time." Then, while the other students start to whisper about what could have happened this time, does Cedric asks:  
"Harry, why don't we Champions write down what happened in the maze and the graveyard and then read that at the end of the Fourth book." Harry smiles and says: "Good idea, Cedric. Can everyone agree on that?" And a mass sound of _**yeah**_ and _**for sure**_ and _**definitely**_ is heard all around, making Harry smile and then he says:  
"Okay, you guys write down the Maze from your points of view, then we'll fuse that into one chapter and then I'll write about the graveyard." The Champions nod and while relieved that Harry found a way to write about such a terrifying experience as I have no doubt that fear must have coarsed through him at some point, do I happily read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 92 – PS**_

"Is he actually praising You-Know-Who?" Cho's friend asks disgusted and another Ravenclaw asks: "Professor, was –?" But Minerva interrupts him and says: "No Mr. Boot, Olivander was very much against Voldemort. I more believe this to be a praise to how You – ah, old habits – Voldemort was able to use the wand for powerful magic."  
The boy nods and I think: "Yep, he's off his rocker." But I don't voice this aloud, instead smile at my son as Lily had, in our Seventh year Christmas confessed she had to try a dozen wands before she found hers. I smile at how much of both his parents is actually hidden inside the boy and while looking at how he leans into Viktor, I think:  
"With those combined inherited qualities, he'll make an individual to be proud of, for sure." And with a large proud smile and many plans coursing through my mind like crazy at how to help Harry realize he can be himself and how to put those amazing qualities to good use for his future do I continue reading, already proud of my son.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 92 – PS  
**_ _Hagrid then looked around the shopping alley and says: "You know, we might be able to buy some new cloths and have a snack before you go back home." But that was exactly what Harry didn't want as new cloths would definitely encourage the Dursleys to go, find and steal all of his money – money left to him by his parents.  
_ _He quickly shook his head and told the man he was starving, which was a total lie as the stale cornflakes, the one and a half banana, the sausages, the birthday cake and the ice cream had been more than he usually ate in two or three days._

"Harry, that together is barely a single meal." Hermione says scandalized and Harry says: "I'm sorry, Hermione, but I wasn't used to that much food. It still took me a while before I realized that what those Muggles did was wrong." The girl looks hurt and caring and Viktor pulls the boy closer, softly caressing his hair.  
This calms my boy down a lot and he softly lies his head on Viktor's shoulder, making the elder boy smile. I smile too, but then send a quick questioning look at Remus and he smirks, knowing what I'm thinking. _**Can we cuddle like that too later?**_ He nods, smirking at my obvious need for attention, but I don't care about that.  
I have after all waited for almost two decades and now that I am finally partners with Remus and even bonded to him as his destined mate, is my only desire to curl up nice and close to him and never get up again. At least not until I've given birth to at least three of his cubs. This picture makes me smile widely and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 92 – PS**_ _But as Harry watched the wall slide back into place, he swore to himself that one day, when he was rid of the Dursleys, he would return to buy everything he ever wanted, just to have it._

Now I smile at my son, glad he is willing to be a little spoiled and that he knows he deserves to have things and then ask: "Care to share that first time?" The boy looks at me and then he smiles and nods, making me smile widely, feeling amazingly touched by the evidence that Harry wants me in his life like that. And with that I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 92 & 93 – PS**_

This again makes people look down ashamed and I know that those with the really guilty faces either did something to Harry to remind him of this fact or were ever jealous of Harry and his fame. I shake my head and think: "When did the Wizarding world become so blind to common facts?" But without wanting an answer, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 5, page 93 – PS**_ _For a minute Harry felt the need to get off the train at the next station and return to the Leaky Cauldron to ask if he could rent a room somewhere, but then the thought of his fame reminded him that there would probably be search parties out if he didn't return home.  
_ _After all, they were able to be aware what room he had and where he had been while traveling, so there should most probably be someone or something overlooking Privet Drive. And with the thought that he could, in some way, escape if things went just way too wrong, Harry sat back down and sat his journey out, back to a house he never did and never would feel at home in – not like he had felt at home in just that little shopping street._

Everyone smiles at this and I sigh relieved, feeling sorry that my son can't just run away from that place, but glad he knew there were people out to help him and I mark the page, before walking back to my family. I smile at Narcissa, Viktor and Remus in gratefulness and then take my boy in my arms, hugging him close, loving him lots.


	18. Allow Him Some Romance, Will You?

_**ми нежното цвете**_ _ **is Bulgarian for**_ _ **My delicate flower  
**_ _ **Аз няма да ги пусна**_ _ **is Bulgarian for I will not let them  
**_ _ **моят ангел на доброта**_ _ **is Bulgarian for My angel of kindness  
**_ _ **любовта на живота ми**_ _ **is Bulgarian for Love of my life**_

 _ **Chapter 17  
**_ _ **Allow him some romance, will you**_

 _ **Arthur's POV**_

"I would like to read next. I heard from Molly Harry met us at the platform and I want to read about that, if no one minds." I tell the Great Hall and Minerva says: "We don't mind, Arthur, and once the Sorting Hat comes up will we have dinner." I nod at the woman, while my sons smile at the idea of food and walk over to the stand.  
I quickly page through the closed book for Sirius' marked page and when I find it, I smile as the title alone shows much promise. I clear my throat, worried as the start doesn't look too good and Poppy quickly gets me a glass of water. I smile at the woman and while Filius charms to glass to refill when nearly empty, do I start to read.

 _ **The Journey From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters  
**_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 94 – PS  
**_ _Of course after a while Dudley took advantage of this and whenever his dad was near, Dudley would 'accidentally' sit on Harry, realize it was him and then fake to run out of the room screaming – while Harry could clearly hear his laughter through his screams.  
_ _His aunt on the other hand had decided that she would bring him dinner to his bedroom door and allow him ten extra minutes in a hot water tub if he in return works in the garden from 9 to 4 every day. And because Harry now knew that his magic helped him make the most beautiful garden, he happily agreed, taking every possible opportunity to raise the power and control of his magic – without his aunt or the Ministry noticing._

This makes many students smile, the Slytherins – especially those sitting closeby – smiling at Harry in pride for his cunning actions and Pomona asks: "Mr. Potter, if you're that good, why don't you show it in my classes?" Harry shrugs and says: "Your plants are – I don't know – I guess it's the magical substance within them.  
The flowers and plants I use for my aunt's garden are simply Muggle Garden plants. I guess that makes it easier to add my magic and fuel them with it. With your plants I feel my magic fighting theirs and that makes it harder to take care of them." The woman nods, while many students look at him shocked and she says:  
"Maybe if you did some work on the grounds during the weekends and then moved a little closer to the Greenhouses each time you can get adapted to the magic of my plants and it will help your talent, seeing you obviously have one." Harry smiles and nods at the idea and while feeling happy for my long-distanced cousin, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 94 – PS**_

"You actually read those?" The twins ask, terror on their faces and Harry says: "You guys, they were very interesting, because I could use my full – oh, just read and you'll understand." The boys still look shocked, even when their large smirks prove they were just playing with their younger best friend and I read on.

 _With every book his imagination rose along with his need to be around other witches and wizards. That people could fight Goblins in wars, could harvest plants like monkswood and Aphrodite and could make potions out of beetle-eyes and falcon feathers was something that made Harry feel alone unless he could be with them.  
_ _Whenever he wasn't working in the garden, he read his books, so many times, he woke up one morning, murmuring the ingredients on a cure against chicken pox. He knew why that was, Potions and Herbology were his favorite subjects, just by reading the books about them and he hoped his teachers would be as fascinating as the books.  
_ _A History of Magic was the only book he read every night, but that too had a reason. To read about other witches and wizards and how they used magic to fulfill their achievements really made him feel as if he was there, as if we was already part of the magical world; just reading the book gave him a sense of being home._

Now the twins smile and shrug and they say: "If that's the case, we understand." Pomona smiles as well, but I can tell Severus feels shocked and stupid. That Harry was that interested in Potions must be a real shock to the man and I wonder what caused the boy to lose all of that excited interest in the subject as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 94 – PS  
**_ _He also made sure his window was closed between 8.30 in the morning and 4.10 in the evening and somehow Hedwig seemed to know this as – after the third day of doing this – Hedwig brought him a small note from Hagrid in the garden, telling him that the man was sorry not to have told him how to get on the platform and that Professor Dumbledore had informed all Pureblood families to look out for him on the Muggle Platform._

Now I smile, even if Albus' actions regarding those Muggles still infuriates me and Narcissa smiles as she says: "That almost convinced me and Lucius to, for once, take the Muggle way to the platform. But Lucius decided he would first want to see how you behaved around our kind, so we just took the regular way."  
Now Harry, who seems to open up again now that we're moving away from the chapters about his so called relatives, asks: "What is the regular way?" Before flinching and making a move that indicated he had wanted to hide. The boy stops halfway through and Sirius says: "Those books really are affecting you, aren't they?"  
Harry nods at him and Narcissa, who has a worried frown on her face as she looks at her cousin, uses a tone that proves to me she turned a blind-eye to his earlier actions – or at least wants to make him believe she did – and answers: "The regular way is for witches and wizards with one or two children to just apparate onto the platform.  
Both ends are designed for either Port Key or Apparation; one end Portkey, the other Apparation. The Portkey is most used for families with a max of 4 children, but is only allowed to be used if both parents bring the students to the platform." Harry nods in understanding, while smiling at her gratefully and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 95 – PS**_ _A small plate of dinner, filled with – to his standards – a full meal, was on the kitchen table and Harry knew this was left for him, because he had been able to bring life back to a small dead patch of grass, hidden behind the garden shed.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 95 – PS  
**_ _The man's tone made it quite obvious he was in a bad mood and this was the last day before he left; he didn't want to enter the school all bruised up.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 95 – PS  
**_ _Sure he had read A History of Magic, but there hadn't been a single mention of the school's location._ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 95 – PS  
**_ _Harry thought this stupid and believed that his aunt had probably never gone with his mother when she went to school._

"Oh, she did, alright." Snape says and he goes on: "I was even standing quite close to them when they first entered that platform. Petunia even had the damned guts to insult all of us in our own platform, calling us all freaks." Harry shakes his head and shares a meaningful glance with Minerva, who nods in agreement with him before I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 95 & 96 – PS **__and from where Harry was standing he could see that a vein was starting to throb in the left side of the man's neck – a clear sign he was getting angry_ _ **, PS – chapter 6, page 96 – PS  
**_ _This made Harry wince and he thought: "At least I'm not performing magic. If I did – I don't know how long it would take before Uncle went mad again." And with a shudder he left the room.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 96 – PS  
**_ _Not that he had had much of a rest as his uncle had drunk his night away – and when uncle got drunk, Harry got hurt. There were wells on his back, blood stains on his night shirt and a sore crack in his neck to prove it._

I wince as I read how badly Harry had been hurt and Ron says: "But mate, if you were hurt, why didn't we notice?" And Harry says: "Ron, I was hurt and nobody noticed when I went to primary school. I've had years of experience with pain and with hiding it.""But why hide it?" Hermione asks, but Harry doesn't answer.  
Instead he shudders and trembles and Hermione slaps her hand on her mouth, while Sirius pulls the boy close and Viktor speaks to him: "You're rid of them now, ми нежното цвете. They will never hurt you again. We won't let them. Аз няма да ги пусна." Harry smiles at his obvious new boyfriend and while smiling at the two, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 96 – PS**_ _Still, the jeans and large shirt were quite the blessing, because they hid his wounds and the large cut on his left side that had been burned to stay open thanks to a shot-glass of champagne and a sigarette lighter – something Finar – one of uncle Vernon's finest customers – had taught his uncle._

Harry's shudders return tenfold, the shudder bad enough to make Sirius' arms tremble along and I worry for this Finar person, as he seems to be a true torture-master. Then Amelia says: "Seems we will have to look into the clientele of Grunnings, together with the neighborhood of Privet Drive. This is starting to be intense."  
Harry nods and whispers: "Sometimes, after I discovered about Voldemort, I often lose my strength and think of how I can understand why he hates Muggles so much." This makes everyone look at him shocked and he says: "I don't approve what he did. Never think I would. It's just this is a most common occurrence after a punishment."  
The Great Hall nods, some of us still shocked, but I can tell the whole school can understand why Harry would think like that. If all he had known were abusive and torture-master Muggles, it's hard not to believe all of them are bad. Relieved the boy never thought further on that subject, I smile at my cousin and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 96 – PS  
**_ _Harry and Dudley had made sure they both leaned against the windows of their side of the car – Dudley out of fear and Harry because the stance kept the wound in his side closed. And besides that, if Uncle Vernon were to try anything, he would try it with his left arm, but Harry had quickly sat on the right side of the car – far away from his uncle.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 96 – PS  
**_ _Harry quickly spared a look around, hoping someone would notice the small boy in over-sized cloths and the large man with an expensive suit and a nasty grin on his face, but the people passing them were too busy getting onto other platforms or the trains getting ready to leave.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 97 – PS  
**_ _Harry didn't like it that they actually enjoyed his, now, hopeless situation, but luckily, his uncle had walked around Harry without hurting him._ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 97 – PS  
**_ _like he had written in the letter_ _ **,**_ _but it made Harry wonder if he should do something_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 97 – PS –**_ _but he could easily see that the other wizarding families had already entered the platform as there was no one with a large trunk or an owl-cage._ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 97 – PS  
**_ _Quickly deciding not to, he decided it would be best if he would start passing the platform over and over, paying close attention to everyone's luggage and hoping he could catch a trace of an owl or a toad or other magical pet.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 98 – PS  
**_ _He stopped just in front of the barrier between and quickly glanced at everyone around – Harry had the feeling he was looking for someone. He hoped these people were looking for him, to help him onto the platform like Hagrid had written him, but he decided to first observe the family and then make his presence known._

"Wise move, boy. You have quite the fine makings of an Auror, I can tell you that." Alastor says, the proud tone in his voice making some of us look shocked and making Tonks glare at him and while I feel relieved the man is feeling better after a few days of rest and a long day of reading, can't I help but ask: "At age 11, Alastor?"  
The man shrugs and says: "Personally I wouldn't start training them until 12 ½, maybe 13, but you can never be too careful." And the whole hall, or at least all the Hogwarts students shout: "Constant Vigilance!" Making the man smirk in pride, even if it was the fake-Moody that made them all know about his catchphrase.  
Then I hear Harry mutter: "Is it wrong that I feel freaked out about the fact that Moody just said the same thing Crouch jnr. said a couple of months ago?" This makes the man grumble and Sirius shake his head, while I smile at the freaked-out look the young boy is showing. I then shake my head and simply read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 98 – PS**_ _, walking towards the barrier and looking around him every now and again_ _ **. PS – chapter 6, page 98 & 99 – PS**_ _, looking around, just like his brothers_ _ **, PS – chapter 6, page 99 – PS  
**_ _The fact all the three brothers had been looking around as if looking for someone and that the little girl was now doing the same proved that this family was looking for him – exactly like Hagrid had told him.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 99 – PS**_ _,_ _he thought it better not to say his name just yet – the reaction of the people at the Leaky Cauldron still scared him_ _ **. PS – chapter 6, page 99 – PS  
**_ _He looked back, but the last members of the family weren't looking at him. They were all looking around, obviously searching for someone. Harry felt bad he hadn't told them his name, but then the woman sighed and said: "I guess someone else already helped him onto the platform. Hurry up, dear, before the train leaves."  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 99 – PS –**_ _he desperately hoped it wouldn't cause any of his wounds to open up again_ _ **— PS – chapter 6, page 100 – PS**_

This makes everyone smile and Harry says: "Hey Ron, sorry man." But the boy shrugs and says: "Hey, I understand, mate." But then Molly says: "Harry, you really sh –." But before she can continue, does Ron snap: "I said, I understand. And as far as I know, I'm named Ron, Prewett." The woman looks shocked and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 100 – PS  
**_ _Harry could barely believe his eyes. Next to school – all those years ago – and Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron, had he never seen this many people in one place together. His eyes quickly scanned for those with a grimace or other dark facial features, but everyone seemed either proud or happy to be where they were.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 100 – PS**_

Now the boy smiles, obviously happy to be included so soon into the chapters about Hogwarts and with a playful grin says: "He still gets away. I really wish he would just stay put, you know." To this Harry asks: "How many times a week does he get away exactly, Neville?" And the young lion answers: "About once or twice."  
Harry nods and says: "Make sure you train him on that then. If he escapes twice a week, put some toad snacks in your pocket, wizard hat or lunch bag, along with a small cage. If that works let it go down to once a week and then stop it all together, but leave some in the dorm. He'll learn that if he stays close he'll get snacks."  
The round-faced boy looks shocked and says: "I never thought of it that way. Good idea, Harry." And I smile at the boy, while fearing he had the same treatment done to him by his uncle. The boy looks at me and when he sees my worried smile, he says: "He didn't." And with relief I realize he understood what I was thinking, as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 100 – PS  
**_ _Harry felt the need to go and check for himself, to see if this spider could be made just as friendly as the spiders in his old cupboard. Then suddenly he noticed something. Just like in primary school – where he was always the shortest of the class – there was absolutely no eleven year old that was his size. And to be honest was even the small red-head girl 1 or 2 inches taller than him.  
_ _He always believed that there was a slight bit wrong with putting a child in a cupboard, especially because Dudley had two rooms, but Harry had grown up to live with it. Now that he looked around and saw all those First years and older be bigger than him, he slightly feared if he would ever be bigger than he was now – the size of a 10 or 9 year old._

My lips thin in anger for that Muggle's behavior towards young Harry, while Sirius pulls Harry close enough to almost sit on the man's lap and Lucius growls: "Raising the Heir to an Ancient line in a Cupboard. Disgraceful Muggles." And for the first time since I met him, do I feel myself agreeing with Lucius Malfoy.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 100 – PS –**_ _mostly because the pulling caused his right arm to ache and burn with pain, while his wrist felt like it was breaking all over again –_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 100 & 101 – PS – **__he was more exhausted from all the pain than of really pulling up his trunk, but he had not dared to leave anything behind in fear his uncle would burn it.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 101 – PS**_ _while Harry held his lower arm with his right hand and twirled his wrist around, trying to see how bad the break or bruise really was.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 101 – PS  
**_ _Immediately he felt stupid and hoped the twins wouldn't laugh. They had after all helped him, but in the last year, he had only been called by his name about a dozen of times. He just wasn't used to people saying it.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 101 – PS  
**_ _Immediately he hated and feared his fame. If it would make everyone behave like this, then even in the magical world it would be impossible to make friends as everyone would be too awed or interested by the Boy-Who-Lived._

Now I feel tears stain my eyes and Sirius whispers: "Losing the hope of making friends even before you enter Hogwarts. Merlin, I hate those negative thoughts you have." He then holds the boy at arm length and says: "From now on, Harry, I will make sure you have more happy thoughts than you can ever care to count."  
The boy smiles and Molly obviously wants to make a comment, but the fierce glares of her six ex-sons and ex-daughter are enough to silence the woman. Viktor then again kisses the boy on his temple and whispers: "Your friendship is a true blessing to everyone who has it, моят ангел на доброта." Harry smiles at him and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 101 – PS  
**_ _He really didn't want to eavesdrop, but this was the only family he knew and he wanted proof that his uncle's treatment had been either good or bad.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 101 & 102 – PS**_

"You do know you could have just given him the handkerchief and whispered it to him, don't you?" Fred spats at the woman and then says: "And don't even try to defend yourself, it will fall on deaf ears." And all of his siblings nod in agreement, shocking the woman before Ron hisses: "Doesn't feel good, does it? To be humiliated in public?"  
The woman says: "I did no such thing?" But I ask: "Want me to reread the last paragraph?" The woman glares at me and William says: "Face it, Prewett, you blew it with the lot of us and now, we'll pinpoint every small thing you ever did wrong and rub it in your face." The woman looks shocked and while I smile at my eldest son, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 102 – PS "**_ _I have to ask the other families if they've let Potter onto the platform yet and then_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 102 – PS**_ _while Harry could detect a small hint of kindness under the playful smirk_ _ **. PS – chapter 6, page 102 – PS**_

This makes a lot of the twins' fellow pranksters laugh, but then the twins stand up and say: "We officially take back every prank and joke we have played on our siblings." Everyone – especially the teachers and their best friend Lee – looks at the twins shocked and I smile at them in pride as Fred, his tone grim, says:  
"Our ex-mother has often, and I mean really often, reprimanded us and told us to be more like Percy, while on the same time forcing Percy into studies and pushing him away from us every chance she got. It caused a rift between us that made us resort to pranks, big ones, that would make it clear our brother was still important to us."  
George then goes on: "We should have instead talked to him when arriving at Hogwarts, but we were much too busy with our thing and paid no attention to Percy, which was wrong. The rift will be our reason for going against Percy, but now that our ex-mother no longer has any reason to influence our bond." And together they say:  
"Do we take every joke and prank and scheme against him back and will we work to be as close as we were since we were born." This causes Harry and Hermione to applaud the twins, while Percy hugs his brothers, tears of gratitude running down his face. The twins happily embrace their older brother and sit him between them as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 102 – PS**_

Now Harry shakes his head and Sirius asks: "Anything wrong with that, pup?" Harry looks at him and says: "It's not wrong she gave him a gift, I just believe it was at the wrong time. You'll see, it's in this chapter." This confuses me and I wonder what Harry discovered that makes him think like that and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 102 & 103 – PS**_

"I wish we had looked after him." Fred tells George and George nods, but then Ron slaps them, one by one on the back and says: "Trust me, you two would have freaked and told her half-way through the year had you kept an eye on me.""Not funny." The twins tell him in chorus, as white with worry as I feel as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 103 – PS**_ _Harry shook his head and sighed. He already had the idea this would be his life, but to have that reaction out of a family that had, only minutes ago, helped him, hurt.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 103 – PS**_ _I'm glad we were still able to help him, I had hoped some family had done so. Do remember to tell your brother about this."  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 103 – PS**_

Harry shudders strongly, obviously reliving the graveyard in his mind and whispers: "I do now." And Sirius wraps a close arm around him, whispering: "And it was the last time you have to see it. Remember that." The boy nods, gratefully pushing himself closer into the hug, but then Smith huffs and says:  
"We all know how he looks, you don't see us shuddering." But then Sirius spats: "You only heard a description. You didn't see it face to face. That's stuff for nightmares, just so you know." And I can't help but agree, having seen Voldemort from afar a few times during the first war, when he observed how his men were doing. I shudder and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 103 & 104 – PS  
**_ _Harry felt glad the twins wouldn't ask, but he could tell, just by looking at the younger boy, he was looking for him. He was also ecstatic to be leaving, still in the hope he could finally fit in somewhere.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 104 – PS**_

"You know, I'm still waiting for that." Ginny smirks and the twins snicker, before Fred says: "Sorry, Ginny. We have our reasons for never sending you that toilet seat. First, we found someone who needed it more." And George goes on: "Two, we didn't have a death wish." And he motions with his head for Molly.  
Ginny laughs and says: "Alright, you're forgiven, but you better really have a good reason to send the toilet seat to someone else." The twins now look down, somehow feeling guilty and they say: "Trust us, we have all the reason." My daughter looks confused and worried and I too wonder what my boys did as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 104 – PS  
**_ _Now he knew for sure that the way his uncle had treated him was wrong and the first thing he decided to do was see if, at Hogwarts, there was anyone he could confide all his secrets and pains with. Until he found someone, preferably an adult, he could trust, he would keep the treatment of his relatives a secret. He didn't want his fame to blow the thing out of proportion – it wasn't all that bad yet, was it?_

"Harry, what on earth makes you call all that not bad?" Hermione asks shocked and Sirius says: "Hermione, you have to understand that the principle of a good family had yet to fully sink in with Harry. He had after all never seen any other than those Blasted Muggles. He didn't know any better." The girl nods and I read on.

 _Then he suddenly had an epiphany and quickly reached into the back of his pants, into his underwear and pulled the small string with rings out of his ass, hissing at the pain of moving the terrible thing. He looked at it and then quickly put it into his jeans pocket – deciding to use this as evidence, the minute he knew why it was used this way._

"Mr. Potter, I am glad you were planning this, although I would like to know why it took you so long. And I'm sorry for my rude words, Mr. Potter, but this is a serious case." Amelia tells the youngster and he says: "It's alright, Madame Bones. The end of this book will explain everything." The woman nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 104 & 105 – PS**_

"Was that done on purpose?" Harry asks, his tone slightly accusing and he goes on: "Did you actually know he still has a terrible phobia for spiders?" The twins look at each other and Fred says: "No, we didn't." And George goes on: "We thought that because he was so young when it happened, he forgot all about it."  
This makes Harry and Ron hit themselves on the head and Harry says: "Guys, you now know that I remembered parts of that terrible nights even years later and that spider scared the crap out of Ron. Would he really forget something as traumatizing as that?" The two look at each other and then shake their heads, looking down.  
They then turn to Andromeda and Fred ask: "Mrs. Tonks, could you help us help our brother get over his fear? We could use pranks and show him ways to take spiders down, but – well – we don't think that will really work." And while George nods in agreement, does Andromeda smile and say: "It'll be my pleasure." The two smile and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 105 – PS**_ _His sudden pale complexion seemed to go unnoticed by the twins, which made Harry doubt they would really look out for him at Hogwarts.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 105 – PS  
**_ _This already made Harry feel better, especially the easy tone Ron used to talk to him with._ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 105 – PS**_ _Harry felt even more relaxed. The fame seemed to have made Ron think he should automatically show Harry some respect. Harry decided, there and then, by respecting Ron back, he would try and gain a friendship with the boy.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 105 – PS  
**_ _Harry felt relieved. Obviously Ron didn't want to make as much of a big deal out of it as the people in the Leaky Cauldron. Harry badly hoped Ron's family would be the same.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 105 – PS**_

Ron shakes his head and asks: "Wait, what was that?" I smile, happy to help my son get past his minority complex and read again: _**Asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.**_ My son shakes his head again and Harry says: "I don't think he'll read it again, you know." Ron turns to him and asks: "You found me – interesting?"  
And Draco says: "I know. Weird, right?" But the glare his mother sends him isn't half as bad as Harry's, who's ferocity actually scares me and makes me wonder how bad a temper that boy could really have. Draco sees it and actually trembles, making his mum smile at her cousin before Harry turns to Ron and says:  
"Ron, your family seemed the total opposite of what I called family behavior. You were actually willing to hang around with me. You showed you didn't care as much for my fame as the Leaky Cauldron visitors. And you could tell me more about the Magical World than my books could. What was there not to be found interesting?"  
Ron blushes beat red by now and Fred asks: "So if we hadn't left for Lee." And George ends: "You guys wouldn't have been as close as you now are?" And Harry answers: "There might be a slim chance of that, yeah." And the two look at each other as they say: "Thank Merlin we left." Making the two boys smile as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 105 – PS**_ _Dad says it hurts her feelings if we talk of her family_ _ **."  
**_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 105 & 106 – PS**_

"An old wizarding family, yes. One I was talking about, no." Draco says, but Harry shrugs and says: "Didn't really matter to me. I was able to learn magic and gain a friend. Loved it." Ron smiles, obviously pleased with himself and then the twins want to make a comment, but Harry sends them the same glare he sent Draco.  
They immediately back down and while the teachers, my wife and some of the other Houses look shocked that the two untameable pranksters can actually be tamed, does Ron say: "And that's why Harry is never a prank target." I see the teachers look at each other and when their eyes widen, do I know they realize that my son is right.  
Immediately I wonder what Harry had done to stop the twins from pulling pranks on him and Sirius voices my thoughts as, with an excited voice and a little hopping on his seat, he asks: "What'd you do? What'd you do?" But while the twins beg Harry with their eyes not to tell them, he says: "I'm sure it's in the book."  
The twins blanch and suddenly look quite like how Harry looked when the secret of the cupboard came out. Realizing this has to be humiliating for them, I smile and think: "Wonder what the son of famous Prankster, James Potter, did to my boys. Wonder if they even know who his dad really is?" Yet before I read on, do I remember.  
Back during one of the chapters of the last book, was it revealed that one of Voldemort's Death Eaters was a former Marauder and this actually made Harry reveal to my sons that his father, godfather and their teacher were the others, but then I think: "The events of this book might have made them forget." And with that I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 106 – PS  
**_ _Harry really wanted to tell Ron the truth. Of the cupboard, the three meals a week – if he was lucky and did a good job – the Harry Hunting and so much more, but he realized that the youngest of four brothers could barely do anything to help him out of his situation.  
_ _Sighing inwardly and feeling more determination to get away from the Dursleys the minute he had an adult he could trust, he decided to just be various about it._

"I really wish you had told me, Harry." Ron says, looking at Harry and the boy says: "Ron, I'm sorry, but even your dad would not have been able to do a thing. And he worked at the Ministry." Then Bill says: "I work at Gringotts." And Harry answers: "Yeah, but sorry, I feared I would have to leave England with you to Egypt if I told you."  
"What gave you that idea?" Bill asks confused and Harry says: "I know you're an adult and well – I just thought that if you knew the truth, you would personally take me under your wing until you had those Muggles dealt with and that would mean you had to take me to Egypt if you would go to work again."  
The man nods, while my ex-wife and Sirius look shocked at the actual logic behind that and Bill says: "Good logic. But seeing the crimes those Muggles committed it would have only taken me three days. On the other hand, finding you a proper guardian would have taken a longer time." Harry shrugs and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 106 – PS**_

"Is that really important to you, little brother?" The twins chorus and Fred asks: "You really want to be Head boy or Quidditch Captain?" But Harry says: "That Bill and Charlie had those titles isn't meant that way. You'll see soon enough." Now I feel confused and worried and after sparing a glance at my youngest, I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 106 – PS**_

This makes me stop dead and I shake my head, before muttering the words again, wondering if I really read this right, even if Ron said almost the exact same thing three days ago during the Family Meeting that changed everything. I look up and see that all of his brothers are now looking at Ron shocked and in pure disbelief.  
Then Bill says: "Ron, you know that has no influence on our love, our pride." But the boy keeps looking down and Harry asks: "You don't, still feel that way, do you?" And Ron answers: "No, not after reading this book, I don't." Harry smiles and says: "Good, because I've been jealous of you for a long time now."  
Ron almost gets his neck cracked as he looks up and asks: "Jealous? Honestly?" Harry nods and Draco says: "Okay, I can get the interest, but why jealousy?" And Harry says: "It was already clear to me that Ron was loved and cared for by his family and I always thought, the more family, the more love you can get."

Ron looks at his best friend shocked, while Sirius and Remus look hurt at the idea that Harry was envious for love and Harry lies a hand on Ron's and says: "Ron, after all these years, you and I are finally even." This confuses the entire hall and he says: "Well, not really. You still have five brothers and a sister and I still have my inheritance.  
But you have twins and older brothers that are either making or going to make a lot of money and with all the tactics and strategic brains you have, you might even make more money than them and I have two dads that want to start a family together." He then slaps the boy on the shoulder and says: "We'll get there, buddy."  
Ron still has wide eyes and then Harry leans over and whispers something in his ear that makes my son whiten before he pulls back and asks: "Now you understand why I've been jealous?" The boy nods and then he smiles at his brothers, while Charlie says: "I smell another family meeting coming." I nod at my son and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 106 – PS**_

"Sirius, I hope you don't mind that I kept that terrible scoundrel so close to Harry, seeing the friendship we share." Ron then growls at Sirius, confusing me as Fred and George had written me last year, telling me how Scabbers had been eaten by Crookshanks and how Ron had been furious with Hermione over it for months.  
But when Ron got home, he had a new owl and he didn't seem to care for Scabbers' death in the slightest. He even forbid us to ever speak about the – as he called him – worthless rodent in his presence again and Molly and I had agreed, making sure his brothers agreed too, believing Ron to want to forget about his lost pet.  
But now the words of my boy tell a whole other story. I look at the two and Sirius says: "To be honest, I'm glad you kept him. Else I would have never escaped prison and have the beautiful life I have in front of me now." And he hugs his son and mate close, making both smile at him in love. I wonder what he means and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 106 – PS**_

"And if that's not favoritism, I don't know what is." Harry growls and Molly asks: "What are you talking about?" To which Harry glares at her and says: "I saw Hermes, Mss. Prewett. And I saw the quality of Percy's robes. Those obviously cost you a couple of Galleons, which you could have used to get your son a proper first year.  
You actually spent money, that should have been used on the wand and cloths of your youngest, which would have from the start, helped him be the top wizard he is, on some gifts for your third eldest? Never heard of Christmas? You could have let Mr. Weasley buy that for him and it would have had double the meaning."  
The woman looks shocked and Harry says: "And that's not even the first sign of favoritism. You've shown so many signs, I'm shocked Ron even has self-confidence. No offense, pall." Ron nods and Molly asks: "And what other signs are there then?" And Harry glares and spats: "Just listen to your ex-son." And with that I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 106 – PS  
**_ _He didn't dare to tell Ron about everything, but he knew sharing some parts would make it easier to later tell the grownups of the real deal._ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 106 – PS  
**_ _Harry knew it was because Ron's family obviously didn't have a lot of money, and if he had to go by Gringotts, that wasn't too good. So to hear some other people, at one point, had little money too must have made the boy feel better about himself._

"Merlin mate, how do read me so well?" Ron asks and Harry answers: "I wasn't. I was just thinking of how I would feel if this were to happen while I was you." Ron looks confused and Fred says: "He means, he was thinking about how the situation would have been from your point of view, little brother.""Exactly."  
Harry says and Ron smiles. Viktor then pulls Harry closer and whispers: "So sweet. So caring." Making Harry blush and many boys around them hold back a snicker. But Ron and Hermione glare at these people and their glare obviously says: _**allow him some romance, will you**_? The glare scares the snickering boys and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 107 – PS  
**_ _I heard from Bill one of them learned so fast, she was allowed to skip two years and do her O.W.L.s in third year."  
_ _Harry didn't really know what owls were, unless you counted Hedwig and other post owls and suddenly he had a vision of 15 year old chasing wild Owls, with the highest score appointed to the one who caught the most beautiful or most dangerous the quickest._

This makes a lot of Purebloods laugh and a young Third year says: "Don't worry, Harry. Loads of Muggleborns think that at first when hearing about O.W.L.s." The young fourteen year old boy smiles at his fellow Lion and says: "Thanks, Collin." And Collin seems to shine with joy just by those words, making me shake my head as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 107 – PS  
**_ _Harry felt both relieved and disappointed at that. The fact they were out of London meant he was further away from his uncle, but had barely been able to see his Nation's capital and hoped Ron and his family could one day take him sight-seeing._

"Count on it!" All my sons shout and then they huddle together, obviously making a schedule of who does what, while Harry looks shocked and a little disturbed and then Sirius raises his hand and shouts: "I call dips on the Tower of London!" Making the six boys and Remus look at him, which causes him to lower his arm and says:  
"What? There's a lot of Magical History in that Building and my mother never let me get close. I always wanted to see it, so why not with my son?" The family smiles, while Harry pinks away a tear. Then Remus grabs Sirius' chin and pulls him over to softly kiss his lips, before Harry softly hugs him, obviously not used to deep-heartened hugs.  
I smile at the family and Remus says: "Then that's settled. The minute we're done with this book Amelia and Arabella go get the Dursleys and other people of Privet Drive, Minerva and the Heads do whatever Harry discussed with them and Sirius and Harry go and visit the Tower of London." The whole Great Hall nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 107 – PS**_ _had also puked out his dinner after Uncle Vernon's late night punishment,_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 107 – PS**_ _or ever had any candy for that matter – the lemon ice pop had been the first he could remember,_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 107 & 108 – PS**_

"I should have taken that seriously." Ron grumbles, but then Harry says: "Ron, 1st of all, I don't have your appetite, but you could have easily presumed from this that I had. And 2nd, you were eleven. What could you have done, no offence meant." My youngest smiles at his friend and while I read on, does he mutter: "Still should have tried."

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 108 – PS**_

"And with always I mean even before I went to Hogwarts and even when all of us told you what we wanted for breakfast. And no, that happened four times in three weeks, so it wasn't once in a lifetime. We just never said a thing, because we still – for as little as it was – loved you." The woman looks shocked at my son's words and I think:  
"I should have divorced her years ago. She was harming my sons. My children." I shake my head and thin my lips and then look up and try to get eye contact with Sirius. The man looks at me and I whisper: "Please help me keep her away from them. Forever." My distanced cousin nods and I smile as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 108 – PS  
**_ _As Ron broke a Pumpkin pastry in halves and gave the other half to Harry, Harry actually felt like crying and thanking the boy, but he held in, not wanting to scare, who he considered his first friend, away.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 108 – PS  
**_ _He had asked that with just about every piece of candy, but Ron hadn't seemed to mind one bit. Harry was really growing into asking questions, but decided to keep it to Ron for now.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 108 & 109 – PS**_

"I have Ptolemy." A Second year Ravenclaw says and a Third year Hufflepuff says: "And I have Agrippa." But then Remus looks at Ron solemnly and says: "Ron, I will share half of my collected and still growing collection of Chocolate cards, if you later swear to always be Harry's friend." And Ron shakes Remus' hand and says: "Deal."  
Remus nods and says: "We'll settle the deal and the oath when I get my collection. Expect them the second day before Second year reading." Ron nods and then the Third year asks: "Want to trade other cards, Ron I'm still missing on Morgana." Ron looks up and says: "I have six of her, you can have one." The girl shines with joy and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 109 – PS**_

Now Harry, Ron and Hermione look at each other and Ron asks: "What exactly is more ridiculous about this situation? That the information we needed was on a Chocolate frog card all along, that Dumbledore likes tenpin bowling or that it was Neville's accident with M – Draco that got us the required information?"  
The two look at each other and Neville asks: "What incident?" And Hermione answers: "The one with your feet." Neville nods and Narcissa asks: "What did you do, Draco?" But the boy holds quiet, his cheeks sporting a pink hue and Harry says: "I'd say the tenpin bowling, the other 2 can easily happen to us." His friends nod before I again read.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 110 – PS**_

"Well Ron, you do know it's a magical substance and a potion that makes our pictures move, right?" Collin asks and Ron says: "Didn't know that until you showed up, really." But then Harry, who seems to be in deep thought as he has his head titled up slightly, says: "You know, movies are quite a bit like moving pictures.  
Only in our pictures the people in it constantly repeat their actions. A film is a little like hundreds and thousands of moving pictures. You can really compare a movie to a combination of memories in a Pensive, drawings of pictures of things that can either never happen or can and Magical photos." Everyone nods and Cedric says:

"I can't wait to go to the cinema." To which Sirius says: "Then it's settled. First Harry and I will go to the Tower of London and then afterwards we'll all meet up at the cinema and go see a movie." Everyone nods and then Harry whispers: "Better plan that a little better. Or else we'll completely scare the Muggles working there."  
Hermione nods and Minerva says: "I like the idea, Mr. Black, but I agree with the words of your son. I believe it would be best if we first studied the categories of the movies and then sort the students into the categories they want to see. Then we will move to the cinemas in groups, depending on the category." Sirius nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 111 – PS**_ ("Not fair." The Third year girl pouts) _ **PS – chapter 6, page 110 – PS**_

"I didn't." George then confesses and when everyone looks at him, he says: "Fred did. He was allowed to commentate on a Quidditch practice of the Keepers the year before if he were to take a Booger-flavored Bean. We had already tasted part of it to make sure it was Booger." Everyone laughs and Fred turns red as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 111 – PS**_ _He didn't dare tell Ron he knew what grass tasted like, mostly because he tried to forget about – that incident. He shuddered just thinking about it, but luckily Ron thought they were after shudders tasting grass._

"Why didn't you ask about the grass one, Ron?" Ginny asks and Ron answers: "I thought his family pushed him into their garden or something. The twins often did it when they thought I would beat their Gnome-throwing record." The twins look ashamed, but playfully so and Hermione and Ginny shake their heads as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 111 – PS  
**_ _Harry had been able to hear the news on his uncle's car radio that morning and judging by the wind blowing in the trees, he would say they were heading quite in the Northern direction, which was more than fine with him, seeing how Surrey was in the south of England. The further away from uncle Vernon, the happier Harry felt._

This makes me, many other adults and older students shake their heads and the young Lovegood girl says: "Only true family is the one you miss when away." To which Sirius says: "Hear you there, girl." Looking at his son and mate with loving eyes. Harry happily presses himself against the man and Remus kisses him as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 111 – PS  
**_ _Harry quickly walked out, closed the door and said: "Try using the owl of an older student, they would probably be trained to find small creatures. I would let you borrow Hedwig, but I'm not sure she'll come back while we're on the train." The boy smiled and said: "I understand. Thanks for the tip." And he left as Harry went back into the compartment.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 111 – PS**_

"Ain't that a fact. Trevor is a million times the animal and faithful pet Scabbers could ever be. Traitorous piece of vermin." I look at my son shocked and the twins ask: "Why the sudden change? Aren't you hurt Scabbers got eaten?" And Ron hisses: "I wish he had been." Shocking and confusing my sons as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 111 & 112 – PS**_

"And there you have even more proof of favoritism." Harry grumbles, moving closer to Sirius in an obvious attempt to calm himself with the comfort of his parents. "And why is that?" Molly spats and Harry asks: "Why spend money on a proper tool, when you can give your son a second-hand, overused wand?"  
The woman looks shocked and Harry says: "Giving Ron that wand, while he and Charlie are barely anything alike is nothing short of favoring Percy and with that you give Ron all the more reason to think that, compared to his siblings, he means nothing to you. And you can bet your sorry ass I will strive to change that."  
And all my sons, except for a very red Ron, nod in agreement, but then Molly says: "Harry James Potter, you have no ri–." But Harry stops her and says: "I have every right, seeing you decided this year to believe a gossip queen over a boy you knew for four years." The woman whitens in shock and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 112 – PS**_

"Okay, I really made a bad first impression." Hermione says with her head down and her bushy hair hiding her red cheeks, but then the Lovegood girl speaks again and says: "The closest friends come from the strangest bonds." Hermione looks at the weird girl, obviously freaked out, and then she smiles at her friends as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 112 – PS  
**_ _This made Harry decide to just look at Neville with a question in his eyes, but the chubby boy looked a little uncomfortable and shook his head, making Harry know he didn't get the chance to ask an older student before meeting this girl.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 112 – PS**_

"Okay, that was pushy." Hermione mumbles, barely hard enough to let the spell have effect and Ron says: "Hermione, no offense, but you're often quite pushy when you want to study. It's just part of who you are and – we love you for that." Harry nods, while the young girl smiles at her friends and proud of my son, I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 112 & 113 – PS**_

"And all in one breath." Harry tells me as I breath in and out, trying to get my breath back, while I had to take several deep ones throughout the speech. The girl blushes and says: "I was always asked to do other people's book reports and essays. Reading so much made me love studying and it was hard for me to make friends."  
Harry nods and stands up. But instead of walking over to his friend to comfort her, he walks over and whispers something in Minerva's ear of which only small parts are caught by the spell. "Purebloods – Muggleborns – after – introduction – meetings – heads." I shake my head, not able to make heads or tails of the things said.  
Minerva on the other hand does, and for some reason so do the other Heads as they all nod in agreement. Harry then mutters: "Try and put up a schedule for next year." And then sits back down, while everyone wonders what he's talking about. When it seems clear to me the boy won't say another word, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 113 – PS  
**_ _He had of course read as much as he could, but some books had been so fascinating, he had accidentally forgotten to read a few others. And the ones he did read without finding the contents really interesting had just been impossible to remember; something he was planning to work on.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 113 – PS  
**_ _Harry was shocked as the girl was Muggleborn and he wondered if some of his fame had reached the Muggle world.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 113 – PS  
**_ _He wondered how that could be possible as he remembered nothing of the entire event that made him famous. Then suddenly a terrible thought struck and he thought: "What if the rumors in those books will make people expect more out of me than I could handle? Will they reject me if I don't live up to their expectations?"  
_ _His eyes got misty with tears and he swore to himself to use Hogwarts as a place he could create a persona he could live with and that would appease the witches and Wizards of Magical England enough not to reject him._

I shake my head and think: "Hogwarts is supposed to be a school you can grow in and learn who you are. Not what others expect of you." Sirius then hugs Harry tightly and whispers: "From now on, we'll help you be the Harry that is your heart and soul. I promise." Harry tears up slightly and hugs his mum as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 113 & 114 – PS  
**_ _He himself didn't want to think about them either. The choice of House would further determine what kind of character he would have to create for himself.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 114 – PS**_

"What the hell, Ron? You remember what job Charlie has, but not me?" Bill asks, obviously playing with his younger brother and Ron says: "Okay, so I was a little jealous at the others but didn't want to show it. You after all took a day off from your work to see them off for their second, but not me for my First."  
Now Bill looks guilty and says: "Fair point, little bro." And he hugs Ron tightly, his face showing how sorry he is. "Until Ginny graduates." Fred starts and George goes on: "Let's all come to King Cross Station." And they chorus: "To see each other off." And the whole group of siblings shouts: "Deal!" Making me smile as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 114 – PS**_

Ron, Hermione and Harry look at each other and Ron says: "Okay, that was just too weird." Making me blanch and I think: "Voldemort didn't die all those years ago. The last book proved that. Did my eleven year old son really have to face Voldemort himself?" I fear for the answer and with a slightly trembling voice I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 114 & 115 – PS  
**_ _The fact Gringotts was robbed was even more worrying to him. Did this mean his vault was not as safe and secured as he thought. He would soon have to write a letter to Gringotts and ask how much it would cost to put top security on all that he owned.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 115 – PS**_

Now Draco hits himself on the head before lying his face on his empty plate. Lucius and Narcissa look at the boy and Severus asks: "Is there something you haven't told us, Draco?" But all Draco does is mutter: "I hate these books." To which Harry pats him on the shoulder and says: "Again, welcome to my world, cousin."  
The boy glares at his cousin, but I can tell the glare isn't really meant as Harry doesn't seem fazed. Draco then lies his head back and Lucius says: "I have the feeling that meeting did not go as my son told us." And a small shake of the head is his answer, making Harry snicker softly behind his hand as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 115 – PS**_

"Sorry about that. It's not really your name I was laughing about, more the way you were introducing yourself. You sounded like a 30 year old business man." Again Ron has to hide a snicker and Draco says: "Understandable and acceptable. Apology accepted." Still with his head on the table. I look at the boy a little longer before I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 115 & 116 – PS  
**_ _No way was he going to let others tell him who to befriend and what to do, especially not someone his age or with that high and mighty attitude._

Draco cringes and Harry says: "Had you just talked with Ron and tried to see him as another human being, instead of letting his family make you think low of him, I would have given you a chance. But you seemed so full of yourself and I didn't want others controlling my life." Draco looks up at his cousin and says:  
"Quite understandable. I didn't realize that I said it that way until after we left and I was too embarrassed to tell others what really happened. My father and Severus were after all expecting me to leave a good impression with you and I didn't want to fail them. I shouldn't have lied though." And Harry asks:  
"What did you tell them?" Draco shrugs and says: "I'll tell you once we're done reading this meeting. I mostly used Uncle Sev's hatred for your father to base my story on, to be honest." This makes Severus raise his eyes skyward and I think: "And thus begins another Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry." Before I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 116 – PS  
**_ _Harry was furious. Since his uncle's lies had he decided he would never again let anyone talk bad about them or their sacrifice. And that this boy – someone his age – had the guts to discriminate them irritated him to no end. He wanted to fight and make the boy pay – even though he was tiny, the size of a 9 year old and dead scared of those other two boys.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 116 – PS  
**_ _Harry wondered if Ron was angry about the insult towards his parents or about everything Malfoy had said. He himself kept quickly glancing at Crabbe and Goyle, trying to find a way to hurt Malfoy without them getting him. He would have to rely on his speed as always.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 116 – PS  
**_ _They quite reminded him of his uncle and he didn't think he could really fight strongly after last night's beating, but he wasn't going to back down and let some snotty brat insult his first friend or his parents.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 116 – PS  
**_ _Harry felt his disgust for the boy grow. First insulting him and his parents and then thinking he can take their food. Malfoy's guts obviously knew no limits._ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 116 & 117 – PS **__Harry felt a new wave of courage flow over him at the thought that even such a small animal could harm someone as large as Goyle_ _—_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 117 – PS**_

Now I stop, while I had to force myself to read the words from the young boy, and I look up, seeing Severus, the entire Black family (Lucius, Narcissa, Remus, Sirius, Harry, Andromeda, Tonks and Ted) glare at the pink cheeked young Draco, who tries to hide his face in the plate and his robe, but with no success whatsoever.  
"Draco, if there is one thing I taught you it was to respect other Noble and Ancient families. You knew Harry was the Last of the Noble and Ancient House of Potter and so I expected some more respect from you, young man. Seeing as this makes him a Lord and thus your better." Lucius tells his son, who blushes even more.

Then Harry asks: "I'm a Lord? What does that mean?" And while Narcissa turns to him, do I see Harry send a quick look that says _**you owe me**_ at Draco. The woman then says: "You see, dear, as a Lord all that concerns the Potters, finances, estates, business, funds and everything else falls under your hands and control.  
You are to receive a monthly check-up of your accounts and an account of how your businesses are doing every two months to every semester. It will also be allowed for you to have one or more wives or husbands and as many children as you want, but you have to have at least one son to carry on the family name.  
But seeing you now have Sirius as your mum, most of the responsibilities fall on his shoulders until you reach the age of 17 and become a legal adult. He will also be responsible for other members of your family and if one of your children or spouses hurts you or tarnishes the family name it will be up to him to punish and or disown them."

Harry looks shocked and asks: "Wait what? Check-ups? Spouses? **Kids?"** Everyone looks at the shocked boy with a smile on their face and then Viktor pulls him close and whispers: "Don't worry. You'll be great, I know you will." The boy turns red and whispers: "Do you – I mean – you actually want – kids?"  
And Viktor answers: "Not yet, no. And neither will I want to marry you tomorrow, любовта на живота ми. But I do hope I can be together with you for a while and that one day we will both have a happy future together." Harry looks at Viktor in pure shock and then smiles sweetly at the boy, hugging him as I want to read on.

But then suddenly I wonder why Molly hasn't had her fit about it being wrong for Harry and Viktor being together and that Harry should try and date Ginny or that Sirius is the wrong person to guard Harry's rights and when I look at her, I see that Bill has his wand aimed at her and that she suddenly holds a muzzle over her mouth.  
The muzzle has four racks in front of her mouth and is obviously not tight enough to keep her from breathing and yet it must be charmed in some way to keep her from yelling as the woman seems to be huffing silently, glaring at my son. I smile at my eldest, proud of his quick magical intervention and happily read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 117 – PS  
**_ _Harry looked at the rat intently, mostly because constantly being around spiders made it easier for him to see if small animals were hurt, but the rat didn't seem fazed by the blow in the slightest. Harry wondered if the rat had wanted to defend them or just the food. He had spotted him chunking down on some beans every now and then._

Now Draco lifts his head, only to hit it twice as hard against the plate and he says: "Goyle got beaten by a rat over some food. Talk about embarrassing." But Sirius lies a hand on his shoulder and says: "Don't worry about it. That rodent has always been a total maniac when it came to food." And while I wonder how he knows that, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 117 – PS**_

Lucius then looks at me and says: "I will explain you and yours my reasons for joining that madman later, is that acceptable Arthur?" I nod, wondering if the explanation could put an end to the almost instinctual feud between Malfoy and Weasley and then suddenly wonder: "Why do we even feel need for that feud?"  
I try to think back to anything Malfoy senior could have done to me or my family, but can't think of anything until the end of the war and the feud between Lucius and me began in 1968, while the family feud began in 1765. This confuses me and I think: "What on earth could have caused that?" But instead of wondering on, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 117 & 118 – PS**_

"Hermione, how old do you think us?" Fred asks, his tone sounding like that of a playful adult and George goes on with the same tone: "Of course, people run up and down the corridors. Most of them have friends in many different compartments and maybe even friends they haven't seen all summer." The girl blushes and says:  
"I just knew how high and respected this school was, so I guess I expected the same dignity and grace out of the students. I forgot their age while thinking about it." The twins nod, their faces showing a fake regal understanding and they chorus: "That's quite understandable." Making the girl smile at them as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 118 – PS  
**_ _Harry wanted to take off his old shirt, but even if he turned his back on Ron to do so, the boy would see the belt scars of when he was ten. He decided to just change into more comfortable cloths when he came to Hogwarts.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 118 – PS**_ _after Harry crooned at Hedwig to join him as soon as possible and to be good to whoever would take them off the train,_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 118 – PS  
**_ _The many pushes of fifteen to seventeen years olds were high enough to constantly bump into the scar on Harry's side and he almost bend double with pain._ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 118 – PS  
**_ _It was cold, but the wind blowing against and through his thin shirt cooled down the burning ache in his side._ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 118 – PS  
**_ _Harry wanted to greet Hagrid back and thank him for the day in Diagon Alley and Hedwig, but Hagrid was already checking if all First years were present, looking over Harry and Ron's heads easily.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 118 & 119 – PS  
**_ _The darkness was quite blinding, but Harry was used to total darkness and whenever they passed a long patch of straight road, he looked to the side and thought he saw something flutter and jump away, as if hiding inside or behind trees._

The students look at Harry shocked and Ron says: "I saw absolutely nothing. I barely even saw Hagrid in front of me." The boy shrugs and Minerva says: "Those senses of yours are truly something else, Mr. Potter." The boy blushes and turns even more red under the proud and loving gazes send at him by Sirius and Viktor as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 119 – PS  
**_ _Harry couldn't believe it. He had always dreamed of running away and then hiding somewhere people could easily get lost or lose him and now he was going to live there for ten months a year. If the Dursleys now tried to do something or if they ever came here, he could easily get rid of them by making them get lost in the many towers, turrets and large rooms he saw all over the building._

"Too bad Muggles can't enter Hogwarts. Would have been one hell of a prank." The twins chorus laughing and I smile too, glad Harry is willing to stand up for himself against those Muggles. I then see Harry send a look at Minerva and the woman nods, agreeing with him on something I can't even fathom. I shrug and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 119 – PS  
**_ _Harry was in such awe by the castle he almost felt as insignificant as he always did when aunt Petunia praised Dudley on something or if uncle Vernon shouted at him and insulted him for getting a higher grade than Dudley. He quickly shook his head and decided that he would never compare his life there to his life here. And to make sure of that he would work to be as great and amazing as the castle in front of him._

I feel shocked that any responsible adult would treat their kids like that and see the teachers look at each other and then Pomona says: "Being insulted for doing better. No wonder he never scores higher than average in my class. He's holding back." Harry nods and Ron asks: "But why, mate? They're not here now, are they?"  
Harry lowers his head and says: "It's complicated and – well – a little hurtful too. I feel embarrassed just thinking about it, not to mention ashamed of myself for thinking it." Hermione, my kids and Harry's parents all look at Harry worried, but the boy holds his face aimed at the plate in front of him and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 119 & 120 – PS**_

"How did you know it was mine anyway, Hagrid?" Neville asks and Hagrid shrugs and says: "I saw you weren't really paying attention to the castle. You were looking around as if searching for something and so I thought it could be yours." The boy smiles, slightly red in embarrassment and I read on smiling.

 _ **PS – chapter 6, page 120 – PS  
**_ _Harry remembered Neville saying that the toad kept getting away from him and quickly examined the toad for traits that he could remember to recognize the pet if it ever got away again._ _ **PS – chapter 6, page 120 – PS**_

Neville then smiles at Harry and says: "Thanks for that, Harry. I remember that you found Trevor three times for me in the first two months. I wondered how you recognized him." Harry smiles and shrugs, while Sirius pulls him close and says: "That's my helpful little boy. Onto the Sorting, we go." And to my confusion Harry whitens.


	19. Harry Potter, Soul Of Hogwarts

_**Chapter 18  
**_ _ **Harry Potter, soul of Hogwarts**_

 _ **Luna's POV**_

"Can I read next?" I ask, losing just a hint of my dreamy tone and looking a lot more focused. Of course have I been aware of all of my surroundings the entire time, but by looking as if I'm half asleep, will people underestimate me and my abilities, making sure I will only make friends with those that respect me for me.  
My dad had taught me that after my mum's death and I had followed the advice if only to honor her and the amazing and unusual spells the woman had made while alive. By being unusual myself I showed great honor to my mother and because I told no one of her death everyone in school thought me crazy and Loony.  
But it had never mattered to me, unlike all that poor Harry has had to go through and as I had easily seen him whiten in pure fear and worry when Sirius Black said the sorting was coming up, do I know it will be better for him to have family close and to have someone he barely knows reading this oncoming chapter.

Some students, mostly my fellow Ravens, complain that I shouldn't be reading, but I say: "I just want to know of why Harry suddenly seems like a Ghost." Everyone looks at the boy, who cringes and I use the distraction to walk over to the owl stand. The distraction works and most of the complainers look shocked when they hear me read.

 _ **The Sorting Hat**_

"Yes! The sorting!" The twins cheer and I snicker, but Sirius looks worried at a still whitened Harry and asks: "Harry, what's wrong?" But the boy shakes his head and says: "No talking, just read." I wonder what the boy knows or heard during his Sorting, as it's more than obvious that he holds up a mask and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 121 – PS  
**_ _Harry wondered if all wizarding schools and homes were this big._

"Many Family Mansions are. The Potters even own between the 4 and the 7 of them, depending on the official owning rights and how the family inheritance goes." Sirius answers and Harry looks at him shocked, while some of the lesser fortunate Purebloods start to look at the boy in serious greed and Narcissa says:  
"First things to learn; ownership and inheritance. It seems that our dear Headmaster kept Mr. Potter from knowing what has been his birthright to know about since his parents' deaths, most likely together with all the reports about what is rightfully his." This angers a lot of students, mostly the Purebloods and Madame Bones says:  
"The further we get into these books, the more we get that people will have to answer for." And Mrs. Tonks then finally speaks up and says: "You are right, Cissy. No wards, severe physical and sexual abuse and holding back on inheritance. A lot of people will be held responsible." I fully agree with the two and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 121 & 122 – PS**_

"For some that is now true in more than one way, isn't it pup?" Sirius coos at his son and when the boy looks at him, he says: "You after all have the Weasleys that consider you their brother and your four parents were all Gryffindors." The boy smiles, some of his color returning to him and I happily continue reading.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 122 & 123 – PS **__replacing_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 123 – PS  
**_ _This had happened one month before the roof scandal and Harry knew it had played a part in the teachers agreeing to expel him.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 123 – PS  
**_ _He wanted to do the same, but then out of pain, because of the small crack in his left ankle that burned when he landed back on his feet.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 123 & 124 – PS  
**_ _This made Harry wonder whether or not this was mandatory. Perhaps the ghost they saw above their heads were representatives of the Houses or something and this was their way to hopefully get some more students for their House._

Now the teachers snicker and Pomona says: "You are the first to figure that out so quickly, Mr. Potter. Most students only realize it after hearing first years talk about it and those are usually in their Fourth or Fifth year." The boy turns red and Hermione says: "I wonder how this reading spell affects the ghosts." I wonder the same and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 124 – PS  
**_ _Harry spotted them sending the First years hopeful glances just when they were about to float through the walls and shook his head.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 124 & 125 – PS**_

Everyone smiles at the amazing description, the teachers and elder students smiling in pride and Fleur says: "It did indeed look very pretty when I first came here. And I must admit those candles give off more warmth than I thought they could." To this professor Flitwick, my Head of House and absolutely favorite teacher says:  
"That is because there is a small charm placed on them that lets the fire come out from the top and the heat from the downside. Add to that the fact that the walls are charmed not to let the heat out, unless the temperature affects the students or the meals and you have a perfectly warmed up Hall." The French girl nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 125 – PS  
**_ _Harry had, of course, also read about a few things concerning Hogwarts, but he had been far more interested in his other books and so, while he had bought the same book, was it now lying at the bottom of his trunk – and Harry didn't think he'd ever pull it up again._

"You actually read it?" Hermione asks ecstatic and Harry asks: "Never said I didn't, did I?" The girl squeals, while Ron looks confused and he asks: "If you read it, why don't you know what Hermione knows?" And Harry answers: "Because I only read up on the Houses and Quidditch. The rest didn't interest me much."  
The boy nods and Hermione, looking slightly downtrodden at hearing this, asks: "Why not? I thought you were crazily interested in Hogwarts." And Harry answers: "I was. I just wanted to base my judgment about Hogwarts on my own experiences and not from a book." The girl nods in understanding and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 125 – PS**_

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but the Sorting Hat is charmed to be constantly in the school or on the grounds. Anyone trying to steal it or take it off the grounds will be transported to the Dungeons, while the Sorting hat will return to its regular stance in the Headmaster's office." Professor McGonagall explains and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 125 – PS**_

Knowing I have inherited my mother's brains, but not her talent in singing as nature was my forte and not culture, I look up and say: "Those that know me, know I have no singing voice. Those that don't, I won't sing." And Ginny and Collin, who are my only friends at Hogwarts, fake to sigh relieved, making me giggle as I read.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 125 to 127 – PS**_

Ron and Harry look at each other shocked and Percy, who turns white at seeing their joined glance says: "No way, was there really a troll?""You heard that yourself." Ron tells his brother with a raised eyebrow and Percy says: "Yeah, but after hearing that Professor Quirrell was a thief, I thought he had lied to distract the students."  
Harry nods and says: "The distraction part, true. The lie." And his wince says it all, making students whiten in fear and while a worried Sirius pulls Harry closer, does Mrs. Malfoy ask: "And why were we not informed of this?" And McGonagall answers: "Ask Albus, it was his decision not to inform you." The woman nods and I continue reading.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 127 – PS**_

"Mate, next to only a few of us who wanted to follow in our family's footsteps and know what House they wanted to be in, that House would have been perfect for all First years." Ron says, snickering at the words I read, but I can't help but agree with the young now 14 year old boy as I felt the exact same back then.  
And I knew what House I had wanted to be in. I had wanted to follow my mother and be a brilliant witch and had thus wanted to be in Ravenclaw. But when I saw the studious, even-looking students of Ravenclaw I had doubted if that was really the House for me. Only the thought of following in my mother's footsteps had reaffirmed my beliefs.  
I look at Harry with a smile, trying to tell him I know how he feels and his gentle smile back shows me he understands and that he's grateful for me caring. Many other students also smile at the black-haired boy in understanding and he smiles as he leans his head on Viktor's shoulder, while Sirius rubs his shoulder and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 127 – PS**_

"The Boots are Half-bloods that helped a lot of Muggles during the First War. Terry's grandfather, I believe, died saving 14 Muggles of a Giant attack." Sirius explains and Terry turns red, while his proud grin proves the man's words and many students praise him for his grandfather's actions before I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 128 – PS**_

"There is one thing I would like to know, Lavender." Harry tells the curly brown haired girl and she looks at him as he asks: "Why were you named after a color if your last name is also one?" The girl snickers, her face proving that she has been asked this question a lot, but isn't bothered by it in the slightest and says:  
"My mum. She told me my eyes were almost lavender instead of baby blue when I was born and dad was so ecstatic about this he immediately signed my birth papers with that name." Harry nods with a smile and I read on, happily remembering the many happy times I shared with my parents without getting lost in said memories.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 128 – PS  
**_ _Many of them were either scowling at other Houses – reminding him of how his Uncle always scowled at him – or were large and sturdy and reminded him of Dudley and his gang.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 128 – PS  
**_ _And even during holidays, if he came to playgrounds the kids at Privet Drive would constantly run from whatever play toy he wanted to sit on – whether it was the slide or the swing.  
_ _When he was 9, something he quite well remembered, a few younger students had even accused him of being the reason Dudley pestered them so much and they had chased him off the playground, throwing rocks and sticks at him – with their parents watching and one of them throwing insults at him._

"THAT'S OUTRAGEOUS!" Almost half the school shouts and Viktor snuggles Harry closer, while Sirius now softly runs his hand over Harry's body – obviously looking for bruises, before he too sits closer and wraps his arms around the boy. I feel somehow as if this reminds me of something, but shrug it off and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 128 – PS**_

Everyone – especially his year mates – look at the tanned, blue eyed 14 year at hearing this. "It said that my carefree attitude was better fitted in Hufflepuff, but that my need to prove I can be whoever I want to be no matter what my talents was better fitted for Gryffindor. In the end I was allowed to pick for myself and I picked Gryffindor."  
The boy explains and I see Harry look at him shocked, before a relieved smile appears on the black-haired boy's face and he asks: "So you disagreed with the choice of the Sorting hat too, sort of then?" Dean nods and Ron asks: "Didn't the Sorting Hat want you in Gryffindor, mate?" Which makes Harry whiten as he looks at his best friend.  
The boy is obviously scared of his slip-up, but then sighs and shakes his head as he goes to look at the table again. All Weasleys look worried and Ron asks: "What House did he want to sort you in?" But Harry keeps looking at the table worriedly, adamantly not saying a word and while Sirius and Viktor tighten their holds on his sides, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 128 – PS  
**_ _The magical world was the only home he had, the only place he could hope to be a person, a someone – not a freak or a waste of time and space. He couldn't be send back to the Muggles. Not now, not now that he was this close to having a possible home._

Everyone looks at the boy in worry and Harry, while still looking straight at his plate, asks: "Professor McGonagall, has there ever been such a case?" And the woman, who shows him a comforting smile, says: "While I remember that some problems have occurred during a Sorting, has there never been a case where a Student wasn't sorted."  
Harry smiles at her, raising his eyes to look at her without raising his head and Sirius says: "I'm sure there have been loads of Sorting cases where the student were placed somewhere no one would expect. I mean, look at me. The first of the Black family to ever be Sorted in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin." Everyone nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 129 – PS**_

"It was trying to see if I had any traits of my parents in me. Said I had just about everything my mother was known for, but had the guts and adamant determination of my dad. That in the end made it decide Gryffindor for me. It told me I could best flourish there." Neville says with a smile and Harry smiles and nods, obviously agreeing.  
I smile at the kind black-haired boy and then look at the brown-haired boy a year older than me who has the same love for plants as I do for animals and all that is believed not to exist. Wondering if I can talk to him about what plants I can best use as food to lure secret creatures out of their hiding places, I shrug and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 129 – PS**_

"I do wonder if you would have been sorted differently had the Sorting Hat taken a closer look." Harry mutters and Draco looks at him shocked, but he still has his head down, obviously not in the mood to look others in the face. I wonder what it could be that makes him want to hide from the opinion of others so badly and read on.

 _Immediately Harry's choice of House was made a little easier. Would he be Sorted in Slytherin, he could just as well wave a life of his own choice goodbye. He was not going to Slytherin. He had, during the holidays thought of it a little and had wondered if his fame could crick the reputation up a notch, but the idea of being told what to do and who to befriend by an eleven year old made him know he would never be a Slytherin._

Many Slytherins now groan, obviously feeling stupid and some even glare at Malfoy, who is now red and imitating his cousin, holding a staring contest with the mirror image of himself in his golden plate. Then Draco says: "I really should have used the time we had in that side room to apologize." And many Snakes nod, before I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 129 – PS  
**_ _While he waited Harry again went over the Houses. If he went to Ravenclaw he could actually achieve to the best of his ability and really become a person all of his own. On the other hand was garden and practical work more his thing than books.  
_ _If he got to go to Hufflepuff he could be assured of true friends and perhaps bonds he could later use to forever get away from the Dursleys. But on the other hand would the Hufflepuffs perhaps expect of him to tell them everything about himself before he was ready.  
_ _Gryffindor would mean he would have a chance to achieve and show how well he could work with magic. He could build strength and help others and more importantly, grow enough bravery to stand up to his relatives. On the other hand, would the House of the brave not increase people's expectations of him being a perfect, strong and brave hero?  
_ _And finally Slytherin. Sure it had Malfoy, but he was just a single student and that Greengrass girl that had been sorted there before him didn't seem to be that interested in the blond. If he would go there he could do whatever he needed to get away from the fame, people's expectations and – one day his relatives – but then there was the rumor of all Slytherins going dark and the fact that the killer of his parents had been in that House.  
_ _All in all, as he listened to students being sorted, he was no further in what House was best for him and he was even more worried as he would have to lie his fate in the hands of a – a hat._

Everyone looks shocked, many of the students sharing glances with each other before looking at Harry and Professor Snape says: "I don't believe I've ever heard of a student evaluating the Houses and what they could mean to him or her before the Sorting." The other Heads also shake their heads and Harry turns red.  
"You really have a good head on your neck, lad. You have all the talents your father had when he was still training when I wanted to make him Head Auror." Mr. Moody then tells the boy and for the first time since the start of the chapter, the boy looks up and asks: "Really?" And the nod from the old Auror makes the boy smile as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 129 – PS  
**_ _This really did nothing to help Harry's nerves and he quickly spared a glance at the Teachers, trying to see what their expectations of him was. But before he could look at more people than professor McGonagall, who seemed to have some kind of giddy expectation shining in her eyes, had he arrived at the stool and he turned back to the Student body._

"You really wanted him in your House, didn't you Minerva?" Asks a giggling professor Sprout and while professor McGonagall turns slightly red at being found out by an eleven year old, does she say: "James and Lily, I admit, were my favorite lions and were even close friends of mine by the time Lily was pregnant of Harry.  
James even made a contract saying I would be named Godmother if Harry was to fall for Daphne Greengrass. If not, her mother, Louisiana would be Godmother." Now, while the girl in question looks up at hearing her name called, does Harry looks shocked and asks: "Why would my dad think I would fall for Daphne Greengrass?"

And Minerva answers: "Because he held a Pureblood party at Hogwarts for your birthday a week before it, to make sure Voldemort would not be able to attack. He invited the Greengrasses, the Weasleys, Sirius, Remus, some of his Auror friends and some members of, what the Fourth book called, The old crowd.  
You were exceptionally keen on playing with Daphne and even helped her up when Mr. Weasley accidentally tripped her as he wanted to grab a toy James had taken along. He saw how careful and playful you were with her and that brought him to that decision." Harry nods and then he looks at the young Slytherin girl.

The blond-haired, soft blue eyed girl looks back at him, her eyes showing zero emotion, but after their eyes meet and hold for a few minutes a soft warmth shows in them and she says: "I don't believe I have a chance anymore to have your love, but perhaps we can find a way to still make your father happy, Potter."  
Harry smiles at the girl and says: "I'd like that. And call me Harry." The girl nods and says: "Daphne." Harry nods back, still smiling widely and the timid girl shows a small smile back, shocking many other snakes, which makes me know she barely ever smiled. I shake my head at how little House mates know of each other and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 129 – PS**_

Now I have the eyes of many, most of them wide with shock, on me and professor Snape asks: "Potter had the qualities for every House available, before he was even Sorted?" I nod and Professor Flitwick says: "It seems like it, Severus. Although I wonder what then made the Sorting Hat decide on Gryffindor." I agree with him and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 130 – PS  
**_ _Relief beyond any was in his heart and a large smile on his face. Gryffindor, the House of the brave and it took bravery and strength to be able to be and show yourself to others. It also took strength to show yourself as something others expected, if only to protect yourself.  
_ _Yep, he was definitely sorted in the right House._

Now all of the Gryffindors smile widely, the twins even going so far as to cheer for their fellow Lion all over again and Oliver is one of the students smiling the widest, obviously overjoyed he still got to have his Seeker. Then Harry spares a small glance at his mum and says: "Mum, about me almost being a – you know."  
Sirius looks shocked and asks: "Wait! That was why you wouldn't look at us? Why you looked so nervous?" Harry nods and while the teachers now share an understanding look with each other, does Sirius quickly and fiercely hug the boy, making his squeak in shock – and I also detect a small hint of fear coming from his tone.

Sirius then looks down at the boy's hair and says: "Although I can't deny that it would have shocked me senseless and that I would have thought of why, can I also not deny that you have traits that fit Slytherin perfectly and everything that makes you who you are – is everything that makes you a son I am proud to call my own.  
Yes, I am quite against Slytherin, but that is personal and has reasons that lie deep in my own past. You are my future and I am not going to let my past ruin my future, Harry, not with you. You mean just too much to me, you did when you were my Godson and you do now. And no House can ever change that, baby of mine."  
He then kisses the boy on the forehead and Harry, obviously having been scared shitless, loosens up and everyone smiles as the boy clings to his mum and cries his eyes out, pushing himself into every part of Sirius and obviously begging for love and comfort – love and comfort Sirius is only too happy to give as he strongly hugs his son.

Ron then goes on and says: "I know I have some influence on this too, mate. And I'm sorry. I know how I always complain about Slytherins being evil and being bastards and all, but you're my best friend, my brother in all but blood. Sure, it would have been harder to become the friends we are now, but I wouldn't have let that stop me, you know."  
Harry doesn't respond to the boy's words – or at least not immediately visibly – as the only visible sign of reaction is a strengthening hold on Sirius' robes. Then Draco lies a comforting hand on the boy's head, which lies on the man's shoulder and says: "You would have been more than welcome in Slytherin, cousin."  
And other Snakes nod, all of them smiling. I too smile, having been wanting for a chance to unite Hogwarts since I came here, if only to create a miracle that would make my mother proud and I think: "Harry Potter, Soul of Hogwarts." I then wait with reading until the boy is done crying, but Sirius signals me and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 130 – PS  
**_ _As he sat down, he caught a small smirk disappear off professor McGonagall's face._ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 130 – PS**_

This makes many students, mostly the Slytherins laugh and Hagrid says: "I forget how funny Harry can sometimes describe people.""Personally, after all Dumbledore has done to him, can I only agree with the slightly insulting description and do I hope we will hear more of it." Mrs. Malfoy sneers and while everyone nods in agreement, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 130 & 131 – PS **__hoping with all his might he could share this happiness with his new friend and that they could grow even closer_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 131 – PS**_ _The quick hopeful look at his brothers made it clear to Harry that Ron really loved his brothers and took great value in their opinions of him.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 131 – PS**_ _before excitedly talking with one of their friends_ _ **. PS – chapter 7, page 131 – PS**_ _and seeing that had been almost his only decent meal in two days –thrown up dinner not counting along – he wanted to eat and gain health and strength_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 131 – PS  
**_ _He knew the man was held in high regards and didn't want to ruin it with his fellow House mates, but those words and the weirdness of them almost made him doubt the man's sanity. And he really wanted to know who to trust with secrets he hoped he could spill soon.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 131 & 132 – PS**_

Now suddenly the tables fill with food as well, many of the things mentioned in the book appearing on the tables as well and I easily take the book to my seat, leaning it against the orange juice jug and taking some vegetables, potatoes and some spaghetti as I simply read on, happily listening to everyone enjoying their meals.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 132 – PS**_

"And that's not starving in what way?" Hermione asks, but Harry doesn't seem to be eating. Or willing to let go of Sirius anytime soon. The boy has stopped crying and yet he is still clinging to Sirius, who smiles, leans down and whispers something that the spell doesn't catch but that does make Harry nod and let go.  
He then slowly sits back down on his seat while Sirius, Viktor and Remus help him put together a nice and healthy dish, cutting some slices of Treacle tart in pieces and combining it with other things and Harry happily eats everything they give him, the grownups making sure he eats mostly healthy things and not too much.

Then Harry stands up and Sirius says: "Sorry people, but my son just went through a mental, emotional hell and so I'll allow him some time to take a nap and get his emotions back up to date. He'll return once he's slept his fears away." Everyone nods and Sirius leaves to the antechamber with his son.  
A little later he returns and tells Remus: "Left a comfortable four-poster bed in the chamber. Had to convince him to take it and not to change it into some cot." He shakes his head and says: "That boy has a luxury lacking that's almost terrifying for someone of his status." Remus and the Malfoys nod and Remus asks:  
"And if he gets a nightmare? That graveyard and that House thing must have surely scared him quite a lot, don't you think?" Sirius nods and says: "Don't worry, I put a warming charm on the blanket along with a temperature control spell and a warning spell if his emotions or his dreams go out of control." Remus smiles at his mate and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 132 – PS,**_ _but by the twinkle that Harry spotted in his eyes did he realize that this was exactly what the ghost was expecting and hoping for. He had played them and the conversation and had steered it into this direction, but Harry wondered why_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 132 & 133 – PS**_

"No, I most certainly didn't, but I was also nervous. Father had asked me to report to Uncle Sev about my meeting with Potter and I didn't want to let them know how badly I had screwed up and what I had actually said. I was frantically trying out a story that would make me look as the victim and him as some kind of bully."  
He then shakes his head and says: "I guess the Sorting hat noticed that when he was nearing me. He must have sensed what I was planning." The others nod, some of them glaring at him and Lucius says: "We are getting quite the list to discuss, aren't we Draco?" The boy pales, lowers his head and nods ashamed as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 133 – PS**_ _a treat Erica had gotten him addicted to,_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 133 – PS  
**_ _Harry couldn't laugh along and didn't even try to fake a laugh. The situation Seamus was in reminded him too much of his mother and sister and look where that lead him. He couldn't laugh, but he did feel jealous at Seamus. Had his aunt accepted his mother's magic as easily as Seamus' dad he would have never been hurt, he was sure of it._

Now everyone who had laughed about the thing whitens and Seamus stutters: "N-never thought of it – that way." And all the others nod, admitting they never did either while many Muggleborns now look scared of the chances. Professor Snape then sighs and says: "This happens with many Muggleborns and Muggle-raised wizards.  
According to a report done by Phillip Dorigrues in 1888 at least 34% of the Muggles who raise a Magical child or have a witch or wizard for a spouse abuse the wizarding parts of their families out of pure anger, hatred or jealousy. That report was done again in 1964 and then it was concluded that this happened within 52% of the families."

Everyone whitens and Professor McGonagall says: "Wait a minute. That report was brought out on the 3rd of June in 1970 and a week later Voldemort started his smear campaign against Muggles. It must have been the final drop he could take against Muggles and their influence on our world." Everyone looks at her and she says:  
"Like Mr. Potter I am not trying to sugar-coat the actions of this maniac, it's just that I always wondered why he started on that date and what the reasons behind his Muggle hatred really were – not to mention how he got as much magical power as he had." The students and staff nod and after taking a quick sip of my drink, I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 133 & 134 – PS**_

"EXCUSE ME!" Professor McGonagall shouts and Hermione shouts: "That's an outrage! That's child abuse, that's what that is!" To which Neville tries to calm the girl down, but then Ron says: "No wonder you doubt yourself so much. With family members like that." The boy turns red and lowers his head while I think:  
"Poor Neville and Harry. If they had had their parents, none of this would have happened." I then shake my head and decide to take most of the attention away from the shy boy, who is turning more and more red the longer the students either look at him in pure shock or whisper to each other about this and so I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 134 – PS**_

This shocks us all, but then Hermione stands up and says: "Throughout the book our bad connection with professor Snape will make us believe something of him that is not true. It is true that it was happening, but not by him. This too was something he was framed for." The students nod, but as I read on, Hermione asks Ron: "But how did he do this?"

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 134 & 135 – PS**_

"Although I do believe I can teach you an adequate thing about Dark Arts and while my belief is strong on the fact you cannot fight that what you do not know, have I come to love my dungeons and – as Lucius said before – do I have quite the talent with its ingredients. I can also admit to be quite pleased with my latest conquest.  
Gained with the help of Mr. Potter." The man ends and Draco asks: "What is it, uncle Sev?" And Professor Snape shocks us all as he says: "Basilisk ingredients." Most of the students, that are obviously crazy for Potions, have excited smiles on their faces, while the rest looks either shocked or scared or even terrified.  
"Rest assured that the Basilisk from which I have gained the ingredients has been, years ago, dealt with and that it is quite dead. The space it resides in is luckily enough charmed to keep the ingredients in top shape and I have saved everything in my office. Small parts of these ingredients will be open for public eye after the second book."  
This causes excited mutters to rise out of the Potions lovers and I too smile, wondering if I could use a Basilisk part to better enchant my home or perhaps create a cure for something like lycanthropy or perhaps the insanity of the Longbottoms. Deciding to discuss this later, I cough to get everyone's attention and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 135 – PS**_ _wondering if the man's strange dislike of him could affect him and his work in Potions like uncle Vernon's constant dislike affected his home life,_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 135 – PS**_

Now Mss. Prewett stands up, her face red with rage, but Bill seems to have seen this coming as he suddenly pulls something and the woman seems to choke, before sitting down. Bill then taps something in his hand with his wand and a purple collar and leash appear, the collar tightly wrapped around the woman's neck.  
"You thought you could train us like dogs and control our lives to your liking and your liking alone and shouted at us as if we were untrained pups whenever we did something, so now we control your temper. And that will continue until you either stop reprimanding us for every little thing or until we've found you a new home, blitch."  
The woman looks shocked and then Bill says: "Now sit before I do punish you." And he pulls the leash again, making the woman choke again as she sits down. Bill nods and then looks at his dad, but Mr. Weasley seems to be looking at the wall on the other side of the Hall as if it's the most interesting thing he's ever seen.  
I snicker at his ignorance of the woman's humiliation and Sirius says: "If you really want to get rid of her, you can always leave her with Callidora. She is after all related to the Crouches and the Weasleys and is a sister of Lucretia, who is Molly's aunt by marriage and my aunt by blood." Mr. Weasley smiles at the man and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 135 & 136 – PS**_

Now many of the students who hadn't gone to Hogwarts during that year – meaning the First to Third years – whiten along with several Ministerial members, the Malfoys, Sirius and Remus and Sirius asks: "Do I want to know why he told the students something so dreadfully terrifying?" And Ron and Hermione shake their heads as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 136 – PS**_

"I can assure you, Mr. Weasley, that up until that point only a small group of teachers knew of the severity of the Third Floor corridor and why it was forbidden. Although I still don't understand why Albus never gave you all an example of explanation to make you understand why not to enter that corridor in the first place."  
And while Professor McGonagall shakes her head, do I see Sirius and Remus look even more worried as Ron, Hermione and Harry share a dark look and Ron mutters: "So we were right, after all." And he grumbles, making many of those around him wonder, but he only mutters: "My first rage against him." Before I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 136 – PS**_

"He does it every three years. It's a wonderful song, I don't deny that, but to do it every time and time again and in front of so many students, some who have yet to fully grow their voices and all – it's a pure nightmare after the first couple of times, no offense." Flitwick explains and the students nod in understanding as I read on.  
But then Sirius interrupts me as he whispers: "Must have done so after our graduations then." And Minerva says: "To be honest, Mr. Black, was the day after Halloween the first time Albus let the school sing the song, in honor to Lily and James and after that he let it be sung at the Start of the year banquet every 3 years."  
The man nods, a small smile on his face and then Remus says: "He even invited me to come over and sing along the first time he did that. I do admit that the false tones were painful to my ears, but I did feel better as I knew why he had initiated it." This makes Sirius hug his beloved closer and I continue the chapter, smiling slightly.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 136 & 137 – PS  
**_ _Harry loved doing this, but kept his tone low. He had not sung since Erica died, but the woman had always commented him on his wonderful voice. He sincerely hoped that once he had proven himself he could show people how good he was in singing._

Everyone smiles and Sirius asks: "Is he really good?" And all of the Quidditch team players and the Gryffindor boys of Fourth year nod and Ron says: "We always wake up with his voice on Sundays. It's a heavenly way to wake up at 8.30, I tell you." The other Fourth years nod in agreement and then Oliver says:  
"He often showered last and we then faked to leave, moving the door in such a way it sounded as if we had left. A little sound proof charm on our shoes and we were able to enjoy his singing for at least 10 to 20 minutes every three practices. He especially sings great songs if we win a game." The other players nod and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 137 – PS  
**_ _Harry really wondered about the sanity of the man and scrapped him of his list of adults to trust his secrets to for now, but while this happened was there still the fact he couldn't deny that singing filled him with a wonderful feeling he hoped practicing magic would also give him._

Everyone smiles and Sirius says: "Glad to see he's still enjoying Hogwarts already. Even with crazy Headmaster, mysterious dangers and people expecting too much out of him." Everyone nods and I see the man sending another look at the closed door that hides a sleeping Harry. I smile at his worry, concern and love and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 137 & 138 – PS**_

"Wrong move, bro." Fred says, shaking his head, but with a small smile at his face to show he is only joking and George goes on: "You really should have waited with the Baron card. That should be your last resort. Playing it this early makes Peeves think he already beat you." The young adult turns red and as he smiles at his brothers, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 138 – PS**_ _Harry could barely duck right, because of his side hurting, but he used this to look around for a way to distract the Poltergeist.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 138 – PS**_ _just when Harry saw a slightly mean, but effective way to distract Peeves, but he decided to use that another time if needed,_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 138 – PS  
**_ _Harry didn't really see why a Poltergeist that had lived for hundreds of years should listen to someone who had only been at Hogwarts for five years, but let it pass, deciding not to mention this to Percy. Nonetheless was there one thing he had already learned about Hogwarts; Peeves was someone who pulled pranks on people, unless you could distract him with ways he could pester those you didn't like, knew all that well or didn't care about._

Now students look at each other and Professor Snape says: "Although I agree with Mr. Potter's earlier words that this could have some slightly mean results, can I only compliment him on his method of staying out of the Poltergeist's way." And many students nod, but then Ron and Hermione both snicker and Ron says:  
"Then just wait for the end of the book. It's the whole reason Harry is the only one of our year who can fight Peeves. And then I mean in such a way it's as effective as the Bloody Baron." The man looks interested and while I wonder what the young black-haired did to gain that reputation and other students mutter about this, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 138 – PS  
**_ _Harry wondered what kind of magic was used to let a portrait or something of the like and a password guard something and decided it would be handy to learn about – if only to protect his stuff from his uncle._

"So amazingly curious." Professor McGonagall says appraisingly and Professor Sprout goes on: "And yet he barely shows so in classes. Why on earth could that be?" And one of my House mates, Terry Boot, answers: "I think we'll learn about that in the next chapter, professors." The female teachers nod and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 7, page 138 – PS**_ _and Harry was surprised he didn't seeing his height_ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 139 – PS  
**_ _The sudden move of jumping up to a sitting position hurt his side and the after ache told him he had been lying on it a little too much during his nightmare._ _ **PS – chapter 7, page 139 – PS**_

I don't look fazed by the words at all, although the mentioning of the side wound does hurt me and many students look shocked that Harry has dreams like that. I then walk the book back to its original place as dinner only disappeared when Gryffindor tower was mentioned and Sirius says: "I'll go see if Harry's awake yet."  
He leaves the room and everyone holds silent, all of the students and staff looking at the ajar standing door. Then Madame Pomfrey stands up and says: "I might as well use this opportunity to give him his Full Physical." And she too leaves the room. I then walk back to my seat and while everyone waits, do I think:  
"Could I really make an insanity or werewolf cure with help of Basilisk Potion? And what about Phoenix tears? Going by the last book they are quite powerful. Could a mix of those get me the results I want? What are the results of such a mix anyway?" And with that I let my mind drift off, for once getting a dreamy look that's real.


	20. Loss Of Interest, Gain Of Insight

_**WARNING: HEAVY AND SEVERAL MENTIONS OF ABUSE AND RAPE THROUGHOUT THE CHAPTER! WARNING!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 19  
**_ _ **Loss Of Interest, Gain Of Insight**_

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

Harry has woken minutes ago and Poppy has closed the curtains so she could do a Full Physical on him where she would not only check him for Glamours, but would also check his magical strengths, weaknesses and his entire body for what can immediately be healed and what will take time and effort to heal.  
Minutes upon minutes pass and I lean against one of the trophy cases, looking intently at the bed and hoping my baby boy to be alright. Finally, after more than 30 minutes of waiting, where I leaned against the case, transformed and chased my tail and took a nap, Poppy opens the curtains and walks out, sweat and tears visible on her face.  
I walk over, transforming back, with a worried look on my face as I see the tears and she says: "He's been glamouring injuries since he was four years old. I had to put him in a magical sleep if only to make sure he won't further harm himself. Please, fetch Severus and tell him I need his top Potion makers right now."

I nod, terrified of my son having been injured for more than a decade and run out of the room, quickly informing said man and he nods, stands up and says: "All those with a 9 or higher in their third, fourth and fifth year grades and all those with an Outstanding in their O.W.L.s summon your cauldrons and ingredients at once and follow me."  
The students do as asked immediately, over 33 students summoning their equipment and we all run back into the antechamber, where Severus calls for a House Elf and tells her to fetch all of his Healing balms and drinks and to get at least one example of all his ingredients, along with his potions kit, the House Elf quickly performing the task.

The students start working on healing balms and drinks they don't see the Potions Master to have and then Severus asks the question I have wanted to ask the entire time: "What are your results, Poppy?" And the woman sighs, which makes the students look at her and makes Snape and me share a worried look as she answers:

"He has several broken and barely amendable bones in his arms and neck, a few scars on his heart and lungs from when the bones scraped them, his left leg is severely broken at several points – it's a bloody miracle he can still walk with it – and his skull has several fractures and a severe burn at the location of his scar. And that's just his skeleton."  
I already look worried and Snape's pale complexion whitens even further, darkening the color of his black hair. She then goes on and says: "His magic is so badly suppressed it's almost depleted and his heart is unfortunately badly damaged, causing him to either have a really quick heart beat or one a person has when he sleeps."

Severus nods, while I deeply worry for my son's magic – and with that for his life – and Poppy goes on while obviously wanting not to and says: "There are several blocks placed on his magic, but he seems to have placed those on by himself so for that I can only advice therapy with someone he truly trusts. And then there's his mind."  
Severus and I look at each other and I ask: "What about it?" While fearing for the mental illnesses Lily told me about when she explained Muggle surgery to me. Poppy sighs and says: "He's not just holding back on his magic. I checked the usage of his brain and he seems almost incapable of using some parts of his mind.  
There are also a few neck joints of which parts have been embedded into his brain and throat and there are even parts of his skull, where I healed the fractures, where parts of those fractures have embedded themselves into his brain, causing minor brain bleedings. All in all, because of the damage done to his brain, it's a miracle he's alive, let alone sane."

Now tears are running down my eyes and while I want nothing more than to call for Remus and hide in his arms, do I ask: "Any – anything –." I take a deep breath to calm myself and ask: "Anything else?" The woman nods and now Snape grabs my arm in comfort. I shoot him a grateful look and he nods in understanding as Poppy says:  
"His organs. His stomach has shrunken in truly a horrible fashion. It has the capacity of a 7 year old and I have already deducted that this is one of the reasons he has growing issues. His colon is badly shrunk, almost restricting his small intestine and he has a severe appendix inflammation. And finally are there germs stuck to the inner walls of his kidneys."

Now I'm really crying and think: "How could have survived with all that? All that? My poor baby. My little boy. How is it that my son is still alive and kicking with all that? His whole body is either broken, bleeding or badly poisoned. How can he still be alive?" Then Snape asks the question I keep thinking and Poppy answers:  
"As miraculous and incredible as it sounds, does it seem that his Glamours have been causing some kind of medical process on all the damage done to his body, thus keeping the damage to a minimum and making him capable to handle it all. All in all, even with all the medical help he's had over the years, it's his magic that saved him."  
The man nods and says: "You've heard the matron and know what to make. Get to work and don't give anything to Potter until I've examined it myself, understood?" The students nod and everyone goes to work, while I sit next to a sleeping Harry. Poppy lies a hand on my body and whispers: "Sirius, I'm sorry, but there's more."

I look at her, barely capable of knowing what else could be wrong with my baby and after she sees that I have gathered myself together, reminding myself that I faced worse than this, does she say: "All I just told you concerns things that are under his skin. His skin is also badly damaged and parts of it has cell parts that are unable to heal.  
He has some terrible scars on his body and most do correspond with what we've read so far. He also asked me if I could cast a damage checking spell on his face with you holding him. Said it would be important for you to know this."  
I nod and the nurse wakes my poor baby boy. He slowly blinks his eyes open and then hisses, probably feeling the pain of everything all over his body burning. I softly stroke his hair to comfort him and when he seems used to the pain, he nods at the woman, who waves her wand over his face – while he grips my hand in a death-grip.  
I look from the death-grip on my hand, almost blocking off my own blood flow, to my baby only to see tears of humiliation fall down his face, only seconds before Poppy gasps in pure shock. Everyone looks at her, but she closes the curtains and while I wonder what else could shock her so severely, do I ask: "What were the results?"  
The woman looks at me shocked and hurt and with a voice betraying her pain, she says: "The skin on his cheeks is bruised badly, only the skin tan hides the bruises, but the lower layer is badly hurt. His eyes are badly damaged and if he keeps wearing these glasses he'll eventually go blind. But that's not the worst. Sirius, he was – mouth-raped."

Shock, pure shock, goes through my body and I look at my son, who grips onto me and cries his eyes out, his hold on me obviously begging me for comfort and not to push him away. Believing the thought alone to be ridiculous, I pull him into my body and whisper: "My poor baby. My little boy. Mummy's here, loveling, mummy's here."  
And the poor boy sniffs: "It hurt so much, Siri. He was there, the night before I left to the Burrow, and he whipped me and burned the whip marks and all the while he had me tied to the bed and then – then he –." But then his voice stocks and I whisper: "It won't happen, darling. It won't. Mummy's here and he and daddy will fight for you. We will, son, we will."  
Harry keeps crying and Poppy leaves the two of us, whether to give us privacy or to inform Snape of her new discoveries I don't know or care as I just lean against the headboard with my baby holding onto my body and softly rocking him, do I hum him a song that Lily always used when she tried to get him to sleep.

It takes another 4 minutes for Harry to continue crying and finally when he has cried his tears away is the boy softly sleeping with his side under my arm and his head on my shoulder. I use my wand to get the headboard to feel a little more comfortable and after another ten minutes a few students start opening the curtains to feed Harry potions.  
Not wanting for them to wake Harry up after such an emotional chapter and this revelation, do I slightly, softly raise Harry's head and help the students feed him small amounts of the potions they have made and Snape supervises everything, writing down a schedule for me for when Harry has to take what potion and how much.  
All of the students look at Harry worried and some, whose potions probably prove how badly Harry needs help, look at him as if they wonder the same thing I keep thinking about: _**how on earth is he still alive**_? But they just do as they're asked, help me with getting Harry the potions and then leave back to the Great Hall.

Finally my baby has taken 14 different potions and all are mostly for his organs and broken bones and he has even taken three new versions of Skele-grow potion for the bones in his left leg, of which Poppy just vanished the bones and let the Skele-grow regrow them all over again as she said that was the best way to heal them.  
I know this will be a painful experience for my little boy, not to mention that it will be great shock to his friends when they hear about all of this and thus am glad he seems to be sleeping so deeply as even the ingestion of all those Potions and all those footsteps walking back and forward hasn't woken him from his slumber.

I then decide to see just how bad the outer physical damage is on my little boy, if only so I can know personally where it is – physically – that I have to help him heal and softly, being careful not to wake him drop him back on the bed, before firmly closing the curtains and vanishing his cloths, gasping when I see his naked form.

His shoulders are severely burned together with small burn marks visible just above his wrists. There are signs of cigarette burns all over his shoulder blades and on his front and back are vanishing whip and belt marks visible. And finally, obviously done with a lit cigarette, is there a small line of the word _**freak**_ written around his neck.  
I shake my head and think: "No, it can't be. That man. How could he do this? What has my baby ever done to him? What on earth caused him to think this was right?" But then I look more closely and to my shock cutting wounds are visible on his wrists and over his chest, indicating someone cut him – or that he cut himself.  
Now my fighter's spirit leaves me and I collapse next to the bed, lying my head in my crossed arms and crying, while thinking: "No, it can't be. That can't be it. That can't have happened to him. He couldn't have done that. He wouldn't." But then a line from the second chapter comes back up. _**Had it not been for Erica, I –.**_

My eyes widen and I think: "He thought that when he remembered a time he was just six. Did he really try to kill himself at age six? What on earth could that man have done that would make my little Harry want to commit suicide at age six?" But then, just when the 1st terrible scenario runs through my mind, does a soft moan get my attention.  
Harry again wakes and when he sees me and my tear-stained face, he asks: "Siri?" But I grab his face and softly kiss his forehead, before pulling him in another hug and whispering: "I'm here, son. Mummy's here. I'll protect you. I love you, Harry. You're my baby, my son." The boy smiles and hugs me back, but then he asks:  
"Mummy?" And I say: "Harry, wizards can get pregnant and when they do, their magic makes them form a close bond with their unborn children. That's why, when two wizards get a child, whether through adoption or blood birth, one of them is always called the mother. And the Omega of a pack is also known as the Mother of the pack."  
I then start to softly stroke his hair, lying my body against his and pulling the blanket over us and say: "I'm the Omega and Remus werewolf-adopted you, so in every aspect of life am I now you're mother. And I love you just like any mother would love his or her son." And a strong hug is my answer to these words.

I smile at my baby and then Remus sticks his head through the curtains and asks: "Everything alright here? The students – and Narcissa most of all – are getting worried." Harry wants to open his mouth, but I interrupt him and say: "Things aren't the best, Remus, and we're really going to need our Alpha, but we're healing. We're healing."  
The man smiles and nods and then Poppy opens the curtains and I quickly undo the vanishing charm on my son as she says: "Mr. Potter, I vanished all bones in your left leg, seeing how badly that's been damaged. You're on quite the Skele-grow diet currently, but with your bones gone, will you have to either be carried or take this wheelchair."

And she shows a wheelchair that makes my eyes widen as it has support parts for the neck, arms, lower legs and feet and even has a few levers to adapt the height and other forms of support of the chair, such as the height of the neck support and how far the feet are away from the wheelchair, which also has two small and two larger wheels.

Harry nods and says: "I don't want to bother people, I'll take the wheelchair. Can it take me up stairs?" The woman nods and says: "This wheelchair works completely on magic, so this control makes you go forward, backwards and to the sides and if you pull it up the wheelchair will activate its own Levitation charm."  
My son nods and I gently, carefully help him into the wheelchair. He quickly grabs the handle and while we first let him get used to using the control and rolling the vehicle around the room, do we then help him leave the antechamber, everyone looking deeply shocked when they see Harry Potter coming to them in a wheelchair.  
Viktor quickly vanishes a part of the bench next to him and Harry happily rides the wheelchair to perfectly fit the open spot, completely ignoring how silently shocked everyony gazes at him, while Remus and I sit on both his sides and Poppy goes back to her seat at the Head Table. Hermione then asks: "Harry, why – why the wheelchair?"  
And I answer: "His left leg, Hermione. Poppy called it a miracle he can still walk with and stand on it with the many breaks and fractures it had, so she vanished the bones and now he has to stay in the wheelchair and stay on a Skele-grow diet until the bones are regrown." The girl and many others around us gasp and then Harry asks:

"So, shall we read on?" Everyone looks as if he's lost his mind, while I know that the boy just wants to get over his recent revelation and he says: "I prefer not to think of my injuries and the less I think of it, the quicker I can heal. I also don't want to feel sorry for myself for going through all I had, so I would like it if we could just read on."  
Many students around us now look awed and then Harry turns to me and smiles widely as he says: "And I really like the thought of you as my mum, Sirius. I really do." I smile back and the boy turns to Remus and says: "And I know you'll make a great dad for me, Remus. Thanks for adopting me." The man kisses his forehead and says:  
"No problem, cub. I did it with love." And he then embraces his son, me soon joining in and many students around us smiling widely, while Narcissa explains the whole mother-father concept to Ron and Hermione, the girl greatly shocked and intrigued with the bond growing between a male carrier and an unborn infant.

Then Snape stands up and wants to speak, but I decide to show him what he deserves and start to applaud. The other students, especially those that had helped him and the Slytherins follow me and the Weasleys and those sitting around us follow them. Soon the whole hall is cheering and Snape sends me a grateful nod.  
I nod back at him, knowing that for Harry's sake we will work on our newfound truce the best we can and then the man says: "Seeing Mr. Potter's obvious interest in Potions would I like to know what made him behave like he currently does while in my class. I fear the reason, but wish to know it either way, so I'll read next."  
All the students that helped him nod and the man walks from the Head table to the Owl stand, using his wand to levitate a large scroll of parchment over to me and Remus. I open the scroll and smile as it's a detailed list of when Harry has to have what potion. Then I turn my attention back to the man as he starts to read.

 _ **Severus' POV**_

I can barely believe what Potter has had to go through and what he has suffered and think: "How can he even still be alive? All those wounds should have made it easier for _**him**_ to kill him, but instead he still fights strong and shows nothing of his wounds. How does he do that?" But I shrug the thoughts away and start reading the next chapter.

 _ **The Potions Master  
**_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 140 – PS**_

This makes many of the older students, which probably know they did so, blush in guilty humiliation and I shake my head, as all this attention, together with Draco's – now very unlikely – story, had been the base for my belief of the boy to be nothing more than a younger clone of the arrogant bully James Potter. I shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 140 – PS**_ _and because they seemed to only pay attention to him and not to Ron, which he thought was stupid and unfair as they hadn't even seen him do anything yet.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 140 – PS**_

"You counted?" Many students ask, but Harry shakes his head and says: "Asked the Ghosts. The Grey Lady seems to like to count all the things that are mandatory inside Hogwarts to make sure everything is still like it was when she was alive." The students nod and I feel impressed as very few people get to get the Grey Lady to talk before reading on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 140 7 141 – PS**_

"That is indeed true, Mr. Potter, but they only move if the castle is in absolute and imminent danger." My colleague Minerva tells him, but then I see Potter share a look with Ginny, who whitens and he asks: "And if Hogwarts believes that one of her students could be threatened or hurt in any truly life-threatening way. Will it then also cause the suits to move?"  
The woman shakes her head and says: "Only if the Headmaster is also aware." This makes Po – no, Harry – nod and then he seems to think this over. And for some reason the conclusion of his thoughts get the boy angry, if the glare on his face is anything to go by. I ignore the rest of the boy's actions and continue reading.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 141 – PS**_ _The first time that happened with Harry it had been_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 141 – PS**_ _, who had apparently been lost in his own thought as he too got shocked when he suddenly saw Harry. Afterwards the two laughed and Nick helped him get back to a few Gryffindors that knew their way around Hogwarts. He_ _ **was**_ _also_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 141 – PS  
**_ _Of course Harry had expected this kind of behavior and had, during the first two days, hidden himself in a group of Fifth years, who all smiled at him, while their eyes strayed to his scar every five minutes. On the third day he had messed up, but had been able to use the excuse he wanted to use back on the first day. He and Ron had been about to be tripped by Peeves, when Harry's keen eye spotted Parvati and Lavender and he had quickly shouted at Peeves: "Peeves look, that girl is obviously into fashion. Just pull her hair band and you'll have her screaming for an hour." The Poltergeist had looked at him, his hands holding onto the rug he wanted to trip them with and when he had looked at the two girls he had snickered and glided away, thus doing as Harry told him.  
_ _Harry felt terribly sorry for Lavender, while Ron laughed his butt off, but he was still healing of his punishment and he didn't want to land on his ankle wrong or get hurt worse. He had been hurt enough at Privet Drive and had sworn himself to protect his body from further wounds wherever and whenever he could._

Mss. Brown of course glares at Harry playfully, but I smirk at the self-preserve the boy has and how sneakily he works with it. Then Black wraps an arm around Harry's body and says: "Getting into an agreement with Peeves in his first week. That's my boy." And Remus shakes his head, but still ruffles the boy's hair proudly as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 141 – PS**_

"Bloody hell." The twins exclaim and one of them asks: "The first morning?" And the other comments: "It took us a week and an hour of continued pranks to get on his bad side." And together they chorus: "How'd you do that?" And Ron and Harry chorus: "Honestly, it was a dumb accident." The twins look confused and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 141 – PS**_

"Wait a minute, what?" Minerva asks and she goes on: "We all agreed that to make sure there were no students lurking around or trying anything only the Heads would guard the Third-floor corridor. What was he doing there that early on in the year?" I have my hunch, like I had all the time that year, and simply read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 141 & 142 – PS  
**_ _After Filch had disappeared, Mrs. Norris and Harry had met alone and Harry had tried to sit down with his hand reached out and his eyes locked with hers, hoping he could let her see he meant her no harm, but she had hissed at him, almost scratched half his lower arm open and had run off. Since then he had a grudge against the cat and happily joined the twins in thinking of Mrs. Norris pranks.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 142 – PS  
**_ _Harry had really thought he would excel in this class, but during the first lesson his magic had rebound into his core so harshly it took him all his focus to stay up the rest of the lesson as it had tired him out greatly. And so, to make sure it wouldn't happen again, he held back and just made sure that the plants he worked with stayed alive and that he fulfilled the tasks given to him.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 142 – PS  
**_ _Harry was not only half-asleep when he came out of the class, he was also furious as the history of his world had been ashamed by the way the ghost taught it and he vowed that, one day, he would make sure it would change, even if he had to drive the ghost to the world beyond for it. After all, if this was how History of Magic was taught, how were Muggleborns supposed to stay interested in their history and future as a witch or wizard?  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 142 – PS  
**_ _During the lesson Harry had had the strange feeling that the man was staring at him and had faked to examine his wand movement, just to sneak a peek at his teacher; the man had indeed been looking at him, but he seemed mostly interested in his work and his eyes._

"You just really reminded me of your mother, Mr. Potter. Silent and to the background, but with an amazing talent. Although I have barely ever really seen that, to be honest." Fillius tells the lad and he sighs and says: "Don't worry, Professor. I'm sure part of the reason will soon show itself." My colleague nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 143 – PS  
**_ _Having her as Head of House was something Harry considered a blessing, but he didn't want to trust the woman blindly just yet, mostly because – like Professor Flitwick – she seemed quite interested in his wand and looks.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 143 – PS,**_ _notes Harry decided to later look up in his text book to see if he could better understand them,_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 143 – PS**_ _, like Percy had said_ _ **. PS – chapter 8, page 143 – PS  
**_ _Harry was proud of the girl, but he was blushing slightly as he had a gaping Neville next to him. He had been practicing his wand movement, like he had done in Charms, and had been muttering about the spell and its affects, saying the spell fully when suddenly his match had changed into a perfect needle – even with a small pattern of dark blue roses embedded into the metal around the head._

All of his classmates look shocked and Ron says: "But mate, what about –?" But Harry raises his hand, while Remus and Sirius smile in pride and says: "It will be explained." To this Minerva says: "I hope so, Mr. Potter, because I would love to know what happened to that needle." The boy nods and I continue reading.

 _Harry had panicked, wondering how on earth that had happened and had quickly cut a small piece of wood out of his table and had laid that down in front of him, begging Neville with his eyes not to say a thing. He then started working the spell, trying to fail by saying the incantation wrong or almost misspelling one of the words, but every match turned into a perfect needle, each with a small pattern on the head. In the end, Harry almost had a pincushion in his inner pocket and quite the dent in the underside of his table, while a normal match with a missing head and a very delicate silver lining around the edge was lying on his desk.  
_ _During the walk away from Transfigurations Neville asked him why he tried to mess the spell up so many times and Harry had whispered back: "I don't want my fame to make people think I can do everything perfectly. I want them first to get used to me and me to them and then I'll try to work harder." The boy had nodded and Ron had taken over the rest of the conversation with the topic of why it should be so important to turn matches into needles._

Now Minerva smiles and asks: "Mr. Potter, do you still have those needles?" Harry nods and says: "They got stuck in my robe. I keep it at the bunk of my trunk, professor." The woman nods and then says: "Clissy." And a small House Elf appears. The woman looks at her Lion and Harry nods, before she tells the creature:  
"There is a robe in the bunk of Mr. Potter's trunk. The inner pocket of it is filled with needles. Could you be a dear and fetch me those needles?" The House elf bows, squealing: "I happily serve Missy Minnie." Before popping away, while many of the students look shocked at where the creature had been only seconds ago.

Now Remus and Sirius have trouble hiding their smiles and a stern Minerva turns to them, but then they shock her and ask: "Where do you think we got the nickname from in the first place?" The woman looks shocked and then sighs, while I hold back a snicker, showing only a small smile, which is quite well hidden by my long black hair.

Clissy soon returns and the woman examines each and every needle, enlarging them a little and waving her wand over them, obviously testing the magic performed on them. She nods and shows the boy a rare but wide and proud smile. Granger then summons the needles and when she looks at them, she gasps and says:  
"Harry, there are all kinds of things on the heads. Dragons and snakes and roses." Everyone looks shocked and Harry says: "Don't ask. I don't know how that happened either. Must be because with some of them I did misspell the words a little. With others I guess, my mind just wasn't completely on the needles."  
The girl nods, still in awe as she looks at the needles and the heads and then Brown picks one and says: "Oh Harry, I love this one. Can I have it?" Harry shrugs and says: "Go ahead. If it weren't for this book, I would have kept those things in that robe my whole life." The girl happily puts the needle in her pocket and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 143 & 144 – PS  
**_ _Harry didn't believe this story either, because his scar hurt and an echo of that high laugh resounded in his head every time he looked at the turban. He remembered that Hagrid had told him how Voldemort might not be dead and wondered if the man that killed his parents could have been the same vampire Quirrell had met on his journey._

Everyone looks at each other and Fillius says: "Not a bad theory." And Hagrid says: "Yeah, if it was true, the pain in Harry's scar would have been a sign that You-Know-Who had changed Quirrell into a vampire too and had made him his servant or something." I sigh, wishing the damned man to have really been a vampire and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 144 – PS  
**_ _But there was something about that that made it both a blessing and a curse to Harry. Ron obviously wanted to achieve, but it didn't seem like he really wanted to do it academically as he often complained about Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and even Hermione Granger showing off and being better than him and after the Transfigurations incident Harry didn't dare show his true talent in fear of losing his only friend. He didn't even know how well he was in magic by himself, so what would happen to him and Ron if he suddenly started shining like Hermione? Would he then lose the only friend he had? He couldn't take that risk.  
_ _He wanted to shine with Ron, not above him._

Weasley looks shocked and asks: "You didn't do your best, because of – me?" Harry nods and says: "You have to understand, you were my first friend. The only person who not only wanted to hang around with me, but who also didn't seem to care for the Boy-Who-Lived thing. I didn't want my magic to break us apart."  
Ronald looks hurt and says: "That –." But then he sighs and says: "I admit, that might have happened. Back then. But, you know, after Halloween it really wouldn't have anymore, mate. And you could have just told me." But Potter shakes his head and says: "Didn't want you to think I pitied you." Ronald sighs and says:  
"Good point. I probably would have thought that back then." But then he lies a hand on the boy's shoulder, Black grabbing his arm and making sure it's not somewhere Harry's shoulder hurts and says: "But we've been through so much. You can show yourself now, you know. In more than just danger." The two smile at each other and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 144 – PS  
**_ _After the first terrific meal it had been harder for Harry to eat as widely as Ron, but he had still eaten as much as he could and he could feel his strength growing with every day – as long as he ate his porridge, which he thought wasn't the best meal he could have and so covered it in sugar.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 144 – PS  
**_ _Harry and Ron had, halfway through the week, discovered they have different ways of studying and Harry had taken his studying to the library, where he could do his best to write down everything he knew about the essay subjects without Ron wondering how he could know so much. It wasn't really a talent, but it at least made him feel as if he was worth the stay at Hogwarts – and not as if he had Dudley's brain._

The students laugh and I say: "I must admit, Mr. Potter, that what your essays lack in structure and grammar, they definitely gain in details and knowledge concerning the subject." My colleagues nod and the boy turns red and says: "I'll try working on that, Professor." And Minerva says: "We look forward to it." Before I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 144 & 145 – PS**_

This makes me, Black, Lupin and Draco sigh and I say: "I apologize for giving you that impression, Mr. Potter. I didn't hate you. I –." I then sigh again and say: "I hated only how you looked. It not only reminded me of your father, a man that, as a teen was a true nightmare to me, but also of who I lost to him – my only friend, your mother."  
The boy nods and asks: "Professor, could you, mum and dad one day tell me exactly the worst things that happened between you four that made you hate my dad so much?" I sigh, not wanting to dig up old skeletons, but knowing that the boy deserves the truth above all else and nod, making the boy smile widely as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 145 & 146 – PS  
**_ _Harry wondered if his fame was the reason the man seemed to dislike him so much.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 146 – PS  
**_ _These words alone intrigued Harry even more than his Potions book had done and he quickly grabbed his quill, ink and parchment, writing down the words and memorizing them for later. He listened intently as Snape continued his speech_ _ **,  
**_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 146 – PS**_ _while Harry decided not to write that last sentence down. He quickly dried the ink, rolled up the scroll and hid it away before Professor Snape could see it and believe he hadn't been paying attention._ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 146 – PS**_ _he knew a lot of plants, but the ones that were magical were just harder to remember_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 146 & 147 – PS **__as he tried to remember everything that started with a letter B that he had read about in his Potions book – had he bought the wrong one, because he couldn't for the life of him remember reading about such a thing.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 147 – PS  
**_ _Of course he had read that and his Herbology book through the most, but to remember all those magical and non-magical ingredients was terribly difficult. Harry wished he had read the book through again before entering class.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 147 – PS  
**_ _He couldn't believe this was happening and if Ron had not been sitting next to him or if Snape's icy cold look had not reminded him of his uncle, he knew his eyes would not have been misty with tears._ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 147 – PS  
**_ _This gave Harry some happiness and the feeling he was as useless here as he was in the Muggle world disappeared a little._

I look shocked at reading this last part and while trying to hide my own pain, do I think: "No. Did I really make him feel like that? Was he looking that forward to my class? Like – like Lily?" I look up and see Harry has his head down, being embraced by Lupin and cooed at by Black, who whispers that he's not stupid and that he belongs here.  
I know I will have to work hard to get that amazing interest back. "With such interest comes talent, everyone knows that. I have to see how much talent Potter really has. Maybe –." I then widen my eyes and mutter: "Maybe he even exceeds his mother." Everyone looks at me, but I ignore it, especially the questioning look Harry sends me and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 147 & 148 – PS **__Harry blushed, but as Snape turned around a hidden smile came on his face and he looked at his lap, where a roll of parchment, a quill and his writing hand were busy writing down the actual answers._

I shake my head and reread that sentence and then smirk and think: "A Lion's heart, but the ambition of proving one's self that can only been found by my Snakes. Potter obviously inherited this from his mother's side of the family, seeing almost all Blacks ended up Snakes." I then smirk at a snickering Harry and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 148 – PS  
**_ _And whenever Snape did spare a glance at the Slytherin side of the classroom, Harry quickly wrote down what he was doing on the roll of parchment on his lap, telling Ron it was his way to prove Lions can be as great Potioneers as Snakes.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 148 – PS  
**_ _Harry felt for the boy, but still used Ron's close presence not to whimper himself as Snape might not have been as large as his uncle but his anger made his magic come off and that was almost as scary as the anger radiating off his uncle's face sometimes.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 149 – PS  
**_ _Harry felt himself trembling but held in on it as much as he could, while his eyes kept flying from Snape's face to his body and hands, searching the man's wand and hoping he wouldn't draw it.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 149 – PS,**_ _his fear forgotten as he had located a small piece of black wood with a black wooden ring at the end in the man's inner pocket,_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 149 – PS**_ _It almost caused Harry to lose his notes and he quickly sat back down, if only to save his notes.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 149 – PS**_

"Which is absolutely nothing, I can assure you." Ronald says, slapping the boy on the shoulder and he goes on: "After all, remember what I said after that Norbert incident?" To which Harry retorts: "Remember my retort to that?" The boy turns red and then Charles whispers something that makes his head turn with lightning speed and he asks:  
"Are you for real?" Charles nods and Ronald asks: "How do you know?" And his elder brother answers: "They're the more vicious ones when young." And while this makes me wonder what on earth the two are talking about, does Ronald grumble: "Yep, female alright." This doesn't make me know anything more and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 149 – PS  
**_ _Harry smiled at the boy's weak attempt to take his mind away from the Potions teacher's behavior, but he was not about to let such an amazing subject be ruined. He would find a way he could prove himself in the subject, even if it was the last thing he would do.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 149 – PS  
**_ _Had it not been for the fact that Harry saw something positive shine in the boarhound's eyes, Harry would have turned and – Ron or no Ron – he would have bolted back to the castle out of pure fear.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 150 – PS  
**_ _Harry really wanted to tell Hagrid not to judge them all the same, but he thought this would either help Ron stand up for himself or make him feel even less significant. He really hoped it would be the first.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 150 – PS**_

Now Hagrid looks down and says: "I always manage to eat an entire plate." And Harry says: "That's probably because you grew up with more Giant genes in your body than wizard. Your magic was unable to continue, because you were expelled and, I don't know, maybe that allowed the giant-strength within you to grow."  
The man smiles, while many students now look at the man in shock and says: "Yeah, I guess. Thanks Harry." The boy shrugs and then Minerva says: "Hagrid, once we've discovered the reason behind your expulsion – and I know Mr. Potter discovered about that in his second – will I discuss things with the Board of Governors.  
There are after all some parents that want their kids around a bit more and those kids can take a quick course on the Hogwarts curriculum concerning the Fourth and Fifth year education. We might not be able to get you far enough up to course to let you do N.E.W.T.s, but I will try and get you allowance to do your O.W.L.s."  
The Half-giant smiles with tears in his eyes and sniffs: "Thanks professor. And can professor Grubbly-Plank then take over my classes again?" My colleague nods and says: "I will make sure she becomes aware of the situation at the quickest of time." And with all that taken care of, do I turn back to the book and continue reading.

 _ **PS – chapter 8, page 150 & 151 – PS**_ _, but at least believed both him and Ron were rubbish at subject changes_ _ **. PS – chapter 8, page 151 – PS  
**_ _Harry quickly thought of everyone he had met that day, but none of them had he also seen entering Gringotts when he left. Did that mean it happened later? Or when he was already gone?  
_ _ **PS – chapter 8, page 151 & 152 – PS  
**_ _Later that night Harry just couldn't sleep and not because of lingering thoughts on the strange package. His mind drifted back to the Potions lesson and his determination to prove himself reared up. He sat up, opened his trunk and grabbed a large set of books, his scroll with notes, his ingredients and his cauldron.  
_ _He used the books as a sturdy surface to put his cauldron and with his scroll of actions and his Potions book open and another set of books serving as a cutting plate, he started on the cure for boils all over again, making sure no fumes escaped and only opening the curtains every now and then to let some cool wind flow in.  
_ _Finally, around midnight the young Gryffindor fell asleep, his ingredients used, his scroll further filled with notes and pieces of side-information and a bottle with a perfectly brewed cure held strongly in his hand, while two other vials had potions in them where Harry had messed up at a certain step. He had kept these as example of his hard work, but he had decided not to show this until he knew exactly why Professor Snape hated him._

I look shocked, while a small proud smile shines on the boy's face and then Neville says: "Well, now we know why his bed sometimes feels like a sauna." And I realize the boy has been doing this for years. I look at the young boy, who gets praised by Black and Lupin, shocked at his talent to grow in who he is no matter what and think:

"Lily would have been so proud."

And with that I sit back down, more than ever intent on fixing my bond with the boy and trying to get the same bond with him as I had with his mother – this time without messing up. I know I will have to work hard on this and as I look up at the boy again, I think: "For Lily – and for Harry – it will be worth it. And hopefully these books will help me do that."

And this makes a small smile appear on my face.


	21. Is Harry Hugging Him

_**Chapter 20  
**_ _ **Is Harry hugging him**_

 _ **Oliver's POV**_

"I WANT TO READ!"

I shout, shocking my teammates and making the girls glare at me, but I ignore it, wanting to read on how my Brilliant Seeker got Professor McGonagall's attention. Of course the fact that so many top Potions makers had to get into the antechamber before last chapter worries me, but Harry seems fine, if a little pale as if scared or worried.  
I barely pay attention to this and eagerly look at the book the Potions Teacher's holding. The man's glare shows me what he thinks of my behavior, but I never cared about that, just like I never much cared about Potions. The only reason I had taken it for my O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s was to grow in my focus and my ability to think and act quick.

I stand up to walk over, but then a small flash of light blinds us before a small note falls from the sky in front of my Seeker and after reading it he says: "It says that the spell will activate Mr. Bagman's punishment now and that his place will be taken by someone who will play a not so nice roll in the Fifth book."  
The note disappears in a bright light and so does Mr. Bagman, of whom I still can't believe that he tricked my Beaters like that, while he had – at one point in time – been such an amazing man. I shake my head and think: "Just goes to show what can happen to you if you don't take Quidditch seriously." And with that I walk over to the stand and start to read.

 _ **The Midnight Duel**_

This confuses my team and me and I think: "There was no duel reported during Harry's 1st year. And any duel he would participate in would be rumored about around the school long before the duel even started, seeing how people thought about him. So what is this all about?" But looking at the pale boy, do I know I won't get an answer and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 153 – PS  
**_ _The arrogance the boy showed was amazingly encouraged by one of his fellow snakes and apparently the fact that he irritated other Houses with it encouraged him even more. He just seemed to live to annoy and pester others and that he was in the same world as where Harry belonged in infuriated him so much. How could someone who grew up in this amazing world turn so selfish and annoying?_

Draco lowers his head along with the student that is probably sure Harry means him and I know his cousin had his personality down pat from the start, making me shake my head and think: "And that turned even worse the next year. Still can't believe he got onto the team, while he obviously can't fly or play Seeker to save his life."  
I then look at the elder Malfoy, wondering what on earth he was thinking putting his son on the team, while it was obvious he still needed intensive training and decide to just let the next book be the judge of that. In the mean time I will happily read all about how our Head of House discovered the most amazing Seeker in a century and happily read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 153 & 154 – PS **_

"And that while Master Mazuki still said your aim in flying and holding your broom was slightly off?" Lucius asks his son, who looks down embarrassed and I think: "What? Did he improve enough over summer for his father to think he could make Slytherin win? Or was it just another case of Malfoy arrogance?" I shrug and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 154 – PS  
**_ _Harry wondered how that could be possible as magical things like that must have caused quite the commotion, but then he suddenly heard something. The twins were gloating to a couple of Ravenclaw First years how they, while casting invisibility spells with their brother's wands had flown circles around parachute-jumpers without the jumpers knowing it and realized what Ron was doing as the boy started telling his own story right after the twins left.  
_ _He wanted others to tell this story on, so that he could impress his elder brothers._ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 154 – PS**_ _, but Harry strongly doubted if any of the stories were even close to the truth_ _ **.**_

Everyone who has ever gloated turns red and I think: "How can someone so young see through such delicate and interesting lies?" But then I realize it was all because of what we heard earlier. His uncle had after all lied about his parents' death, so the boy would be naturally distrusting of such stories. I shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 154 – PS**_

"Professor McGonagall, might I ask why Hogwarts only organizes Quidditch as an outdoor sport activity? I mean, it does make sure that only a total of 28 students can enjoy a sport that is loved by thousands and Muggleborns did grow up with sports like soccer and baseball, so why aren't there tournaments for that as well?"  
Harry asks, again showing an intelligence I have never seen before, even if Harry often offered brilliant strategies during practices and think: "That boy even makes me look as a weakling when it comes to sports and our world. Talk about a perfect Team Captain." And I smile widely, hoping Harry will be chosen as Captain next year.  
Then Professor McGonagall says: "I'm afraid a large part of the Board of Governors and almost the entire Department of Muggle Regulation believed that the Muggle Studies subject was enough for us to have here at Hogwarts concerning." And with a scorning tone which shows what she thinks of the opinions she says: "The other world."  
Harry hits himself on the head and says: "Hiding ourselves from the Muggles is one thing, but closing ourselves off and believing them to be a complete other race. I don't even want to think how Muggles will think of us if the majority that shouldn't know does discover our race." To which Amelia Bones asks: "What do you mean, Mr. Potter?"

And the boy lowers his head, as if ashamed of his own knowledge as he says: "We humans are easily, almost from the day we are born, equipped with a fear for that which we do not know or understand. Most of us fight this by studying it, but that in itself, when it comes to Muggles, can become a danger for our world.  
Muggles after all do now know how to handle and cure internal diseases and even have special equipment that makes them capable of seeing our intestines and if Muggle Medicals discover us, you can bet your ass the Christians will try to cut us open, if only to take away that what makes us magical or in their eyes ills us."

This makes me raise an eyebrow in disbelief, but then Harry says: "Christians after all believe Magic to be something that only belongs with God and the Devil and if you have magic, you are, to them, nothing but a spawn of Satan, which is probably the reason behind the witch burns in the 6th century, when Christianity was all over Europe.  
The people then believed all those magical to be the followers of Satan and anyone who could do something that could not be explained by the ways of the Lord – or God as they call him – was to be named a spawn of the devil and must therefore be crucified or cleansed. And trust me, Christians weren't gentle in their cleansing methods."

Now many of my fellow Purebloods look shocked, some even slightly scared and Harry goes on: "What I'm trying to say is that Christianity is still amazingly large. It's even the largest religion in the world and even here in England, you can't walk into a single city without finding at least one to three churches of Christ.  
If the Muggles discover us, the Christians will believe a terrible faith has befallen the earth and they will crucify – otherwise known as kill – us all, if only to – in their eyes – cleanse the world of Satan and his evil spawn. They won't listen to the chance that there's a difference in magic and thus, we can't just close ourselves off from them.  
It endangers us and if we don't, slowly but surely, show the entire world that magic is a good thing, when dealt with carefully, if we keep ourselves in the shadows of the Muggle world, we'll surely one day be discovered and killed. We can't keep lying to other people, it will only endanger us further as it will fuel their anger at us."

Everyone looks shocked, the Purebloods now truly looking scared and Harry gently says: "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should kill all the Christians, destroy that religion or shout out to the Muggles that magic is real, we have to get them used to our things and let us get used to their things. That's all."  
Everyone nods, all of the students looking wide eyed and many whispering at each other while the teachers look at him in shock over his wide-ranged intelligence and then Theodore Nott asks: "But Potter, if you've been treated as terribly by those Muggle monsters as this book says, then why do you defend them?"

And Harry, who doesn't at all seem offended, answers: "Because I don't see Muggles as a different kind or a different race. They're still humans and they still bleed if we wound them. That they don't have magic, doesn't mean they don't feel and I know that those that feel can be different, but had things that are the same."  
He then shrugs, while I smile in pride over how amazing the character of my Seeker is and he says: "I guess my bad treatment by those Muggles has always been evened out by the wonderful treatment I got from my friends and it made me realize just how much of a difference there can be between good people and bad.  
The Dursleys are bad and I don't for a minute believe I am the last that was treated terribly because of their magic and I guess, if we can make the Muggle world understand our world, less Muggles will hate us for what we have and there might be a lessening of violence of families towards their magical offspring and family."

I smile at my Seeker, prouder than proud of his words and Mr. Malfoy says: "I might not be on the Board anymore, but I will try my best to convince them that we need more Muggle stuff here at Hogwarts." And Mr. Diggory says: "Leave that to me, Lucius. I'm still on the board after all." The other man nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 154 – PS**_

I know I should be expecting laughter and humiliating from that comment, but my Seeker seems to have really hit the students with his words and it's plain obvious they're over thinking what he said as no one seems to even snicker at what I read. Instead of that are some students whispering to each other about the subject and I simply read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 154 – PS**_

"But you all love that book." Hermione says shocked and I'm glad for the distraction as I didn't really have the feeling anyone was really listening as more and more students started whispering about the Christians. Then Ron says: "Hermione, we do love it, but most of the time when you quote things from a book – you sound like Binns."  
The girl hit herself on the head and says: "So I made them sound like Goblin rebellions?" But Ron shakes his head and says: "It was the tone you were using. It was amazingly long and toneless. It didn't at all feel like you were explaining Quidditch or flying." The girl nods with her head down and softly says:  
"I guess that was because I wasn't really looking forward to it." Her friend nods, I look at her shocked as I can't imagine someone not loving how free you feel when you're up on a broom and high in the air, but then remember what Harry said about not all Muggles being the same and deciding to just keep it to that, do I simply read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 154 – PS**_ _even while Harry could see that his eyes seem to droop every few minutes or so_ _ **, PS – chapter 9, page 154 & 155 – PS **_

"Bloody Maxine! I told her not to spoil Draco while he was at Hogwarts." Narcissa rants, shocking me with her harsh tone and Draco asks: "Wait, those were from grandmother, I thought they all came from you." But while Harry looks at the family with an obvious longing to have the same, does the woman shake her head and says:  
"I was planning to send you something only if you requested it through letter. And you know your grandmother, nothing is too good or too much for a Malfoy descendant. I still despise her for talking mother into that hideous wedding dress she bought me, while I wanted to go to that amazing Muggle store named Kleinfeld or something."  
But then Lucius hugs his wife, openly showing affection as his face shows his love for the woman and he says: "I truly thought you looked beautiful in it, my dearest flower. And perhaps you can wear an adapted version that suits us both next anniversary?" The woman smiles at her husband, nods and kisses him on the cheek as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 155 – PS**_

"What exactly did you forget that day, Neville?" Hannah Abbot asks and Neville says: "To close Trevor's cage. I only found him two weeks later in the Great Hall." And Seamus says: "So that's why you jumped the Hufflepuff table. I thought you were practicing on landing if you fell or something." Everyone laughs and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 155 – PS –**_ _Harry to get back at Malfoy for his humiliating laughter during Potions and Ron for reasons Harry didn't even want to know_ _ **, PS – chapter 9, page 155 – PS  
**_ _Harry could tell by the tone Neville used that it meant a lot to him. It increased his anger for the boy and he thought about ways of getting back at the annoying, selfish blonde._ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 155 & 156 – PS  
**_ _Harry wondered if this was a charm's accident or if she had altered her looks like that to help her during flying lessons, as Eagles were known for their amazing sharp eyes.  
_ _Unfortunately the sharp eyes also came with a sharp look and Harry was still afraid of asking adults questions. He had learned not to do so when he was still in primary school because it made him understand things, that made him better in school than Dudley – something uncle Vernon thought was a sinful and terrible crime._

Everyone, especially the Ravens, looks shocked, even if a hint of this same fact had been told last chapter and Hermione asks: "You were punished – for studying?" And I can see many Ravenclaws looking utterly disgusted by the very idea, while I can clearly see what goes through the minds of just about all the teachers.  
 _ **No wonder he hides that amazing intelligence. Taught at the age of four not to leaves a terrible trauma.**_ And all the female teachers look at a shy Harry, who has his head down and is slightly trembling, with worry and concern for the boy and his health, while Sirius has his arms tightly around the boy in the wheelchair.  
Madame Pomfrey then suddenly grabs a large scroll, onto which I can see is already an amazing load of information and I know this is the list that concerns the results about his full Physical. The size of the list shocks me and she quickly writes something down, hiding the list back in her apron before any of the other teachers can see it.  
I fear for my Seeker and more importantly for his health and think: "Wait, if he has all that troubling and ailing him – does that mean – is that the reason behind his height?" And again I feel terribly guilty for how I, later on in the story, positively comment on his height. I shake my head, ashamed of my previous actions and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 156 – PS**_

I look proudly shocked at this – as dad had told me at young age that the school brooms barely ever respond to anyone instantly and Sirius asks: "Really, at the first time?" Harry nods and asks: "Is that rare?" Sirius nods and says: "James and I made it our hobby to watch the younger years during their flying lessons.  
We wanted to see who we could use as a reserve or if anyone would have potential if they entered Second year. James was amazingly hyper on this when he became Quidditch captain in his Sixth and by then we had discovered that only once every three lessons could only one student get their brooms into their hand at the first time.  
It's soft to say that James was very disappointed in this as it just didn't change over the years. He even went back to Hogwarts a few times after graduation, whether to go on a date with your mum, to show you Hogwarts while she was still pregnant, to get you used to where you would later be studying or to see if the Gryffindors had improved with this."  
Remus nods at this, while Harry looks happily shocked and the man says: "Your dad was a great man, Harry, he really was, but once he got something to do, it was near impossible to get him off of it." Now Ron snickers and says: "A trait over-obviously passed down the line." And while Harry mock-glares at his best friend, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 156 – PS**_

This makes the woman look up shocked, while I still try to wrap my mind around someone not liking the idea of flying and the amazing feeling you get while in the air and then she says: "That makes quite a bit of sense." This makes the two adults, Remus and Sirius, smile at Harry in pride before the woman goes on and says:  
"Now that I think back on it, there were quite a few students that just couldn't get their brooms off the ground, but were either amazingly intelligent or were great with plants. Perhaps it has something to do with the personality, likings and hobbies of people that can depend whether or not someone is or can become a great flyer."  
The other teachers nod, while Harry smiles at Hermione and Neville, who I know are known for their intelligence (Hermione) and their amazing skills with plants (Neville). The two smile back, although the smile on Neville's face still shows some strain as if he doesn't really believe in himself and I wonder why as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 157 – PS**_

 _Harry himself was barely sparred a glance, but he did get a small, hesitant smile out of the woman and a look as if he reminded her of someone._

Now Sirius smiles and Ron says: "I have to admit, mate, you do have your own way to sit on your broom." And Madame Hooch says: "His mother always sat that way and she really wasn't all that great on a broom. I guess, I was glad there was one Potter I could train in how to fly – how all of them can be such naturals is still a mystery to me."  
The boy smiles and asks: "So for once, I didn't remind someone of my dad?" And the woman shakes her head, while Sirius says: "I do admit your looks make us almost immediately see your dad in you and I guess, because he was so wonderful to so many here, people love comparing you to him." He then grimaces and says:  
"Damned dumb move, of course, as it only motivates you more to make an _acceptable_ character out of what you hear from others, while Hogwarts should actually be the one place you can discover for yourself who you are and what you like and hate the most." The teachers nod in agreement with the man and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 157 – PS  
**_ _Harry saw many look shocked, while others looked at the broom and because so many did so, Harry quickly evaluated Neville and easily noticed that the crack didn't come from his legs or his upper body. And by the stance of how he was lying – or more precisely how his arm was lying under him – Harry deducted that the boy had tried to let his arm break his fall and that had been done literally. Harry hoped Neville would be alright and not get an elbow like he had.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 157 – PS**_ _, but Harry couldn't care for that as Neville was obviously hurt.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 157 – PS  
**_ _He hoped it wasn't the wrist of the boy's wand arm as that would really make casting hard for his fellow youngster._

Neville smiles at his friend and says: "Thanks for caring, Harry, but you know I got out fine." The boy nods back and says: "I know, I just didn't know magic could heal bones as quickly as Madam Pomfrey did back then. And I was still trying to convince myself to go to her myself to get something done about my elbow."  
"What made you not to, Mr. Potter?" The matron asks and while Remus and Sirius look curious and worried at the same time, does the boy shrug and say: "I guess it's the fact I wanted to see if others would notice. I mean, my short height must have been noticed a thousand times and I wanted to see how the teachers would react to that.  
When no one did I thought they didn't care and wouldn't care either if they heard what happened to my elbow. I guess I wanted a large group of adults who cared and could, together, stand up to my uncle for his behavior. I just didn't dare to face him alone, so I guess I first wanted to see if I had someone who would notice and care."  
The teachers nod and I can tell they feel stupid for not noticing. Again Madam Pomfrey grabs her list and I wonder what she writes down on it this time. I myself feel even worse about my comment on his height than I did before and with a heavy heart and hoping Harry can be as forgiving to me as he was to Malfoy, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 157 & 158 – PS  
**_ _Harry didn't really know why he stepped in, but he guessed Malfoy had just crossed the line of his patience.  
_ _Of course Dudley had done so multiple times, but Malfoy wasn't Dudley and Harry felt himself slightly encouraged by the fact Malfoy was holding the Remembrall in his wand hand.  
_ _He also guessed it was because he felt for Neville and could easily see himself in the boy's situation, seeing how many times Dudley had pushed him in the same situation as Neville was now; hurt and unable to fight for his rights and possessions.  
_ _Harry wasn't planning to let Malfoy go on with his treatment of the kind, forgetful boy and if he had to face up to someone he didn't want anything to do with and who was further educated in magic than him to defend his – possible – friend, so be it.  
_ _And if things went wrong, they went wrong, but at least Crabbe and Goyle were standing far away from Malfoy, while Ron was right behind Harry and that gave him courage to speak up._

Ron smiles and says: "Always there for you, mate." While many others are shocked that one 11 year old can think like that. Then Harry, probably seeing the shocked looks, shrugs and says: "I can't help myself. I was eleven and I guess I was just a little too willing to prevent anything from ruining the wonderful world I felt at home in."  
The students all nod, Remus and Sirius smile and the black-haired man says: "I hate how well you can analyze a situation, but I do love the fact that you are still childish enough to know how wonderful this place can be." And Remus nods in agreement with his mate, making Harry smile at both of them before I continue to read.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 158 – PS  
**_ _He hoped desperately that he was at good flying it as he was sweeping with it as even aunt Petunia couldn't get the kitchen as sparkling with cleanness as he could, but that wasn't on his mind at the moment, he was that angry with Malfoy.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 158 & 159 – PS**_

Now whoops and cheers sound throughout the hall and all Gryffindors smile, those that were there that day hopping in their seats with anticipation – except for the Slytherins, while Madam Hooch sighs and says: "And another Potter with a natural talent for the sky. Honestly, were their ancestors birds or elves or something?"  
Everyone laughs, Harry turning red yet again at the woman praising his talent as a natural flyer and Sirius says: "Rumor did have it, back when Mr. Potter was a child, that the Potters had very dormant Veela blood in them, only coming out in those with personalities as fierce as the temper of a Full-grown Veela."

Then suddenly Remus and him look at each other, as if they just realized something and while they look down at their son, who looks from one to the other confused, does Remus say: "He does have a fierce personality, not to mention an amazing need to do what has to be done." And Sirius says: "And he's easily likeable, loveable even."  
Now the boy looks red and Viktor says: "I can know. Just a few observations of him during this year had me totally gaga for him." The color of my Seeker's face now easily matches the Weasley hair and he says: "I'm sure the books will tell whether or not I have Veela blood. Let's just read on – please." I nod at one of my two favorite players and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 159 – PS**_

"Of course I was. What do you think? I was always told you were raised in the middle of a Muggle neighborhood and thus thought you had never been on a broom before and then you suddenly fly up and control that broom better than I did after three years of intensive training under Master Mazuki's care." Malfoy says with a fake pout.  
His cousin smiles at him, obviously seeing through the fake pout as easily as I can from over here and says: "Trust me, by the time I realized how amazing I could fly – which was during my first Quidditch training – I was just as surprised as you were that day." Now Sirius asks: "You waited a whole year before you flew again?"  
And Harry asks: "Did you hear me say that? I just said I didn't realize how well I could fly until my Quidditch practice with the team. I never said anything about not flying before that." And I smirk, knowing the man probably thinks Harry got onto the team in his second. Unable to wait and see the man's reaction to the truth, I quickly read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 159 – PS  
**_ _He was glad Malfoy had swerved, because his anger was dissipating and he knew how it felt to get hurt. Even with his anger at this level, he just didn't want to stoop to Malfoy and Dudley's level and hurt those that annoyed him._ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 159 – PS  
**_ _He hoped this would urge the boy to land and then he would – as crazy as it sounded – fly down himself and pluck the Remembrall out of the boy's hand. He knew staying in the air could land him in trouble, but he loved the wind in his hair and face and almost felt as if the ground held him back.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 159 – PS**_

Silence. Utter silence fills the hall, every mouth open in pure shock and some even looking as if they'll never close again and I think: "So that's what she meant with a catch from a fifty-foot dive." And I hit myself on the head as I thought that Madam Hooch had released some Snitches and that Harry had dived for one or something.  
I shake my head and think: "Actually seeing such things in slow-motion. He really was born to fly." Then a soft voice is heard and Sirius says: "I really don't know whether to be proud that you caught that thing or worried for the fact you could have broken your neck. How high were you in the air anyway, young man?"  
"You will know soon enough, Mr. Black." Professor McGonagall tells the man and with that I know she is onto Harry's plan not to tell the man that his son has been appointed Seeker in his first year. Of course, that won't stay a secret much longer as it should soon happen in the book that she will appear to take him to me and so I read on.

And indeed;

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 160 – PS**_

"Now I know, I'm scared." Sirius says, while some of the other teachers now look shocked at their colleague's behavior, but McGonagall says: "Mr. Black, I can assure you that while Mr. Potter's stance and the steepness of his dive worried me sick, was it more than clear to me that your son was in full control of his actions."  
But Sirius says: "Not comforting enough." And while the woman looks slightly offended by this, while Remus switches from sitting on Harry's left to sitting on Sirius' right, where Narcissa had been seated before and while the werewolf and Harry hug him, do I read on, wanting to relieve the man with the good news.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 160 – PS  
**_ _This instantly caused him to shudder terribly and he thought: "They'll send me to Finar for sure. No, I can't be expelled. I CAN'T BE!" The memory about Finar's meetings with his uncle were bad enough, but his uncle had, the night he punished him, told him if Harry did anything wrong at school he would be trained by Finar to learn how to behave.  
_ _And Finar was almost an extension of Uncle Vernon, especially with his punishments, but Harry also knew a small rumor that had run around Privet Drive. That Finar was wanted for child's rape. And while Harry had no idea what rape meant, not even at his age, did he know that rape was worse than his worst punishments.  
_ _By now Harry was ventilating and trying not to completely scream out, knowing it will only aggravate Professor McGonagall more, but the fear had spread through his entire body and he was frantically trying to think of proper excuses as they walked through the school, if only to stay at Hogwarts long enough to escape the wrath of his uncle – and the lessons of Finar.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 160 – PS  
**_ _She didn't even seem to notice how he was sweating, how his eyes were wide as they felt ready to pop out of his skull and how he was softly moaning under his breath. Did she think he could not keep up with her pace? Was she so angry she would punish him herself? How would he arrive at Privet Drive anyway?_

Now Professor McGonagall has her elbows on the table and her head in her hands, her shaking shoulders showing her grief and how bad she's feeling; how she must feel that she has failed the poor boy. I myself can barely believe what went through the boy's head before he heard the amazing news and I think:  
"That uncle of his knows someone who rapes kids and he still allows him around my Seeker? Actually threatens to bring him there if he fails? How is that proper care and encouragement? That monster needs to pay." And while thinking of convincing my new team to visit those monsters on our brooms, do I furiously read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 160 &161 – PS  
**_" _At least I'll be around friends, around someone who understands me. And Hagrid still does some magic. Maybe I can learn from him." Harry thought, trying to cheer himself up enough to not look as if he was walking to the gallows or something. Still the thought of being Hagrid's assistant was a million times better than being Finar's 'student'.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 161 – PS  
**_ _Uncle had more often than not had to replace one of the wooden panels of his cupboard door, because he used it to make Harry work harder, but he was finally starting to think that what his uncle did was really wrong as he never heard anyone talk about punishments like his. Did that mean such things were wrong, or was it just not custom in the wizarding world to encourage a child with wooden panels?_

"It's wrong, Harry. It's not only not custom, it really is wrong. You were really getting the right idea about your home situation." Remus says, while – as he had gone to sit on Harry's left again – hugging his son close and many students look shocked that their fellow student had been encouraged through help of a wooden panel abuse.  
I then read ahead, hoping my arrival calmed the boy down, but the next part of the text makes me whiten in pure disgust and I think: "How traumatized is my little Seeker? How – what – what in the world made him think this?" And with hidden disgust as I am really trying to get to the good parts now, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 161 – PS**_

 _Harry suddenly felt a whole new fear overwhelm him as he redirected a look at the tall, strong young man and while trying not to let it show, he fearfully grabbed the small string with balls on it, thinking: "Will she force me to wear this again? Will she allow Wood to play with it, like Finar told uncle to? Is that how she'll punish me?"_

Everyone's silenced and I think: "So young, so scared." Then suddenly Hermione bursts out crying, having apparently reached the limit of her emotional strength and she grabs Harry, but can't get him out of Remus' iron-strong grip as the werewolf softly growls at her. Instead the twins both grab her and softly hug her as she says:  
"I cannot believe he thought that. That he – that he feels so much fear and never shows it. And for his family no less. No one should fear their family and Harry – Oh Harry, you – you don't deserve to fear your own family. You should have grown up loved and cared for, not hated and abused. How – how are you like this if you grew up like that?"

But the boy shakes his head, looking hurt and I want to hit my head, because I know the boy feels bad for hurting his friend. Then Remus, who seems to have been calmed down by the feeling of his cub in his arms and Sirius rubbing his back, whispers: "Once these books are through, you're leaving Hogwarts for the time being."  
Harry looks at him shocked and Sirius says: "We only want you to leave Hogwarts for now, so you can fully focus on healing, and I don't mean just physically. You have way too many traumas from your past that you have yet to have faced. We want to help you face them, so you can enjoy the thought of life and a family fully –  
And not with the thought we will one day leave you or hate you or something. And don't say you don't, what happened during the Sorting chapter speaks for itself." The boy sighs, but I feel glad the two are so concerned for the boy. I then read the next sentence and smile as now, the good will overcome the bad.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 161 – PS  
**_ _Harry started moving the item back to his ass, ready for its use and the pain that came with it.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 162 – PS  
**_ _He quickly let go of the string and it fell back into his pocket, while he loosely dropped his arm back as if trying to just make a move.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 162 – PS**_

"True there." Charlie says happily and only then does the news seem to reach the brains of the concerned parents as Sirius shouts: "SAY WHAT?" And Remus, who seems too shocked to be worried or angered anymore asks: "Seeker? As first year?" Then Sirius turns to Harry and says: "You said you didn't."  
But Harry, who now seems completely over his earlier fears, happily says: "I said I didn't realize how good I was until my first Quidditch training session with the team. I never said a thing about when I started training." And the large grin on his face makes it clear to everyone how proud he is of his little trick on his parents.  
The man looks at his son shocked and then he says: "Never, in all my life – James, he – never like this – Seeker! First year! For God's sake!" But then, while an anger I just can't understand seems to become visible on his face and in his eyes, does he turn to McGonagall and shouts: "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

The woman looks shocked and he says: "One life-threatening stunt and you make him Seeker? No flying lessons, no explanation, nothing! Did you really see a carbon copy of James as Quidditch Captain in him or something? Did you really forget why the Potters banned First years from entering Quidditch in the early 1700's?"  
At this all the Quidditch fans seem shocked silent and he spats: "Mr. Potter explained it quite clearly to me, thank you. It was because, from 1712 to 1719 1st year Muggleborns and Half-bloods were the ones who tried out the most and every year, during that era, at least half the group trying out ended up in the Hospital wing. That's why!"  
Everyone looks shocked at this piece of information and while I can barely believe that my dad never told me about this historical Quidditch fact and he says: "Oh yes, I remember all of those history lessons quite well, with how much I wanted to be Potter in blood and magic and everything else that was magically possible.

When their 11 year old grandson Jarius Elmes Potter, got into the Hospital wing for trying out for Keeper and being hit with three different practice Bludgers, causing several broken bones, a concussion and nearly a paralyze from the neck down, the Potter elders had enough and used the Board of Governors and the Ministry to convince Hogwarts to ban First years from ever playing Quidditch or even trying out for the game.  
It had a totally legitimate and understandable reason, so why on earth DID YOU BREAK ONE OF THE RULES THAT HELPS MY SON SURVIVE?" McGonagall looks shocked and scared at the Black lord and Sirius grumbles: "Only two weeks into the school and already I'm wondering if James did the right thing signing my boy in for this school."

And with that he sits down, grumbling at the woman's incompetence for one more time before he hugs a totally shocked Harry. But then the boy turns away from him and he looks shocked at the hurt, stubborn look on the boy's face. He seems to understand why as he softly, gently, turns the boy's head back to him and whispers:  
"Don't think I'm not proud you made the team, son. Trust me, James would be jumping up and down even now if he heard the news. I'm just worried about your safety and health and try to protect you where I can. If only to prove you can trust me and you can open up. We both know you want that after all, don't you pup?"  
Now the angered look turns tearful and while Harry turned his head back once Sirius started talking, is he now looking at the man from the corner of his eye and Sirius only gently smiles back at the boy, allowing him to make the first move. And the first move, before I read on is Harry hugging his mum with his eyes closed in bliss.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 162 – PS**_

This makes me look down and Remus says: "It was not your fault, Oliver. You didn't know the Potters well enough to know that Harry's build was not how he would have looked had his parents raised him." I nod, glad the man understand me and I smile at him gratefully, feeling more than ever that the man really is the best teacher ever and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 162 – PS**_ _, which in a way calmed Harry down from his fear, that had risen up when he heard about the possibility of punishment_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 162 & 163 – PS  
**_ _Harry could barely believe what he heard and he stood where he was left long after McGonagall and Wood left the room – Wood to go back to his class and McGonagall to pick up the rest of his class._

"YOU LEFT HIM?" Sirius shouts and by now I wonder how much more the man is going to shout at the teachers, as it seems they tend to do a lot of things wrong when it concerns my favorite Seeker. He then seems to feel Harry tensing up in his arms as the boy must feel scared of all the shouting and so tempers his voice as he asks:  
"You tell him he's to become Seeker, push a – no offense, Wood – highly enthusiastic and Quidditch crazy fifth year onto him, compliment him, which is something he's barely used to – and I know you couldn't have known that – and then leave him? Couldn't you have at least taken him with you when you went to pick up his House mates?"  
The woman looks like she wants to object as her lips are now thin with anger, but then, as if reading her mind, he says: "Don't think I'm singling you out, just because you're my Head of House or something. I've just as much against Snape's way of treating my son and Hagrid's way of not keeping secrets around him.  
But it's quite clear to me, through this book, that you are the one he looks up to, so that you just leave him there and don't even see how he feels about the entire situation. You were nothing like this during our years, Minerva, and this has nothing to do with the war or growing up, even I know that." He spats at her and she sighs as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 163 – PS  
**_ _Especially the prospect that he wouldn't have to take lessons from Finar made him happy and thus hungry._ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 163 – PS**_

This makes me blush as Professor Flitwick actually caught me onto that later on that day and in all the excitement I had told him what had happened. The man had immediately rushed to my Head of House and I had tried not to skip anymore for the rest of that day, although the thought of an assured victory was making that very hard.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 163 & 164 – PS**_

"It wasn't." The twins chorus and Lee grumbles: "No, that one I found two weeks later. You could have told me of which ones you already knew, you know." To this the twins smirk and Fred says: "Sorry Lee, but that's." And George goes on: "A secret kept between." And Fred continues: "Harry, us and his friends."  
Their friend pouts and, while he obviously tries not to whine, does he ask: "And why do they know and not me?" And Fred waves him off, as he says: "Keeping all secrets to one person is so boring." And George goes on: "It's better to share them with everyone you trust." And they chorus: "And we trust Harry."  
Before sending a quick wink at their brother, to show they trust him too. Ron smiles at them and I feel glad as it's obvious the boy really looks up to his elder brothers. Hermione gets the same wink, but only from Fred and she winks back as sign that she got it, making the other twin smile at her as I continue to read the chapter.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 164 – PS**_

Now Mrs. Malfoy is the one in the Black line to glare at her son and with a steely tone in her voice to show that she disapproves does she says: "So you're the whole reason behind that stupid title." But after shooting his best friend an amused glance, Harry says: "No, it's also partly because of Hermione, Neville and Fluffy."  
And while I wonder about the reason behind the first two names and who the hell is named with that third name, does Neville whiten and he asks in a shout: "THAT'S FLUFFY?" Harry nods and Neville says: "Hagrid, with all due respect – but you're insane." The man looks shocked and I wonder what the Hell Fluffy could be as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 164 – PS**_ _as Ron's words reminded him of Erica's intervention all those years ago,_

Now I stop dead, my voice stocking in my throat at reading this and think: "No! No way! Just – just no way!" But while I read that paragraph again and again, does the meaning stay the same and I feel tears threatening to burst, while many girls and even the teachers are already crying their eyes out at this shocking revelation.

Harry Potter – at young age – tried to kill himself. And he was stopped by some random, unknown person named Erica. A person he later lost and that he apparently still thinks about and that stops him from trying again. This idea makes the tears burst and I cry as I think of all the ways my Seeker could have tried to kill himself.  
"In what way would he have attempted this? And at that age? In November 1986 he could not have been older than 6! Who tries to kill himself at that age? What happened that made him want to do that? And what happened to Erica? How on earth did she stop Harry at that age? How did she find him? When on earth did she die?"  
All these questions ring through my head and my vision gets fuzzy as the tears streak down my face, barely touching the paper below my head. I look up and see a terrible sight. Weasleys all together with Hermione, while the Quidditch girls are together with Neville and Luna and Viktor is together with the young new family

All of them crying.

I look away from those terrible words that tore my heart apart and look at the groups sitting together, many of them crying or trying not to cry, trying to hold strong to support those crying and even Professor McGonagall and Snape are comforting each other while crying, showing me just how hard this befalls everyone.  
Then a hiccupping Viktor asks: "P-pl-please – tell – tell us what happ-happened." But Harry shakes his head, his face also tear streaked as he must be missing Erica and he says: "I – I can't, too – too publicly." He then looks at the hurt faces and says: "It's true that the November incident in 1986 was one where I tried to kill myself, but –."  
He takes a deep breath and says: "Ever since I came into the magical world have I been doing nothing but fight against that what pushed me over the edge and made me make that decision. I just don't want to think back on it. I – I don't want to be that weak anymore. That –." And softly he ends the sentence in a teary whisper: "That unloved."

Everyone nods, while some students had wanted to protest when Harry said that the situation was too publicly and Sirius says: "I feared as much when I saw the scars on your body. I feared with all my heart some of those were wounds of when –." And to my shock Neville softly asks: "When he tries to do it again?"  
Everyone looks at him and with a hard tone I can barely believe comes from the once oh so shy and insecure boy, he says: "Yes, I knew. I've known since First. And if you read the chapter around Easter, you too will understand. I swore to Harry, on the day I found him, to never speak of that event and I won't."  
Shocked by the actual strength Neville shows, I smile and Harry whispers: "He's been my Erica ever since. He's always stopped me and held me strong. I go to him if I feel like it again – and he stops me if I don't." Everyone smiles at the boy, glad there's someone to help Harry with this problem and I smile at the boy, before wiping my eyes and reading on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 164 & 165 – PS**_

This makes some weak smiles appear and Harry asks: "Didn't hear that part of no contact, did you?" And Ron says: "No, I zoned out when I heard Wizard's duel and when I heard him taunting you, I just stepped in." Everyone shakes their heads and I continue the chapter, more glad than ever to have a change of subject.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 165 – PS  
**_ _It hadn't given Harry much confidence in the situation, but he had taken refuge with the reminder of how quick he was; whether on the ground or in the air.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 165 & 166 – PS  
**_ _He wanted nothing more than to finally make Malfoy feel how it felt like to be bullied, if only to make sure he had one asset less that was making this amazing world less than his wildest expectations.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 166 – PS  
**_ _He understood her need to follow authority, even if he had amazing trouble with it himself, but she didn't even know them, so who was she to judge them like that? And besides, she always showed up when something went wrong, did she really not have the guts to just say hi on an early morning or something?_

Now some snicker and Hermione says: "No wonder you didn't like me at first." But Harry shrugs and says: "It wasn't really your fault. I got a feeling you trust authority as much as I trust my friends with the same reason I do. They've never let you down, while others have." The girl nods and Harry smiles and grabs her hand softly as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 166 – PS**_

This seems to clear all of the hurt tension as almost half the hall laughs at this and Hermione mock-spats: "Harry!" But Harry, obviously in on the laughter ringing around him asks: "What? How could any eleven year old know that his fourteen year old self would let the entire school read about his thoughts?"  
The girl is baffled by this and students, who probably barely ever saw her baffled, laugh harder, but then Harry confuses me and says: "Come on, Hermione, even as thirteen year old you're not that good." The girl, their friend and Harry himself share a secretive smile and I wonder what on earth they could be on about as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 166 & 167 – PS**_

"Going to wish we listened to you?" Harry asks mockingly and Ron goes on: "Going to feel stupid for not listening?" And Hermione says: "Going to hope I was there to bail you out." The two look at her and then they all burst out laughing, making many look shocked as they probably didn't expect the Golden Trio to act so normally.  
But Sirius and Remus smile widely at the laughing black-haired teen and I too feel a large smile on my face at the sight of a wildly laughing Harry as the humor he feels for that simple joke shows how much he can still enjoy the simple things of life, even with all he's been through. Hoping more of those fun times can come into his life, do I read on

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 167 – PS**_

"I was only saying that, because." Hermione starts, her face showing how stupid she feels for having said that, but Ron swings an arm around her and with a loving smile he says: "We know, Hermione, we know. And look at us now. Honestly where would you be without us?" But Harry answers solemnly: "I know where I'd be."  
The girl looks at him worried and Harry says: "Honestly Hermione, if you hadn't helped me last year, I wouldn't be here now. Whether you did the work that actually saved me or not." The girl – and many others – whiten at this, but it seems that her whitening is because she realized that her friend is right – about something I have no knowledge about.  
I sigh, wondering how many times during the books I will wonder what will happen during the last four years and instead decide to focus on the Midnight duel I'll read about. Wanting to know why no one ever heard of it, I quickly focus back on the book and gain the attention of all those who had whitened in fear as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 167 – PS  
**_ _Harry barely needed to squint his eyes, he was that used to darkness, thanks to endless hours in his cupboard._

Tension of anger is back as ever, some of the elder lions growling and doing their House mascot proud and Sirius asks: "Harry, can you tell us what was the longest period of time you had to stay in there without being let out for chores or anything else?" And to my shock Harry says: "A hundred and sixty hours. A week."  
Everyone looks shocked and Harry says: "Uncle didn't even punish me that week. He just took a small panel out of the bottom of the door, threw two buckets into my cupboard, took my blanket and locked the door. Aunt Petunia would then push food through the opening and else, I was left to tend to myself and my needs."  
Everyone looks shocked and Hermione asks: "What on earth made them do that?" And Harry answers: "I purposely ruined a birthday cake for _aunt_ Marge.""The woman you?" Ron asks and Harry asks: "Hey, I did say it was done on purpose, didn't I?" The two laugh and I smile, glad Harry could do what he did to survive that hell hole.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 167 & 168 – PS**_

"Why does he pass Gryffindor tower?" A First year of my House asks, obviously terrified by the very idea of it and Professor McGonagall says: "Since the Marauders Peeves tends to join forces with whatever Gryffindor Prankster roams the halls. I asked the Baron to keep Peeves away, at least during the day."  
The First year nods, but Ron says: "Peeves doesn't even need to come there anymore. Harry's more than enough to keep the twins sustained, yet entertained." Harry blushes, while some of the teachers look shocked at this and the twins say: "We don't know how he does it, but he beats us every time. We bow to his greatness."  
And they actually officially bow, standing up, putting an arm behind their backs and their other arm in front of them as they bow, making Harry blush and yet again hide his face in Sirius' chest – which I consider quite a feet, seeing the wheelchair he's in – while many others and I laugh at their ridiculous antics as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 168 – PS**_

"How'd you know that?" Hermione asks while Ron wants to say: "Hermione, we –." But Harry interrupts him and says: "Unlike you back then, I did pay attention to everyone in my House and year whenever I could. I just didn't hang out with all of them, but I did observe them, so I would know what to expect out of them."  
The girl shakes her head and Mr. Malfoy, who still has a softly sniffing Mrs. Malfoy under his comforting arm, sniffing against his side, says: "He might have the bravery of a lion, but he surely has the survival skills of a true Snake." He then turns to a still red-faced Snape, who is clearly red-faced from the crying and says:  
"He would have done well in your House, Severus." The man nods and accepts the handkerchief Professor Sprout offers him as he says: "That he would have, Lucius. Although I doubt I would have believed it at the time." Understanding his point as I know nothing would have changed had we not read these books, I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 168 – PS  
**_ _He didn't trust the slimy snake one bit and even used the reflection in the glasses to see into corners he couldn't see from where he was standing.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 168 & 169 – PS  
**_ _Harry was amazed at their trust in him, not to mention how well they were handling the situation, when_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 169 & 170 – PS  
**_ _He had never been more relieved for all those days Harry Hunting; it was a terrible game, but man, did it keep him in good shape._ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 170 – PS**_ _, mostly because she just didn't seem to know when to tell someone something_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 170 – PS  
**_ _Harry shook his head and says: "Peeves, Seamus Finnegan would go absolutely bonkers if something were to happen to his red and blue hairbrush that he uses especially on Monday mornings and Friday nights. Don't ask me why." The Poltergeist cackled again and while Harry felt bad, he knew it was the only way to get past Peeves – and more importantly away from Filch.  
_ _He would just make sure Seamus used his brush on other days so he wouldn't miss it that much on those days._

"Helping two parties at the same time. Now that's a prankster of the highest level, that is." Sirius says, proudly ruffling his son's hair and Seamus says: "No wonder you insisted for an entire week I use an older model on those days. I thought you had gone mental, observing me like that." The young black-haired boy shrugs, while red and I read on.

 _Peeves floated aside and Harry happily passed him, trying not to show the Poltergeist he was going to ruin his fun. The Poltergeist then flew back into place, just as Neville wanted to cautiously pass by and asked, "Who do you know that old Peeves can prank? Twins, Filch and Snape don't count and I need details on what to do." Harry wanted to talk for the shy boy, making up for his terrible night – but he was beaten to the punch._ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 170 & 171 – PS  
**_ _Harry was barely focusing on the voices outside as a thought from Olivander's came back to him._ _"The wand chooses the wizard."_ _What part of Harry's wand was the same as Hermione's that made her capable of using his wand for that spell? And where the hell was that spell written in his textbooks? His questions were cut off by a wheezy voice.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 171 – PS  
**_ _For some reason this made Harry feel better and as he over thought the last sentence, he couldn't help but grin. Apparently Peeves was quite happy with the information Harry had given him._

"What are you on about?" Draco asks and while I'm angry that he rattled on the boys, can't I help but wonder the same myself. But Harry says: "It's as the book says. It's all in the last sentence Peeves said to Filch. Oh and Sirius, here's a glass of water. Your throat's going to need it." Sirius looks confused and takes the drink as Draco seems to think.  
Then the blonde seems to get what his cousin figured out four years ago and says: "He's not going to say a thing. He won't tell on them." Everyone looks at him and he says: "It's a double denial case. Peeves won't say _**nothing**_ if Filch doesn't say _**please.**_ So when Filch will say please, Peeves will still not rat them out."  
Everyone looks shocked and Remus says: "Not even at Hogwarts for two weeks and already Peeves is on his side, doing his bidding." To which Harry says: "What can I say? While I protect those I talk about, I do give good information to Peeves for him to pull pranks. I help whoever I can, if only to help myself."

Everyone laughs at the sneaky answer and Lee asks: "And Peeves never found out?" Harry shakes his head and Ron, who seems really proud of his buddy, says: "Nope, just last year, he ratted out Susan out about something and then he provided her with a perfect copy of what Peeves was going to use to pester her with.  
She never minded, but to protect him against Peeves' torment she faked that she did." To which Harry leans back, obviously proud of his handy little system and with a large smile on his face and his eyes up at the roof, does he say: "I'm just glad the Ghosts also seem to be frozen in time. I really don't want Peeves to find out about this.  
Or the Baron incident for that matter." And the twins ask: "YOU SET THE BARON ON HIM?" But Harry raises his eyebrow and asks: "Did you hear me say that? I just mentioned an incident concerning the Baron, not including him. I definitely never said I put him on Peeves now, did I?" And while I wonder over this mystery, do I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 171 & 172 – PS**_

To my confusion, does Harry wrap Sirius' arms around him and Hermione and Neville do the same together, while Ron does it with Percy. I feel purely confused, but Harry says: "Trust me, you'll need the comfort." To which I think: "Why me? This was supposed to be about him making the team, not his dangerous adventures." And with a sigh I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 172 – PS**_

It takes me only a second to realize what I read and indeed Percy clings onto Ron so tightly I'm surprised the boy doesn't choke, while Sirius' hold is now so protective, I can barely see my Seeker anymore in the mass of cloths and hair, only seeing the lower side of his body due to the wheelchair he's still sitting in.  
All other students look shocked and Blaise Zabini asks: "How on earth did they survive that?" And while I know many others wonder the same, do I think: "This wasn't supposed to be what my chapter would be about. From now on I'm first asking for the chapter title, before I read anymore." And while I read on, do I ask myself the same question:

HOW DID THEY SURVIVE THAT?

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 172 – PS**_

"I'd skin you alive if you didn't." Sirius whimpers and then he looks up and says: "There better be a hell of an explanation for that monstrosity." The teachers nod, all of their faces grim and obviously not just because of the reason and while Sirius now looks at her doubtfully, does McGonagall say: "Albus wanted it there to protect –."  
But there she stops and gags, as if choking on her own spit and she says: "I can't say. It's the title of the book and I can't reveal it. I got Tongue-tied when I tried." Sirius growls and says: "Whatever that title is, it better not be something dangerous." And I see the Malfoys, Diggories and Madame Bones nod in agreement as I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 172 – PS,**_ _but the dog rammed it with his head before clawing at the outside. He hit Harry at his elbow and Harry had never been so glad for the damaged piece of bone as he threw his none-aching arm against the door, making the dog yelp and pull his paw back. Another good hit against the door,_ _the lock falling in as he turned,_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 172 – PS  
**_ _Harry quickly ripped two parts of the seam of his bathrobe and wrapped them around his elbows, one to stop the bleeding and the other with the excuse that his arm hurt from the cracking wood.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 173 – PS**_

"I cannot believe you got out of that alive." Draco says, held by his parents and his eyes wide as he looks at his cousin, obviously barely able to believe he is seeing the boy alive. Harry shrugs and Sirius says: "Please tell me that shrug was because you've gotten over the danger and now see it as a stupid, teenage adventure."  
Harry nods, while his friends shoot him weird looks, but while Sirius and Remus have their eyes closed in relief, does Harry motion for me and I realize that was the way he thought about it – at first. Now – I think with a shudder – he must have dealt with worse and so doesn't really care about this anymore. I sigh and read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 173 – PS  
**_ _Harry really wanted him to shut up, but didn't have the guts or the breath to tell him so. He was trying to stem the blood flow in his arm and was glad for the dark red and black bathrobe he was wearing. On the same time was he trying to think of valid reasons why such a beast would be in a school. Especially with students as curious at the twins._

This normally would have gotten the twins to smile proudly – and would have probably caused the adults to groan in disappointment – but their worried frowns stay on, showing me they care too much for their little brother to take the compliment and while Arthur now whitens, realizing that Harry's right, does Fred says:  
"What I don't get." And while I can already hear the underlying anger, does George go on: "Is why such a monster." His voice as angry as Fred's who then goes on: "Is only held back." And they chorus furiously, their faces matching their hair colors and their fists clenched: "BY A SPELL FIRST YEARS CAN BREAK!"  
Everyone looks shocked, the parents whitening even worse than before and Hagrid sighs, making everyone turn to him. He then says: "Professor Dumbledore did that for me. My magic is nothing and we didn't want to risk me having to constantly bring down the door, so he put up a spell I could undo and redo whenever I wanted."  
The twins nod and then they ask: "And why were you keeping it there?" And professor McGonagall says: "For protection, Misters Weasley. I would like to tell you more, if only to appease you of your worries, but the book won't let me." The two nod, their furious faces showing how angry they are at what went on years ago and I read on.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 173 – PS  
**_ _But while he said that, did he mentally quickly go over all the details he saw of that room and monster.  
_ _ **PS – chapter 9, page 173 – PS**_

I hold silence for a minute expecting a comment, but nothing is heard and I look up, wondering why the parents aren't voicing their concerns. The Malfoys, Mr. Weasley, Harry's parents and the Diggorys are all glaring at the teachers, who look resigned with their fate, knowing they can't do anything to comfort the worried parents.  
The other Weasleys are all around Ron, Neville and Hermione worriedly and the twins hold onto the girl tightly, while Bill and Charlie have Neville, Ginny and Luna in between them and Percy is still holding onto Ron.  
And of course does Mr. Weasley have a single hand on Ron's shoulder and do the other parents all have their children held in strong, worried hugs, Sirius still camouflaging Harry with his hair and cloths. Knowing none of this will change until the chapter ends, I quickly read on, glad I need only a few more sentences.

 _ **PS – chapter 9, page 173 & 174 – PS  
**_ _But there was also one other strange thing that suddenly came to Harry's mind that just didn't make sense to the young lad as he slowly fell asleep. When they had been running away from Filch – one of the quickest ways to Gryffindor tower had been blocked and the only other way there – was past the Third floor corridor._

Everyone looks shocked and Harry says: "At hasty situations I only realize what's happening after it happened, but I do pay attention to where I can run and hide at all times." Everyone nods and Snape, apparently no longer feeling sorry for himself as his voice is as hard as steel, says: "I can't believe it. That old man knew."  
Everyone looks at him and he growls: "He knew Potter would be out that night. He knew he would be at the Trophy room. He knew the whole damned thing. Filch must have squealed with him and he must have connected the dots, thanks to the anger growing between those two." And he fumes: "HE BLOODY WELL SET HIM UP!"  
Everyone is angered by this and Tonks grabs a new scroll of parchment, obviously to write down Dumbledore's crimes. I myself feel disgusted I had been taught by this terrible man and think: "Who else had he manipulated? And why is he doing all this?" But I have no answers and thus, simply close the book, having marked the page.


	22. While It Should Be Yours

_**And yes people, the translations are back as there will be more Viktor this chapter.  
**_ _ **моята любов is the Bulgarian translation for My Love  
**_ _ **надявам се с мен от ваша страна is Bulgarian for I hope with me by your side  
**_ _ **сладка любов is the Bulgarian Translation for Sweet love**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 21  
**_ _ **WHILE IT SHOULD BE YOURS!**_

 _ **Hermione's POV**_

"I would like to read next." I tell the Great Hall and Ron, looking at me while hugging Percy, asks: "Are you sure? You do know what this will probably be about?" I nod, feeling very touched by the concerned tone in his voice and say: "Yeah I do, that's the whole reason I want to read. I want to see how you guys think about that event."  
My best friend nods, but I can tell he feels stupid about what happened. I lie a hand on his shoulder, making him smile at me and I say: "Hey, don't worry, Ron. We weren't even friends back then." And the boy snickers: "No, but that sure changed, didn't it?" I snicker back, still amazed we became friends over such a dangerous event and nod at him.  
I then walk over to the Owl Stand and while Oliver walks away, I hear him mutter: "That was not what I expected. I just wanted his appointment as Seeker." I shake my head, not at all understanding what he likes about Quidditch so much as I have only seen Harry get hurt almost every other game and start to read.

 _ **Halloween**_

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 175 – PS**_

"How exactly was it possible for you to be cheerful after that?" Sirius asks his son and Harry says: "Part of it was relief that I survived something I could call more dangerous than my uncle. The other part was my Inner Lion coming up (Ron nods in agreement) and the last was just show – to make sure others didn't discover that monster from us."  
The man nods and I snicker as I had decided the same, but then because I didn't want to get in trouble with the teachers. If students were to be caught in that corridor, they would spill on me and I would have had to confess about being out after curfew, something I wanted to avoid doing, no matter what the situation.  
I then look at Harry and think: "I never would have ratted out on him. Especially not after last year." And with dread and anger I think back on that monster Pettigrew and on the Dementors that would have, had it not been for my Time turner, sucked Harry and Sirius' soul out of them. I shudder at this idea and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 175 – PS**_ _although they both agreed that their next adventure should be with some kind of creature they could handle._

"At least there's that." Sirius sighs and Harry says: "Oh, come on. You've been through adventures just as much as me." And Sirius retorts: "Yeah, but I wasn't 11 when I faced a – a Cerberus! And for your info, young man, I'm only this worried, because I don't want to lose you to something dangerous or life-threatening, so I'm glad you wanted that."  
The boy smiles at his mum and then he hugs him and says: "You'll be a wonderful mum for my siblings. Can I expect them before my O.W.L.s or after?" The man looks at his excited son shocked and Remus laughs, obviously just as excited and while I can see a great deal of love in his eyes as he looks at his son, does he say:  
"That will all depend on how well we can get you to get peace with your past, cub. Your future and mental state are more important than a growth in family." The boy pouts and says: "But I really want a big family. Like the Weasleys." He then sees his mum whiten and says: "Okay, maybe not 7, but I won't take any less than 3 siblings."  
Remus laughs and asks: "And since when did you have a say about that?" To which Harry shrugs and says: "Since you started calling me your own and werewolf adopted me. I'm your son now and part of this family, am I not?" Sirius shakes his head, while the students laugh at the amazing sense of humor of my best friend and says:  
"We'll try, cub. But don't expect so many siblings anytime soon. I don't think my body can handle that yet." Harry nods, but I can tell that we both know why Sirius doesn't think his body ready for growing babies just yet and while I know that this chapter won't be any good, do I not want my friend to think even worse and so I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 175 – PS  
**_ _Harry couldn't blame him, but his curiosity had been growing since he entered a world he knew nothing about and this seemed to be an important part of that world.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 176 – PS**_

This makes me cringe and Ron wants to stand up to comfort me, but I shake my head and mouth: "Later, I'll come over later." The boy nods, but I can tell that he has trouble sitting back down and smile at my best friend as he moves back into Percy's hug, something the elder redhead is only too happy about as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 176 – PS,**_ _just when Harry tried to see if the parcel hadn't landed more in front of someone else and whether or not it was really for him, but the letter was addressed to him, so the parcel must have been too.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 176 – PS  
**_ _He also had great trouble even speaking or seeing as his eyes were glazed over with tears and his throat was tight with emotion. This was the second time someone showed they cared for him and actually gave him a present.  
_ _He really belonged here and not with those rotten Muggles; the Dursleys._

Everyone nods feverishly and professor McGonagall smiles widely, obviously glad she has been able to make my best friend feel at home at Hogwarts – and that by just giving him a gift. I shake my head and think: "And that is only the second real gift he can remember. I fear I don't want to know how he'll react to his Christmas gifts."  
I shake my head, feeling terrible that my best friend, at one point in time, didn't even think himself worthy of receiving a gift and how much he actually cherishes it and think: "If his parents don't make his oncoming birthday the best of his life, I will." But looking at the two caring, loving parents, do I know that they surely will.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 177 – PS**_

This makes some of the older years snicker, the boys mainly and even some of the Bulgarians sitting at the Slytherin table and the twins whisper with a loud tone: "That just sounds so wrong, especially with the current situation between those two." But then the Chasers hit them on the head, making them yelp out loud.  
I then look at my international friend, wondering if I could have really helped him get together with Harry while at war and I can see by the restrained smile on Viktor's face that he is both angered by the thought of his love being touched by someone else, while on the same time he must be dreaming of doing the same himself.  
I shake my head at his thoughts and think: "And the worst is that Harry doesn't even understand the current situation." Which is clearly visible by the young black-haired boy blinking around curiously, obviously not getting the elder secretive innuendo, which in turn makes his parents smile at his innocence as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 177 – PS**_

"And with good reason too." Sirius grumbles, obviously still too worried about what could happen to his son while on the pitch and I wonder if that worry will lessen when he hears about Harry's training sessions, not to mention his first ever match, but then the man asks: "You were constantly under watch that year, right?"  
And Harry nods and says: "Wood was always on me if he wasn't stopping a Quaffle thrown by the girls and if he wasn't watching me the twins were, even if it meant they got hit with a Bludger themselves. One of them would watch the Bludgers and the other would watch out for me." The man nods, smiles at the three of them and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 177 – PS**_

"With the way the twins are making money, I'd say they'll be able to afford more brooms in a month than you can fly on your Nimbus in a whole year." Harry mock-spats at his cousin, showing only a small playful smile and Draco smirks back, obviously wanting to help his cousin while he's healing and says:  
"We'll see about that, Potter. There are after all plenty of parents that don't want their kids getting hurt by prank items." And Harry retorts: "Perhaps so, Draco, but the twins are professionals on the prank division. They do too much research before they invent for their products to be risky, unless handled wrongly and that can happen to anyone."

The boy grumbles, having lost the spat, but not showing any real anger as he seems to be fighting a small smile, while the twins beam at their friend and Harry goes on: "And let's not forget that I promised you the Tri-wizard winnings if I won and I did – sort of – well, at least I got the money, so a deal's a deal. Here's the money."  
And after some sputtering, do the twins look at each other and then grudgingly accept the money. George then wants to open his mouth, but Harry beats him to the punch and says: "And don't you dare see this as a loan you have to pay off. You deserve it, especially with a mother like yours, and it's not as if I feel that I wasted the money."  
The two nod, but as they start to mutter together, do I know they'll find a way to still thank Harry for his actions. I shake my head, knowing those two to be devious, but quite brilliant and I think: "I do not want to know how they'll get it done, but I know they will." And with that, while anxious to see them pull it off, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 177 – PS  
**_ _He didn't really want to pester the boy, but if he realized that pestering others would only backfire on him, he would perhaps stop doing it. It was always worth a shot – and currently it was quite funny.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 178 – PS**_

"I really picked the wrong times to talk to you, didn't I?" I ask my friends, who nod while looking pained as if they're trying not to feel bad about having to agree. I smile at their care, mostly because Ron obviously has trouble reading the emotions of others and while some students now whisper about how we became friends, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 178 – PS**_

"To be honest, I don't know which of my brooms I love most." Harry then comments and Wood asks: "What? Why? The Firebolt is bloody ten times better." But Harry says: "I do agree there, especially seeing the person who gave it to me, but the Nimbus was the second gift I was given that I could remember being given.  
And it was from my Head of House and thus, to me, a sign I could trust her." This makes the strict woman, who still has some tear stains on her face, smile at the young boy and I sigh, wishing that fact had encouraged him to tell her about his home life. With another sigh as I know just how stubborn Harry can be, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 178 & 179 – PS**_

Everyone smiles, the Quidditch nuts almost drooling at the description of the World's Third Best Broom and I'm glad to have one of the better chapters. Then Oliver snaps: "Damn, I should have waited a chapter." But I say: "Trust me, you wouldn't have had this chapter. I would have fought nail and tooth for it."

The elder boy looks shocked, while some of the other students – who were there back then – seem to remember what happened and Remus asks: "Why? What happens?" And as a bypassing answer, I say: "Let's just say that Halloween is never quiet when you're friends with Harry Potter. No offense, Harry." But the boy shrugs and says:  
"Bathroom incident 1st year, threatening warning 2nd, painting attack 3rd, and my name coming out of the Goblet of Fire this year. Hell, I don't even want to know what will happen next year." But to this, while some of those who weren't there during these events start to whisper to those who were, does Viktor hug him and says:

"Just look at it this way, моята любов, at least it can only get worse in the books. You defeated Voldemort and he made your life hell, but now you can look and work forward to a future of your own. надявам се с мен от ваша страна."  
I smile, already knowing that only the Bulgarian words are words of sweetness and then Sirius leans forward and says: "Hint from a top charmer, try saying the sweet words in a way your beloved can understand them, not his mother." The Bulgarian turns red and Harry laughs softly, sweetly caressing the elder boy's cheek as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 179 – PS**_

"That really just wasn't enough time to practice." Oliver says, shaking his head with his arms crossed and a pout on his face, but then the twins and the Chasers chorus: "THAT WAS HEAVEN!" The ex-Gryffindor Keeper looks shocked and I snicker as I remember how often the others complained about the long training sessions before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 179 – PS**_

"It does?" Oliver asks and I nod, while Harry first sends Dean a look, telling him he'll leave the rest of the explanation to him before he says: "Yeah, soccer balls are just black and white spotted and don't have those round dents in them. Oh, and soccer players use their feet instead of their hands, except for the Goalie."  
To this Wood asks: "What's a Goalie?" And Dean, who starts talking once Harry sends him another look, answers: "In soccer, you play with a single large net, held up by three large poles like a large cage, but only one half. The Goalie is the person standing in front of it and keeping the soccer ball from getting through."  
"So like my job." Wood says excitedly and Dean nods, while I know the West Ham fan is exhilarated to have someone to share his passion for soccer with. I sigh relieved, as I know it's a big part of the boy's life, like the library and my friends are a big part of mine and while I happily smile at the two boys that made my life here brilliant, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 179 & 180 – PS  
**_ _He really wanted to explain the game to the obvious sports fan, but he had only seen one game and he had been 5 when that happened. A year, together with when he was 6, he rather forgot about._

I look at my best friend hurt and concerned and while Remus holds his shoulder and Sirius pats his back, does Viktor have my best friend on his lap, while the wheelchair is now pushed away so his parents can sit closeby and Viktor whispers: "We'll get you through this. You will get through this. We will help you." And then it happens.  
Harry looks at Viktor for a long time after these words and then softly, closing his eyes even before acting, Harry kisses the boy softly on the cheek, showing his affection. I can barely believe what I am seeing and think: "Has he done it? Has Viktor really wormed his way into Harry's heart like he worms his way into ours?"  
And as I look at the shocked, yet amazingly gleeful expression on my international friend's face, do I know that yes, Viktor is conquering the one heart that has so much trouble trusting others. This is such a good step in the right direction, I can't help the amazingly broad grin of pure joy on my face as I continue the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 180 – PS**_ _as Dudley always loved to do if only to see his glasses break_ _ **, PS – Chapter 10, Page 180 & 181 – PS  
**_ _He was ever so grateful for his photographic memory, which he owed to years of chores by the Dursleys, hard garden work and the hard hand of Erica as she kept reminding him to be strong, even after her terrible death a month before he would turn 7 years old._

The first two make people all over growl and I feel a new wave of fury go through them concerning those horrendous Muggles, even while all kinds of plans to make those Muggles pay for hurting my friend go through my mind, but the last part makes the people I can see as I read the book – and thus probably the entire Hall – smile.  
I myself feel terrible for the fact Harry had to lose such an important factor in his life so quickly and think: "Was it really just Erica and us that kept my best friend on his feet all this time? And what on earth would make him want to kill himself?" But I know I won't get answers from the shy boy yet and thus continue the story.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 181 – PS**_

"Sorry Harry, but you sounded like you were scared to death those things would punch you to pieces next time you didn't have a bat with you. On the other hand, seeing your uncle's treatment, I now understand that actually." Wood says and Harry smiles, while obviously embarrassed for his failure. I shrug and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 181 – PS**_

This causes snorts all over and the twins chorus: "Hey, to protect from destruction, you must become the destruction. But have you ever seen us cross the line too far?" I see everyone look at each other and I myself torment my brains, trying to find one memory of this happening during any of the matches I watched to support Harry.  
To my shock I find none and slowly more and more people look at the two with wide eyes, making them nod and then one of them asks: "And who do we have to thank for that, George?" And the other says: "Thank you for asking, Fred. I do believe that to be our Code dictionary, otherwise known as." And they chorus: "Percival Ignatius Weasley."

The elder boy looks shocked and Fred asks: "Why else do you think we always eavesdropped when you overheard yourself on the English code?" And George goes on: "Or sit with you for a few minutes when you found interesting or important laws, before we would pull you out of your room for some fun with your siblings?"  
They then sit on either side of the boy and Fred – or I think it's Fred – says: "We always wanted to be pranksters." And George goes on: "But we didn't want to embarrass the family and end up in prison." And they chorus: "So we spend time with you and learned what we needed to know, so that would never happen when we pulled pranks."

They then both wrap an arm around the teary man and chorus: "You're our muse, Perce, our law muse, but our muse. We need you, big bro." And the man hugs his brothers and says: "And I need you. If only to remind me I can have fun with my family no matter what I have to do." They happily hug their elder brother and I smile as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 181 & 182 – PS**_

"Nearly always indeed." Viktor grumbles, obviously angry over his loss at the Finals of last summer, but Harry cuddles into him, reminding him of where he is and says: "You did the best you could. It was brilliant of you to save your team any real humiliation. How would it have looked to your fans if you lost, say 450 to 140?"  
The elder boy smiles at his beloved boyfriend, but for some reason I feel the need to write this score down. Quickly grabbing a piece of paper and a quill, I do so, wondering if Harry has a small Seer gift like Ron or if this is just a stupid guess. Not wanting to dwell on it, seeing that hag Trelawney, I stuff the paper in my pocket and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 182 – PS  
**_ _He had after all only played a few sports games at school before he was expelled and after that the only game he ever played was Harry Hunting – a game he didn't willingly participate in.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 182 – PS**_

To this Charlie looks at who was once his fellow team-player as he playfully tells Wood: "First of all, I do more than _**chase Dragons**_. Second of all, we both know your big idol is James Potter, so stop bringing me up already. I first want a fair Quidditch match against Harry to see if he really is better than me."  
To this Ron says: "Sure, we'll hold a Snitch race after the Quidditch chapter. We'll just release a couple of Snitches, set a certain time area and let you guys fly to your heart's delight. The one with the most caught Snitches is the best." Harry and Charlie nod in agreement, while I shake my head at their idea and just read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 183 – PS  
**_ _Not that that was really so hard to believe, even though he never really understood the concept of a good home. The people here after all liked him, even if they just stared at his scar, and Neville, Ron and the twins were really growing onto Harry like friends, or what felt like friends to him.  
_ _He did, when he thought of the fact this was his home, wish his family could be like the Weasleys, but then he shook his head, berating himself for thinking about something that should never be part of this amazing world. Ron caught him doing this once, but he waved it off, telling him how he loved his home.  
_ _He knew he was giving the boy the wrong ideas as Ron must have thought he meant wherever he believed Harry to have grown up, but how could someone his age help him with what he was going through at home? Especially now he was finally realizing that his uncle's punishments were wrong. There was nothing Ron could do for him and all he could do was wait and see if one of the teachers would notice that not all was right with one of their students.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 183 – PS  
**_ _Harry still didn't ask any of the teachers questions and he still held back, using whatever he could to make the teachers believe he either had trouble with the current subject or that he was pulling it off on average scale.  
_ _His reason now was that Ron was still easily jealous and Neville really seemed to need help with some subjects. Harry wanted to help from the sidelines and he couldn't do that if he used all of his ability and became known as a showoff.  
_ _Heck, after getting past the basics, Transfigurations, Charms and Astronomy were even easier than before and Harry actually enjoyed practicing the spellwork after finishing his self made potions or whenever the others boys wanted to sleep in on the weekends.  
_ _The only problem was Quidditch. Apparently after a long training session all the boys showered together, but Harry convinced the boys that his aunt had taught him this to be inappropriate and they let him wait until they were done. He still took his own cloths into his stall and showered and dressed there, but they were always kind enough to wait for him and escort him back to the castle, talking to him as if he really was one of the guys.  
_ _Harry always felt like crying when the boys talked so easily with him or when Katie and Angelina would coo with him and tell him how he was growing onto them like an adorable, kind little brother. The Quidditch team, like Wood said, easily grew onto each other and it never mattered what new members came, the team was family.  
_ _Harry cried in his bed for two and a half hours after hearing Wood say this for the first time about two weeks after his golf-ball practice._

This makes everyone choke up and a few small tears slide down Harry's cheeks as he must be remembering how he felt back then. Then Wood, obviously proud of what he did back then, helps the boy and says: "I stay with what I said back then. Hell, even now I don't feel as close to my new team as I did to you guys."  
Harry smiles at his old team captain while biting his lip and trying to hold back a new wave of tears and Angelina says: "You're our little brother, Harry. And you're always welcome over at our place." And the other two girls nod in agreement, making the boy cry in Viktor's shoulder as he gets over-come with emotion. I smile at him before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 183 – PS**_

"Same day I found him again. I do not call that coincidence." Neville then states, holding his finger up in a mock-serious way and with a grin trying to show on his face. Everyone looks at him and then they laugh and the boy smiles proudly, obviously proud that he got everyone to feel good again as I read on, also proud of my friend.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 183 – PS**_

Now Sirius snickers and while his tone sounds reminiscent, does he asks: "Wizard Baruffio? Couldn't you just have told them that James was that wizard, wanting to impress Lily and thus thinking he could fight a buffalo?" Professor Flitwick blushes, the hue visible under his beard, while I look shocked and Harry asks:

"Dad did that?" Sirius nods and while he seems amused by a memory we can't see, does he say: "He had heard stories from his mother as he was slightly home-schooled like many Purebloods and he was already trying to impress your mother, so he stood up, jumped over his desk and stood in the middle of the class.  
He then pompously – oh, it was just hilarious –." The man says as he shortly loses himself to a wave of laughter and when he calms down, does he go on: "He waved his wand, said the spell wrong purposely and the next moment – well, let's just say your dad was very glad there's no window behind professor Flitwick's desk that day."  
He then laughs hard, almost too hard to breath and needs Remus to hit him on the back before he catches his breath and says: "There he was, Harry, there he was. You know that small fireplace like hole behind professor Flitwick's desk? Well, James thought, because he would use small power while using the spell he would get a small buffalo.  
But no, he did not and he was stuck with that buffalo for over 20 minutes, screaming for me to come and release him. Really, he was going all _**aaahhhh!**_ And I couldn't breathe, I was laughing so hard." Now the whole hall laughs and even teachers are trying to hold back snickers, while I'm bend over the owl stand laughing.

Finally professor Flitwick, who has had tears running down his cheeks and had been laughing since Sirius started talking, conjures a stock of white doves to fly around and everyone turns silent, all of us admiring the beautiful birds. Then professor Flitwick says: "Quite right, Mr. Black and quite the humorous story indeed.  
And to answer your question, I didn't want to embarrass both of my favorite students and Mr. Potter and didn't know how he would feel knowing this embarrassing little piece of information, let alone how he would feel about the rest of the class knowing it as well. Also, I – I didn't want him to know – well, about you."  
I see the man sigh and while hating how that one day ruined everything yet again, does he say: "I do understand that, Professor. And seeing James was screaming at me nonstop I can understand why you didn't bring it up." The man nods and I sigh too, knowing the third book will be terrible on the little family as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 183 & 184 – PS  
**_ _Of course Harry was constantly aiming a little off, but Seamus, wanting to perform good so badly, didn't notice. The fire incident, though, made Harry wish he had picked Neville as partner after all. No offense meant to Seamus, but it was quite obvious he had a problem with fire spells.  
_ _Neville on the other hand had already heard Harry's excuse of not wanting to be a showoff and that he wanted to let the teachers grow onto his growing core, so Harry knew, had he picked Neville, he would have been able to just let the feather fly a few inches, let professor Flitwick judge them and then perform to his max without Neville asking questions._

Neville smiles and says: "Yeah, that's true. I guess, while you tell everything to Ron and Hermione about the out of school things, your school secrets are only held with me, aren't they Harry?" Harry nods and with his voice changing from happy to hurt, does he say: "Yeah, together with our other secret – up until last chapter that is."  
But Viktor hugs the now slightly grumpy boy and says: "It would have come out eventually, сладка любов. And we both know this means we can only help and comfort you more." Harry smiles and, obviously taking his mum's advice, asks: "And сладка любов means what?" And a shy Viktor mutters: "Sweet love."  
Earning him another kiss on the cheek. I know the boy would rather have it on the lips, but his eyes tell me that it isn't what my friend wants right now and I realize something. If Harry kisses him on the lips it will be the young boy's first kiss and Viktor does not want that to be out in public. I smile at the young couple and read.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 184 – PS  
**_ _Harry rolled his eyes at the two as_ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 184 – PS  
**_ _Harry really wanted there and then he could show his magic as it would at least prove that Hermione wasn't the only smart and talented person in the House, but he just didn't want to ruin a friendship with the only person he was really close to and hang around with all the time.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 184 – PS  
**_ _This angered Harry amazingly and he mutters: "You don't make girls cry, Ron, you just don't." And he hurried on, hoping to have knocked some sense into his friend – and on the same time hoping he hadn't done what he feared the most.  
_ _But still, he knew who he really should blame. The rest of Ron's family. It was obvious Ron was harping on others to hide his own self-consciousness and lack of self-respect and none of his five brothers noticed? Percy was Prefect for Merlin's sake; wasn't it his task to watch and see how the First years were doing?  
_ _Now that he thought back to it, he had barely seen Percy the last two months. The boy had only been around for about a few lunches and other meals and was only rarely so often present in the common room and even then he was way too busy on his studies to be good for him.  
_ _Harry didn't want to think bad on people, but he was furious at what had just happened and it, like always, made him see the worst in people. Sure Percy was busy with his studies, but had those brothers not told their mother they would look out for Ron? No, only the twins had and it seemed to Harry they were only doing so when they were hanging out with Harry during meals.  
_ _Harry shook his head as he entered the next lesson and sat down angry, thinking, "Do they really think they can leave Ron's life and safety here with the Boy-Who-Lived? And what if I was not? Would they have done the same?"_

Now Harry and the twins look down and Harry wants to open his mouth, but Percy shakes his head and says: "No Harry, you were completely in your own right with what you thought. We are Ron's older brothers and even if he is here at Hogwarts, does that not mean he is safe and loved. We had to watch out for him, like we said we would."  
Ron is also red and by this time I have come to sit down with my boys again, lying the book on the table and clearing my spot to make sure the book has plenty of space. Ron wraps an arm around me and says: "Harry was right, you know. I really shouldn't have said that. I should never make any girl cry, especially not you."  
Now I turn red, hoping he meant it romantically, but his guilty face makes me know it's just to comfort me and I think: "One day, Ronald Weasley, I will find out how you feel about me. And if you don't want to return my feelings – well, you got enough brothers to hang around with." And with a happy smile I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 184 & 185 – PS  
**_ _Harry himself wondered if his name and the whole event of what happened years ago would be mentioned at the Feast, but to his shock all students, even the Purebloods, were talking about classes and it didn't seem as if anyone remembered the two losses that led them all to a victory over Voldemort.  
_ _And Harry knew this, because it had been in a History of Magic, a book he knew many Halfbloods and Muggleborns read, so why was no one bringing it up? Were they so into eating they forgot to thank those that died for them? Harry could barely believe that not even Hagrid seemed sad, as the man seemed to be munching on a large steak happily.  
_ _He suddenly hated where he was and glared at the kidney pie and potatoes Ron had placed on his plate. He knew if he pushed his magic into his glare, he would burn the kidney pie to ashes, but he didn't care. He felt bad for what this day meant all day and what had happened to Hermione didn't really encourage him to feel better.  
_ " _A simple thank you to my parents for their sacrifice too much to ask?" Harry thought and he muttered, "Celebrating over a child, but not honoring his parents. Bunch of bloody fair-weather fans." And he stabbed the food on his plate._

This makes people look down, the older students and Purebloods rubbing their necks in shame and Draco says: "He does have a point. Lily and James might not have been loved by many of the Ancient Pureblood families, but they were the lasts to die at the last war. We could have at least said a prayer before starting the feast."  
And Harry mutters: "Since third year, I think of that more than ever." And Remus wraps an arm around him, while Ron and I look at him in pain and Sirius and the others in confusion. I know Remus, Ron and I are the only ones that know Harry hears his parents when the Dementors come too close and sigh as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 185 – PS  
**_ _The Slytherins had gone a complete other way, as had the Hufflepuffs and while Harry knew they were near the kitchens, did he worry about the Snakes, whose common room was in the Dungeons. Harry hoped with heart and soul that Quirrell meant another set of dungeons, if only because not all snakes were like Malfoy. And even he didn't deserve to have a Troll go at him._

"Don't worry, cousin." Draco then says and I look up, never having realized this as I never knew the students of Slytherin were also send to their Dorms and while hating Dumbledore for being so careless, does he say: "Our prefect knew we shouldn't go there, so he led us through a secret passageway back to the Great Hall.  
Professor Snape knew this and we waited there until he came to fetch us. He said he had to check up on something more important than other Houses." The boy shrugs, while Harry, Ron and I share a meaningful glance and while many are shocked at seeing this and start to whisper about the significance of it, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 185 – PS  
**_ _Harry really doubted this._ _Not only would that set off the Bloody Baron as Peeves would have then set it off in Slytherin territory, he also knew that the Poltergeist did have something called self-preservation and with his fear for the Bloody Baron – no way, would he want to anger the ghost like that.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 185 & 186 – PS  
**_ _Harry's fury rose. "You caused her trouble and now you won't even fix it?" He thought but Ron proved him wrong.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 186 – PS**_

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Percy asks hurt and Ron says: "I didn't want to admit it was my fault she was there." And Harry goes on: "And I didn't because I feared you would either not believe us or first go and get a teacher and I feared that would take too much time." The ex-prefect nods, while I smile at my boys and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 186 – PS  
**_ _Harry knew the first stench because Dudley liked to keep his socks on for too many days, especially when it was Harry that had to do the laundry and because Harry Hunting sometimes resulted in Harry hiding in such places.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 187 – PS**_

Now I feel the same fear I felt back then, the description fitting that monster of four years ago spot on in my memory and Sirius once again holds Harry tightly, having somehow wrenched him out of Viktor's grip. Remus is whimpering and I know it's the wolf within the man feeling worried for its only cub.  
Other students are also terrified and Mrs. Diggory keeps muttering about how she should have been notified of this and why no one had the guts to do so. She too is holding onto Cedric and Fleur had left the small group around us to join her in holding her fellow Champion, Viktor seeming desperate to hold at least someone.  
All Weasleys on the other hand are holding onto Ron and all their faces are white, while Ron's is too. I wonder why, but then see that Charlie has his unclipped nails digging into his brother's arm. I shake my head at this, hoping either the older brother will realize this or that Madam Pomfrey will interfere before it gets too bad and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 187 & 188 – PS**_

"A LOT! A DOZEN! A MILLION CHOISES! NUMBER ONE – and no offence, Hermione – **RUN LIKE HELL!** " Sirius shouts, actually hurting Remus' sensitive hearing, making the werewolf clamp his hands on his ears with a yelp and Harry says: "Mum, even if we had run like hell to get a teacher it would have been too late.  
Even Snape would have taken too much time to convince and even with that scream we heard it wouldn't have convinced him quick enough to save her." To this the man pulls him back in his shoulder and mutters: "Damn you and your logic." Making me shake my head as I understand his fear before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 188 – PS**_

"OW CHARLIE!" Ron suddenly yells and we all jump in shock, quite a few First and Second years falling off the benches with shocked yelps of fear, while I look up as the details of the chapter made me relive the event. Charlie actually lets go in shock and Ron uses the hand not being crushed by Ginny to rub his pained arm, saying:  
"You've been almost breaking my arm since we heard of the troll's appearance. I'm here and alive, aren't I?" And Charlie snaps: "Yeah, and there's 4 years between now and then. Who says Madame Pomfrey didn't have to heal you for what happened there?" Ron cringes and Charlie grabs his other hand as he does and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 188 & 189 – PS  
**_ _Harry didn't even want to think of whether or not the club would hurt more than a ruthless beating of his uncle and instead tried using his wand to guide the troll away from Ron, by trying to pull his nose in the right direction – through the bathroom door._

"You actually tried to get it to leave – with your wand up his nose?" The twins chorus and while Harry nods, Bill asks: "But what if it had worked and you had jumped off? What if he had then attacked you?" Harry shrugs and says: "I was already preparing for it. All I could think about was getting that beast out of there."  
The Weasleys and I look shocked and Harry says: "Hey, I'm going to be honest with you. Back then, the one thing I cared about most was the friendship I had. I wanted that and nothing more and you – you know I had suicide issues. I'm sorry I'm being so hard, but it's the truth. Back then I had trouble thinking any value about myself.

I still do." Everyone is silenced in shock as Harry had admitted this last part with the softest, most hurting voice I have ever heard him or anyone else use and he says: "I only believed my future lay in the magical world and if I had to let that future end sooner than I would have liked, back then, so be it. But – but now – now I –."  
And he looks at Sirius, his eyes tearing up as he says: "I'd never want to separate from you guys again. I would do anything to protect you, but – I don't want to die. Not anymore." And he hugs his mum, whispering something the spell doesn't register, but that makes Sirius bowl with tears as he hugs his son tightly.  
I smile at the mother and son, ever so relieved Harry is feeling like this and think: "It won't last though. I'm sure Harry will have fallbacks once he starts his personal therapy. But with the family he has." And with a smile and a last loving glance at the family, do I continue reading, while thinking: "He'll be okay."

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 189 – PS  
**_ _It didn't seem to do much good, so he aimed it at the mirror and focused on a spell he saw the twins use on Lee's spellbooks every now and again. "Evanesco." And with a large push of his magic, the spell reflected off the mirror and hit his wand, cleaning it.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 189 & 190 – PS  
**_ _Harry himself wondered why Professor Snape had not shown up sooner as he must have been lots and lots closer to them, heading for the Third floor and all._ _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 190 – PS**_

"I cannot believe you did that, Mss. Granger." Professor McGonagall tells me and I lower my head, telling her: "I knew Ron and Harry would be in trouble for the Troll and the fact they were in a girl's bathroom and didn't want to tell the truth, because then you would blame them for getting me into this situation in the first place.  
And they had just saved my life, while I knew Ron couldn't stand my intelligence, so I felt it no more than fair that I saved their hides as well. I just didn't want them punished while they had just done something I would have never expected from them." The woman nods, but then Sirius asks: "So they weren't punished at all?"

"You want us punished?" Harry asks shocked and white, his mind obviously rushing through memories of older punishments and Sirius says: "Not like what that Muggle did, but not at least giving 11 year olds lines to write makes them reckless and that makes their parents worry, which in return forces their parents into punishing them.  
Had I been your parent back then, and James would have agreed with me, you would have, at the very least, received a spanking young man. In fact, if I find out you've faced one more being not even 14 year olds should face, you will get that spanking and I don't care that it was 3 years ago. I will not have you recklessly throw away your own safety."

Harry looks shocked and then he shares a glance with me and Ron, motioning with his eyes for Hagrid and I whiten, remembering Norbert later on. But Ron shakes his head and mouths: "Different." To which I nod as Hagrid held us around Norbert, we didn't willingly face the dragon. I sigh relieved and continue the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 190 & 191 – PS**_

"ARE YOU MAD?" Remus shouts, shocking us as we had expected a shout from Sirius and not him and he goes on: "You gave me, James and Sirius a week and 3 days of detention for talking to a Centaur and took James and Sirius off of Quidditch for a week and you actually AWARD POINTS for fighting a BLOODY MOUNTAIN TROLL?"  
All the while Sirius is holding Harry as if he wants to glue the boy stuck to his side, his face a mask of fury, while his eyes show how scared he is of what we just read about and Viktor is grumbling in Bulgarian. Then Remus growls: "Minerva, do you even have the slightest idea what kind of example you set for my son here?  
You tell him it's okay if he saves lives, something no 11 year old should even think about doing. You tell him it's okay to go up against such monsters even 40-year olds die from facing. You bloody well show him that he should be doing your work in facing the dangers that threaten the school is his job, WHILE IT SHOULD BE YOURS!"

The woman whitens and he hisses: "The least you could have done is set him and Ron on an essay why Mountain trolls are dangerous creatures. You could have let Albus meet with them and the Weasleys. You could have showed them, by showing them the worry of their parents, what it would cause to their families if they get hurt.  
This just strengthens Harry's belief that no one cares whether he lives or dies, as long as he protects what should fall under the protection of adults. This is exactly the kind of behavior of a fan of the Boy-Who-Lived, not my old Head of House, of who I hope to see a glimpse somewhere during this blasted book."  
The woman nods, while some of the elder students now look ashamed, having obviously thought the same thing about Harry back then and while the younger years now start to whisper about how right the man is and while Madam Maxime is glaring at the people she is sharing a table with, do I read on, shocked by his words.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 191 & 192 – PS  
**_ _He himself could barely believe they got off no problem, but after Fluffy a month and a half ago and now this monster he was done with creatures at least half a foot taller than him._

Remus sighs relieved and says: "Thank Merlin." And he proudly hugs his son, who smiles at him and says: "Dad, I don't go looking for trouble, it always finds me. I swear it." The man shakes his head and many students who hear the boy snicker as Remus slowly puts Harry back in his wheelchair before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 10, Page 192 – PS**_ _Even though all three of them would have been more than happy if they never saw that beast again._

Everyone smiles, most of the adults now letting go of their kids, relieved it's all over and Fred says: "Unbelievable that this is how the Golden Trio got together." And Ron asks: "The what?" George shrugs and says: "It's how we all call you. It was after the first Quidditch match in Second year, really, that you got that nickname.  
Don't ask us how though, we don't know either." My friends and I look at each other, but personally I don't really care about the nickname, even if I do have a small idea as to how we could have come to achieve it and who could be responsible for it and shrug before I put the book back on the stand, with a small bookmark on the page.  
Then Fudge, who had been white throughout the reading and had been turning his bowler hat in his hands the whole time says: "Good, now that that chapter is over, would I like to suggest we rest and take a small snack, while we wait for whoever will be Ludo Bagman's replacement." Everyone nods and I sit back with my friends.  
But then – about 10 minutes into the small meal made of sandwiches, pieces of fruits, treacle tart and Every Flavor Beans – Remus suddenly stops talking with Charlie about the differences between Beings like Veela and Creatures like Pixies shudders as if cold and his strange shudder is followed by a childish, high-pitched _**Hem Hem**_


	23. Mr Potter Is My Student, Not Yours

_**Chapter 22  
**_ _ **Mr. Potter is my student, not yours**_

 _ **Amelia's POV**_

"Is that spell mad?" I think as I see the one woman I know is ruining Fudge and his opportunity to be the best he can be appear in front of the Great Hall doors. Her horrid pink shirt, cardigan and skirt are a terrible contrast to the brown stone of the Great Hall and her smile proves how little she already thinks of those around her.  
Cornelius on the other hand seems pleased with her appearance and I think: "Don't tell me she's already influencing him? She'll ruin all of his amazing plans. Wait, Voldemort is gone, so does that mean Cornelius won't continue his plans?" I hope not as they really held valor and watch as Cornelius beckons her over.

 _ **Umbridge's POV**_

"I don't know what Cornelius is doing here, but at least I'll be able to bring some discipline into this horrid place. It sure is high time the Ministry gets some say in the ways of Hogwarts." I think as I walk past the many horrid students to sit next to Cornelius, forcing me to sit next to that blasted Metamorphmagus, Tonks.  
Holding back a sneer that shows my disgust of the Blood-traitor, I feel fury fueling me as the girl sniffs and turns her back on me as she stands up, motioning her parents to follow her. I follow her with a furious gaze and see her sitting with a large group at the Gryffindor table that shocks me as I see some of its members.

Lucius Malfoy, a high-ranked and deeply respected Pureblood and his wife and son sit next to mass-murderer Sirius Black and that filthy half-breed werewolf Remus Lupin, who have the Boy-Who-Lived Harry Potter, the boy himself looking strangely happy, while apparently sitting in what appears to be a wheelchair.  
The Diggorys are also part of the group and so are quite a few members of that low-ranked Blood-traitor family, the Weasleys. There is also a girl in the group that has bushy hair and is obviously a filthy, magic stealing Mudblood. The girl herself is sitting opposite of the Potter lad and seems deep in conversation with him.  
I wonder why this entire group is together, why the Malfoys would lower themselves to sit with the Weasleys and more importantly why International Quidditch Star Viktor Krum is easily sitting close to the Tri-Wizard Tournament meddler Harry Potter with the boy's head on his shoulder and his arm around the brat no less.

I look at Cornelius, but he doesn't seem to see anything wrong with the group, not even when I motion for them with my eyes and simply asks: "Who will read next?" And an elder girl with quite the tan, black hair reaching her shoulders and brown eyes says: "I would, Minister, I want to know what happened to Harry's broom."  
Instantly Black seems worried, making me wonder why as he is a mass-murderer, who – as far as I was told – was out to kill the only living heir of the Potter fortune left and the brat's just not worth any worry whatsoever, seeing all the trouble he caused this year and he asks: "What do you mean? What happened to my son's broom?"

"SON?" I ask shocked, wondering who in their right mind would allow such an action to take place and Cornelius says: "Yes, Dolorus, Sirius Black has been proven innocent and Remus Lupin has werewolf adopted Mr. Potter. As he and Mr. Black are now mated, that makes Mr. Black Mr. Potter's official mother."  
This shocks me senseless and, hoping to make sure Cornelius can win some ground with the Most Noble and Most Ancient Line of Potter, do I say: "But Cornelius, that means Lupin and Black are both committing crimes. Think of the legalization laws I so delicately put up. Potter doesn't have to put up with having –."  
But Potter interrupts me, his voice making me furious as he sounds as if he believes he has a right to be angry at me after all he has caused our poor Ministry and asks: "Having what? Having a family? Having a father that's proud of me? Having a mother that dearly loves me? Having parents that care and worry about me?"  
I glare at the insolent brat, daring him to interrupt me again and Cornelius kindly says: "Dolorus, it's better if you just sit back and observe everyone. A lot has happened these last four days." I nod at the man, determined to make sure he stays on the right track – my track – and the young girl goes over to the owl stand.

 _ **Angelina's POV**_

"I cannot believe that woman! She knows nothing about HaHHHarry, Mr. Black or professor Lupin, so who does she think she is, judging them like that? Who is she anyway?" I think, trying to ignore my anger as I can clearly remember the worry I felt, seeing Harry so helpless on his broom and feeling curious about that again, do I start to read.

 _ **Quidditch  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 193 – PS**_

This makes hundreds of shouts and cheers rise into the air and the Slytherins and Gryffindors seem the loudest of all, Viktor Krum only coming second due to him being alone, even if he's shouting in perfect Bulgarian. I smile at the enthusiasm of the schools, but then that same irritating _**hem hem**_ is heard and everyone stops.  
I glare at the woman, who smiles self-appreciatively and she says: "Much better. Continue, dear." Her tone sounding as if she did me a favor, which in turn worsens my glare and I spat: "Thank you, but I was enjoying that interruption." The woman looks taken aback and I read on, determined not to let her ruin this reading again.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 193 – PS**_

Harry snickers and the woman glares, but Remus and Sirius glare back at her, their combined anger worse than hers and Ron asks: "How did it leak out?" And Harry answers: "Fred and George were playing with a single Bludger after one of the training sessions and I had grabbed a reserve Beater's bat and taught them how to play Mooch.  
A Fourth year saw us and believed me to be the Reserve Beater, but then his friend told him the team was still without Seeker. They saw my speed and instantly told everyone I had made the team." Everyone laughs, while the woman tries to silence the hall with her glare. I shake my head at her boring, annoying attitude and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 193 – PS**_

"Why was the first bad?" Creevey asks, which makes him be on the receiving end of the woman's glare and Harry says: "I knew people only thought I would be brilliant because I was the Boy-Who-Lived. I didn't want them hating me if I played bad." The boy nods, while I feel a new wave of anger for the Dursleys.  
I shake my head and think: "I'm angry now, but we're only a single book into the story that is Harry's life. Won't things get worse the longer he stays living there?" This makes fear grow inside of me as those Dursleys have, at one point, pushed Harry into wanting to kill himself. I look at my surrogate little brother and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 193 & 194 – PS **__But her being his friend also had a downside._

This makes me look at the story strange and Hermione asks: "What was wrong with being friends?" But Harry says: "It's not the friendship, Hermione, it's –." He gulps as if trying to pick his words and says: "Your need to be the best in everything. Angelina, just read." I nod, already having a small hunch and do as requested.

 _Hermione was a brilliant witch, but Harry had already seen how she acted around those that rivaled her in talent. He had hoped that having someone with the same powerful magical core would help him slowly reveal more of his power and talent, but she spat at everyone she saw as competition to her reputation as Top-student.  
_ _Harry feared this would make her hate or go against him if he showed her what he could really do and how it was constantly easy for him to be as good as her in class. Now, more than before, it seemed crucial that he held back or he would lose one friend to jealousy and the friend feeling inferior and the other to anger for not being the best._

Harry looks down and says: "I'm really sorry I thought." But Ron and Hermione have walked around the table and hug their best friend tightly, both muttering their own apologies. "I don't want you to hold back for me, mate. Just teach me to be as good as you." Ron says and Harry smiles at him in obvious gratitude.  
They then both look at Hermione, who looks down and shudders shortly before she says: "I've always been scared of not being the best, Harry, because my books and studies have meant the world to me since I was five. But you're my brother and I don't want you to hurt yourself or hold yourself back for me. I want you to be the best you can."  
Harry smiles and says: "Thanks guys, I'll try. But I'll need help not to hold back anymore. It's become second nature for me." And the two chorus: "Count on us, brother." Before hugging him again, all of us smiling at the group, Sirius and Remus the most as they must feel very happy that their son overcame another obstacle in his life.  
I then see the weird, annoying woman write something down on a notepad she suddenly conjured and by the look on her face, I have a bad feeling for Ron and Hermione. I then smile at the sight of the tight-knit family, knowing that Arthur Weasley, Sirius and Remus will all stand behind the three of them and read on.

 _Of course Hermione being their friend also had a major advantage and that was Ron trying harder not to annoy others with his complaints about things. Apparently, she was an amazing person to argue with and her arguments quite helped Ron to grow in his need to fight for himself and his beliefs, thus making him grow as an individual, but Harry had the idea this could one day grow into more._ _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 194 – PS**_

Now Hermione snickers softly and Sirius and Remus seem to understand why as their grins broaden along with hers as she says: "Madame Pince told me you were the one who lent this book more often than anyone else in the last two decades. She told me the last person to borrow that book so many times a year was your dad."  
Harry smiles, but then the woman says: "From now on, interruptions of the readings." And I interrupt her as I spat: "Are greatly appreciated if they can unleash the same strengths in emotions as these books or if they teach us more about each other. Thank you." The woman glares at me, but I ignore it and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 194 – PS**_

The teachers and many elder students look shocked and professor Flitwick says: "Mss. Granger, conjuring fires is Third years magic." The girl blushes and says: "Well, I kind of bought _**The Standard Book of Spells, grade 1,2 & 3**_ when I went to Diagon Alley for the first time. And I asked Mrs. Weasley to do the same for me this year."  
The teachers look proud yet surprised at the younger girl, but the spiteful look on the strange woman's face shows me she thinks as much off Muggleborns as Malfoy. Again she writes something down on her notepad and I shake my head, hoping that she won't be a long-termed visitor to this reading as she already annoys me before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 194 – PS**_

"While spells in the hallways aren't allowed, some courtyards are free from this rule and certain situations, such as cold winters, do make us bend the rules, if only to provide the students with warmth." Professor Flitwick tells the trio and they shrug, but still smile at our Charms teacher over this newfound knowledge.  
Then the writing of the woman on her notepad annoys me to no end and, having reached my limit of patience with her, do I ask: "Sorry to ask, but it's obvious you have been taking negative notes on all that's happened the last twenty minutes and that while barely anyone here knows you anyway. So who are you?"

The woman looks at me as if she would rather swallow a lemon than answer my question, but the Minister doesn't seem to notice this as he says: "My apologies, Mss. Johnson, I should have introduced her when she came in. Students and guests, this is my Senior Undersecretary, Dolores Jane Umbridge."  
The woman smiles triumphantly, as if such a title is the highest honor any woman could wish for, but I think: "And she couldn't have just said so when she came in here?" Instead I ask: "Thank you for the introduction, Minister. But what part of her function allows her to make decisions about what happens at Hogwarts?  
After all, Madam Bones explained us about the bond between the Ministry, Hogwarts and the Board of Governors only days ago, plus she was the only one being against the interruptions that have been going on since we started this book and if we had been against it, would it not have been the decision of the teachers and not her?  
She works for you, so what say does she have over Hogwarts?" The woman glares at me, but I don't let it face me as Wood's crazy _**Let's keep training glare**_ is much more threatening and because her pink cloths just don't make me take her seriously and so keep my eyes on the Minister, a lazy but interested look on my face.  
Then the Minister says: "You are absolutely right, Mss. Johnson. Dolores, I know you like reading in silence, but we are in a school and these are books that easily get you caught up with the story line. Interruptions are things that have already become common with this story." The woman sniffs and I shake my head as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 194 & 195 – PS **_

"Severus, honestly?" Professor McGonagall asks cynically, while some of the students now glare at the Head of Slytherin House and that woman smirks at him and Madame Pince says: "Yeah, if I recall correctly you took a total of 235 books from my library outside to read and study." The man looks embarrassed, but Umbridge says:  
"I believe Professor Snape was just trying to show that students should respect authority and be careful with school property." But the teachers glare at her and Madame Pince says: "Dolores Umbridge, your total was 245 books, most of them about ancient, forgotten laws." The woman huffs, I snicker and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 195 – PS**_

"Mr. Weasley, we do not –." Umbridge says, her tone sounding as if Ron is five instead of fourteen, but I spat: "You're not a teacher, you don't work here and you don't know us, so – with all due respect to the Ministry and the Minister – SHUT UP!" I shout, completely sick of her stupid judgment and believes she can tell us what to do.  
The woman looks deeply shocked and I turn to her sitting partner and say: "Again, with all due respect to the Ministry, but I stand with what I said." The Minister nods and while the woman looks at him shocked, do I turn my back to the woman, hoping that I can ignore her as long as I don't have to see her and do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 195 – PS  
**_ _And it helped Harry with his grammar, which was mostly his reason for letting her check it. He always told her to just check for grammar and was glad she never asked why.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 195 – PS  
**_ _He had after all been working on his Potions behind the man's back on his bed and he had even made a deal with the owner of the apothecary. For every new product the man marketed, he would have to send him one of his own made Potions and he got a dozen samples of it for free in return.  
_ _Harry was now the proud owner of just about all the man's products and even wicked Potions ingredients like Manticore tailbone, wing scales and teeth to disgusting things like Hippogriff liver and the spit of an Accromantula (whatever that was)._

Everyone looks shocked and Harry says: "Yeah, I kind of send a letter off with Hedwig to the Trunk store and apothecary and bought myself those things. I just made the deal with the apothecary owner and got the written word of the Trunk store owner he would only use my vault to get the money my new trunk was worth.  
I got a resizable trunk that I managed to fit into my own and it's filled with all that stuff, together with an extra room where I can make the more delicate and long-lasting potions. I just don't tell anyone, because of my reputation – and because I first wanted to understand why Professor Snape was so against me."  
Everyone nods, but then Umbridge again coughs in that disgusting manner and with a sickening sweet voice she says: "Going behind a teacher's back is a really disrespectful action, Mr. Potter, and working on potions without supervision could very well make you a danger to your fellow students. You must be punished."  
She then turns to the teachers and while I cannot believe how blind she seems to the furious glares of those sitting around Harry or the disgusting way the teachers are looking at her, does she say: "I do hope the Ministry can be assured this will be handled accordingly. Detention for a week or two and perhaps the taking of certain privileges."

But before my fellow students and I can start to protest and just when Remus has stood up furiously, does Professor McGonagall – her voice sounding too casual for my liking – ask: "I'm sorry to ask, Mss. Umbridge, but what part of Hogwarts or its students fall under your supervision? I do believe Mr. Potter is my student, not yours."  
The woman looks shocked and Remus sits back with a satisfied smile, while I hear Katie ,who had gone to sit at my end of the table when I started reading together with Alicia, ask the other girl: "And she was brought here, why exactly?" And to my great displeasure the woman seems to have heard my surrogate sister as she says:

"I can tell you exactly why, young girl, as it's become quite clear to me during this reading. This school is filled with half-breeds, liars, meddlers of important events and disrespectful and arrogant students. It is obvious I was send here to rebuke you all and bring peace and order into this catastrophe that should be a proper school."

But then Mr. Diggory stands up and says: "As member of the Board of Governors, would I like to remind you of the treaty, Mss. Umbridge, that was created in 1829 and that clearly states that no High official of the Ministry is to ever have a say over Hogwarts, unless this say goes through the acceptance and actions of the Board of Governors.  
And I personally feel that Hogwarts – as it currently is – is the best school for my son and that I can be proud of him to go there. So I will not let you make a single change and your high function here – means nothing." The woman seems absolutely shocked silenced and I sigh, relieved to finally be rid of her for a while as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 195 & 196 – PS **_

Again older students start to gag and make funny faces, to the confusion of almost all those of Fourth year and lower and before Umbridge can make another irritating move, does Fred ask: "Oh please, as if Snape and Filch would still be here if they did things like that. As if Snape would even want Filch for stuff like that.  
I mean it's Filch." And students, who get what is written laugh, while the Fourth years now seem slightly aware and laugh along nervously, or tell Third years and lower that they don't want to know as the students ask them what was so funny. I shake my head at the twins' antics, glad for the mood breaker and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 196 – PS**_

"I repeat Fred's words. If Snape was after that, why would he still be here?" Harry says quickly and instantly I realize Snape was not what Harry back then thought. He then turns to the teacher, who has his mouth slightly open, as if to defend himself against this accusation and now has shock hidden behind his usual mask and says:  
"I'm sorry for the rest of the book, sir, but you really made yourself look guilty and while Hermione and I tried, were we unsuccessful in convincing ourselves – and Ron – that you were not after the item."  
The man nods and I wonder what on earth could be going on. Then Ron asks: "What do you mean _**you and Hermione?**_ " Harry shrugs and says: "I was, perhaps, a slight bit doubtful of it all after the match." The boy nods, before turning his head away and while it's obvious he tries to think back to that day, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 196 & 197 – PS **_

"Wow, you're now just like me." Sirius smiles at the boy, making Umbridge scowl and Harry asks: "Really mum?" Sirius nods and says: "Your father ate like a horse when it was his first match, but me? They had to stick me to my seat with a sticking charm just to get me to take a single glass of orange juice and a few bites of cereal."  
Harry smiles at his mum and asks: "And were you like that for every start of the season?" Sirius nods and says: "It did wear off after a few years and by the time we were in 6th was the charm unnecessary, but I never ate more than two slices of bread – which almost came out halfway through the match." We all laugh and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 197 – PS  
**_ _Harry felt nausea come up and quickly convinced Ron to switch his sausages for Ron's ritual morning glass of water and an apple._

"Still think it was a lousy trade." Ron snickers, his mind obviously slightly attentive as his eyes hold a slightly glazed look to them and Harry asks: "Hey, at least I ate something, didn't I?" Before suddenly his plate is filled with slices of apple, pear, pineapple and treacle tart pieces. He looks shocked and Sirius says:  
"And you better eat all of it, young man. We have to get that stomach to grow back to its rightful length and for that you need small, but healthy meals every now and again. So eat up." Harry smiles at his mum and starts munching slowly as I read on, remembering the long list I saw Madam Pomfrey hold earlier and hoping it will shrink.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 197 & 198 – PS **_

"You were already trying Coloring spells, Mss. Granger?" Professor McGonagall asks, while many of the O.W.L. year students already start to look at her and while I remember my own struggles with it, does Hermione say: "I wanted to help Harry and read something about color spells in my Third years text, so I tried it out as Dean went along."  
To this Ron says: "Hermione, it might sound stupid, but even I remember that passage in the book and it said that coloring spells are an advanced form of Transfiguration, not necessarily required to practice until O.W.L.s. It's one of the standard spells they'll test us on." The girl blushes, while many look shocked and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 198 – PS  
**_ _Now Harry knew for sure her eagle like eyes would come in handy, but he still wondered why his guts was telling him something would happen.  
_ _The last time that had happened his uncle had introduced him to that painful string with balls and seeing what happened on Halloween and all he has discovered about the Magical World so far, Harry had a bad feeling about it._

"Now, now, Mr. Potter." Umbridge says in that voice that I now despise beyond anything and she goes on: "Surely a necklace or bracelet can't be painful." But Fudge whispers: "Dolores, it wasn't a necklace or bracelet. Mr. Potter's adoptive uncle forced an item of sexual innuendo on him at age eight."  
The woman looks shocked and then she says: "Well, that just goes to show what nature lies with –" "DON'T YOU DARE, YOU DISGUSTING BITCH!" Remus shouts, shocking everyone as he shoots up and glares at the woman like I have never seen before. The Umbridge woman tries to say: "How dare you ta–."  
But Remus interrupts her and says: "I know you hate half-breeds and whatnot, but you have NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER to judge my son without even taking the chance to get to know him. SO SHUT UP, YOU TOAD-FACED HAG!" Everyone looks shocked, while I can slightly understand his anger to the woman.  
This mostly because of her hatred for his kind and because of his protectiveness for his cub and the woman, this time, seems too shocked to bring up a good retort. Not wanting her to recover and speak more bad words about those I care about, as Harry is currently being reassured by Sirius and Viktor that he is not like that, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 198 & 199 – PS **_

"What do you have with explicit commentators, Minerva?" Sirius asks, showing with his kind smile that what happened last chapter seems forgiven and he says: "First Remus, who always supported James and me no matter who we played against and now the best friend of your own Beaters, who are also pranksters?"  
The woman sends a stern glare his way, making him cower slightly and he says: "No matter how old you get, if you grow up at Hogwarts with McGonagall as Head of House, her patented glare will scare you into your eighties." The Hall laughs, the woman's glare changes into a proud smirk and I happily read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 199 & 200 – PS **_

The same is heard in the Great Hall, while the moans of the Slytherins seem less intense than they were back then and I don't hear a single insult to me or my team, like some of the older students had done that day. I smile at their team play and sportsmanship and think: "Could Harry's words really affect us all so badly?"  
Instead I try to remember all Harry has said, except for all he has told us about those Atomic Bombs, as that still gives me the creeps. Then suddenly I realize that is exactly what Purebloods try to do and what endangers us so. Deciding to try and find a way we can slowly but surely show ourselves to the Muggle world, I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 200 – PS**_

"Hey, a change of perspective." Lee says and Luna speaks up: "I wonder why." I wonder the same and look at the three in person. Hagrid seems as confused as the rest of us, but by the shared looks of Ron and Hermione, do I get the feeling they know what happened. They then turn back to me and I realize they won't spill and thus read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 200 – PS**_

This makes Sirius smile and he says: "Thanks for the strategy, Wood. It really keeps my little boy safe." But the look now shared between Ron, Hermione and Harry says different and I dread as I remember the fear of when I saw Harry hanging down from his broom – the poor, small eleven year old, dangling on a single hand.  
I shudder, knowing I will soon find out how he felt and think: "Why on earth did I chose this chapter to read?" And instantly I know how Oliver felt when he read about that Three headed monster. I shake my head, my Gryffindor courage making me determined to see this chapter through, even if I'm already scared at what I'll read and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 200 & 201 – PS **_

Now the tension in the room grows, the Bulgarians obviously wondering how the boyfriend of their fellow schoolmate experienced his first match and even the Slytherins lose their dignity for a few minutes to lean forward, all wanting to know how the best Seeker in Hogwarts reacted to this and how it felt to him to play this match.  
I myself worry as the moment that Harry's broom was cursed and that he was almost dangling off of it while the twins had tried to catch him gets closer and closer and I greatly wonder how Sirius and Remus will react to this, seeing their amazing, worried reactions to the Cerberus and the troll. I take a deep breath and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 201 – PS**_

Now I hit myself on the head, but no one complains about this as it had been the first time the whole school would see Harry Potter in action as Seeker; it had interested and entranced everyone and I have to admit, the way he sat on his broom did – and still does – get me worried as it makes me fear he will fall off if tries to make a dive.  
Knowing the boy to be an expert when it comes to diving, I can't help but worry over him when he does try it, but every time he does so, I feel myself catching my breath, before he startles and impresses me with his amazing talent. This thought makes me smile – as that is just so Harry – and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 201 – PS  
**_ _He felt exactly like he did when he was stuck on the cafeteria roof and his uncle was waiting for him at the parking lot and for just a single minute, while he made another spin, he almost saw his uncle's furious face glaring up at him again – then he saw it was Percy, who was glaring at Flint and not him and he got the broom back under control._

Everyone smiles, glad the Prefect seemed so worried for his fellow Lion and had been so angry at the boy's situation. Percy smiles too, obviously glad that he had been able to help Harry focus on his surroundings and Sirius says: "Ah, that takes me back. Remember when Harry was four months old, Remy? Remember?"  
Everyone seems interested and while I personally feel glad for a chance not to think about what will happen later in the book, does Harry ask: "What happened then?" Sirius smiles and says: "You were invited over at the Weasleys and Molly and Lily had left you with Ron in the magical playpen with Percy as supervisor.  
Well, Ron was really interested in this toy you were playing with and he had yet to learn how to ask, so he pulled, you let go in shock and fell over, about to fall off the small platform you were playing on. I tell you, Remus and I had just entered and before we could even gasp, Percy had you in his arms and was berating Ron while comforting you.

He adored you back then and I guess part of him must have remembered that if he was as angry at that match as when I told you about." Harry and Percy smile at each other and Percy says: "I do remember keeping someone from falling by help of one of my siblings, but I always thought it was the twins and Ron or something."  
The man nods and says: "I can understand that, what with you being only 4 and those 2 not even being 6 months old and all. Still Lily and I were so glad you had captured Harry so fast, we both convinced Remus to give you a chocolate bar he wanted to give Harry. And of course you were only too happy to share with your brother and new friend."  
Everyone smiles and one of the twins says: "Yeah, Percy was really the greatest out of all our older brothers." And then the other growls: "Until that woman tried to ruin him that is." The redhead looks down, but then the two chorus: "But no one breaks a Weasley." And they smile and hug Percy tightly as I read the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 201 & 202 – PS **_

Now I gulp, the memory of that poor frail little body dangling with one hand on the bucking broom coming back to me and Sirius asks: "Oh Merlin, this is what you were talking about, isn't it? When you said you wanted to know what happened to my baby's broom?" I nod and he, Remus and Viktor instantly grab hold of the boy,  
Who in return grabs hold of his dad's hand, kisses Viktor on his cheek before he lies his head on his mum's shoulder. The actions are comforting and obviously meant as a reminder the boy is right there and alright, but this doesn't seem to be very comforting as the three only grab onto the boy tighter and I worriedly read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 202 – PS**_

"Not good, not GOOD!" Collin Creevey shouts and I can't help but agree with him, already feeling terrified for the poor boy and just about the entire hall is now either sitting closer, trying to listen in the hope of hearing that Harry will be alright or trying to seak comfort with each other, like the younger years are doing.  
Taking comfort – no matter how small – in the fact that the boy in question is almost being hugged to death by his worried parents and boyfriend I take a gulp to get rid of the constriction blocking my airways as my own worries are mounting yet again – just like they did three years ago on that pitch – and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 202 & 203 – PS **_

"You mean NO ONE noticed what was happening to my BABY? WHY THE HELL NOT?" Sirius shouts worriedly and while those that were there that day now look down in shame, does Umbridge say: "Mr. Black, control yourself. You are unsettling –." But Remus, sounding furious and worried, shouts: "I SAID SHUT IT, YOU HAG!"  
Before he gently pulls Harry out of his wheelchair and onto his lap and, while using one arm to support his son's legs, does he softly start to growl, obviously showing how worried he and his werewolf side are about the safety of his cub. I then suddenly wonder what caused Harry's broom to stop moving like that and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 203 – PS**_

"ABOUT BLOODY TIME!" Remus and Sirius shout furiously and Sirius cuddles close against Remus, almost fusing together with the man, if only to grab onto Harry and hold him tightly – and that while most of Harry is still held tightly by Remus, while Krum is on Remus' other side and is softly massaging Harry's legs.  
The students of Fourth year and higher look down ashamed, but Harry says: "Mum, dad, you really can't blame them. They expected me to do some amazing stunt and the game was really exciting. No one – not even the two of you – could have predicted that I, their famous hero, would be attacked during such a crowded event."

The two nod, while many look at him, obviously shocked he doesn't blame them and then Oliver, who has clear guilt in his eyes, stands up and says: "That might excuse the teachers and spectators, Harry, but not us. We were your teammates and we had that strategy of you staying out of trouble until you saw the Snitch."  
He then motions for the rest of us, Alicia and Katie hugging one another close as he says: "You were also the youngest of the team and the youngest student to ever play. We should have paid more attention to you." To which Harry snorts: "Yeah, and lose the game." But Oliver shocks me and says: "Rather the game than my little brother."  
Harry looks at the boy with tears in his eyes and with such shock and emotion that I can't help but feel sorry for the young boy as it's plain obvious he still has to get used to the fact he is loved and cared for. He smiles at our old Team Captain, tears being softly wiped away by Viktor and nods, obviously too emotional to say anything.  
But Wood understands and while I have never felt more proud of any of my team mates, not even when we pulled off an amazing new stunt, when we got together for new strategies or last year when we finally won the Quidditch Finals for Gryffindor, do I know that all six of us consider Harry our little brother and I continue the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 203 – PS**_

Now the sweet sense of hominess and the comfort of knowing that I have my teammates – my surrogate family – close to me is replaced by pure fear and everyone of the Gryffindors who weren't there that year scream in pure fear, the elder years quickly rushing to the First to Third years and comforting them.  
Then McGonagall stands up and says: "I believe, seeing Mr. Potter's current position and the need of his family being close, it will be better if we change the seating a little." And next to me a large red lounging seat with resizable arm rests and back rest and with soft cushioned pins all over the back rest and seating area.  
I look at the sofa and see that it is exactly the right size for the small family, without hurting Harry's injuries, which the family of four instantly responds to, Viktor rolling the wheelchair and Remus carrying Harry over. They slightly heighten the back rest and then Remus and Sirius sit down, before lying their son down on their laps.

Harry tries to get up and sit with the two, but when he hisses in pain over trying to move his legs, do they hold him back and Remus, softly massaging his legs, says: "You've just had a full physical and had your wounds reshow themselves. Then you had two very dangerous and emotionally frustrating chapters being read.  
After this we want you to take some rest and you lying like this gives us both the comfort you are here and okay." The boy nods and I see him smile at his guardians, obviously over the moon that they care so much for him to still be worried over this, before McGonagall conjures all kind of sofas, chairs, poufs and couches.

Many students quickly take place in seats, some students sitting with other Houses and Viktor conjures a single chair of the same design as the sofa next to the first one made on the side where Sirius sits with Harry's head and shoulder in his lap and sits down, softly stroking Harry's hair – obviously wanting to be as close to him as his parents.  
I smile and then see a simple, metal, resizable chair standing behind me. I lounge against the back, grab the book and while trying to show off a comfortable air, do I worry deeply for how the event must have frightened my little brother. And with a sigh as I sincerely hope we will soon find out what saved him, do I continue reading.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 203 & 204 – PS **_

Now I have wide eyes and then, before the Weasley twins can dash at the man or Wood is even halfway out of his seat, does Harry raise his hand high, his finger raised and says: "Just want to point out that – no matter what we say or think during this book – Professor Snape would not still have his job if what we thought was true."  
The students seem confused and then I realize what he's talking about. Some Gryffindors seem to have realized the same and it lessens the furious glares send the man's way as they see the logic of the young boy – while Snape is shocked the boy would stand up for him. And wwhile proud of the boy's character, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 204 – PS**_

"Remember what I said." Harry says, his hand still in the air as some of the more stubborn Gryffindors try to stand up or glare at the man and this makes Sirius grumble and he softly pets Harry's hair. But then I suddenly notice something and while Harry's words of before were strong, they now seemed a little tired.  
I look at the sofa and see that Harry has trouble keeping his eyes open, his arm only halfway up and his eyes drooping every now and again. I look at him and then see that the way Sirius pets him would even get me asleep. I smile at this sight, glad to know that the man is trying to help his son through the harder chapters and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 204 – PS**_

 _Harry himself was terrified, trying not to think to the part of his mind that told him he should just let go, that he was unloved, useless and stupid and a freak either way and that the world was better off without him.  
_ _He wanted to stay in this world and while the vibrating and the voice in his head, telling him of how he would see his parents again were hard to keep control over, did he keep his eyes on the twins, Oliver and Ron, fighting the words with the fact he now had friends, trying to think of Erica and how she would hate him forever if he did give up.  
_ _It was all that kept him from dropping – from indeed letting go._

Everyone's shocked and Sirius asks: "You weren't even scared?" Harry shakes his head and says: "Most of the time I get in dangerous situations, I get reminded of Erica and what she would do if I let myself get killed. It's also then that that stupid voice I've had since the November incident would come up and fighting that makes it impossible for me to focus on my fear. If I did I would lose the battle and I would die."  
Everyone looks shocked at the amazingly logical, yet simple way Harry phrased it, but Sirius, Remus and I are freaked out with the way he said it – as if he was commenting on the weather being nice. I shake my head and think: "Having the urge to kill yourself at age six. What did those monsters do?" I shake my head and simply read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 204 – PS**_

" **EXCUSE ME!"** Half of Gryffindor and most of Hufflepuff shouts and while even Snape now has a furious glare on his face, proving that the man does not condone of this, does Lee spat: "He better be glad he didn't get any points for that. I do, after all, keep an eye on the scoring and control it. If I had to award points then –."  
But nothing escapes his throat except a growl, proving how angry he is that a fellow player can sink that low in their need to score and Sirius mutters: "And I thought Slytherin played cheap when we played them. They at least had a reason.""Which was?" Oliver asks and I can tell by his face he needs something to distract himself.  
Sirius shrugs and says: "Snape was also on their team and he and my friends and me had such a rivalry one of us was in the Hospital wing at least every week. After Fourth year that slowed down and we started using Quidditch to show him our resentment of him. The other Snakes didn't take that, so our games were heavily bad, to say the least."  
The students nod and the 2 men share a furious look, but then seem to read each other's minds as they both nod and the combined fury with which they glare at the book makes me gulp as I just know that these two men will work together to get back at Flint, something that actually makes me feel sorry for the ex-student before I continue reading.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 204 – PS**_

Now I stop and wonder why that is mentioned. Then suddenly I realize Quirrell mysteriously vanished right after Harry's rumored adventure at the end of the year and wonder what the man has to do with this – as it's obvious he has something to do with that adventure. I shrug, not knowing or currently caring and just read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 204 & 205 – PS **_

The whole Hall gasps as one and while some of the Hufflepuffs look at the girl as if she's lost it, does Hermione look straight at said teacher and says: "Professor Snape, I'm really sorry I did that, but all I wanted was to cause you to be distracted. I could only think of two ways and the other was levitating you out of your seat."  
The man nods and says: "I can understand and accept your apology, if in return I can expect a new robe to replace that one. It was my best robe to brew dangerous potions with and took me four years of savings to buy." Hermione nods in acceptance, sagging a little in obvious relief and then McGonagall speaks up and says:  
"I am very glad you didn't use your other idea, Mss. Granger, as that could have very well killed Professor Snape, with how high the Teacher stands really are." The girl blanches and Ron and Neville, who went to sit with her, quickly start comforting her, while I see Harry look thoughtful about something and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 205 – PS**_

Total silence. Silence so thick I am actually unable to read another word as it almost chokes me up. No one can believe what just happened and Sirius asks: "You – you caught the Snitch – in – in your mouth?" But Harry doesn't answer and that bitch _**hem hems**_ , but Sirius just looks down and sees something that makes his smile lovingly.  
I look down from the man's face to the seating and see Harry, with his hands under his head, one arm around Sirius' leg and with his legs crawled up to his chest, his feet leaning against Remus' right leg, fast asleep, while it's obvious that the legs weren't moved by themselves as Remus has his arms wrapped around the legs himself.  
"Falling asleep during an important reading. Really Cornelius, that boy has –." The terrible woman says, her voice filled with self-pride that just makes me hate her even more, but this time my entire team and I stand up and hiss: "Shut it, you hag." None of us wanting to wake the boy, but all of us now officially hating that rotten woman.

Flitwick then returns Remus the sound-proof sleeping bag they used earlier and together with Viktor's help, do the two men slowly lift Harry and nudge him into the sleeping bag, both of them very careful not to move his legs too much. They lie him down again and Harry turns in his sleep, making us worried the movement woke him.  
But then suddenly Harry's hand shoots out like a razor wind and grabs onto Sirius' shirt, moaning half-sleepily and somehow pulls himself closer to the man. Sirius smiles lovingly down at his son and softly grabs the hand, while his other strokes the boy's hair. I smile at the family, feel relieved that Harry is still asleep and then again read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 205 – PS**_

"Why not?" Fleur asks and before some other students, who I remember had been shouting that score over and over again with Lee can speak, does Fred say: "You know, I remember Harry hurrying to the boys changing rooms and remember him locking the door, but when we waited ten minutes and then opened the door ourselves, he was gone.  
There were strange wet spots near the showers though and we could tell they had nothing to do with the shower being awry or something." Now Sirius and Remus look at their son worried and Remus mutters: "I do not want to know how he must have felt before that voice made him forget his fear." And we all nod in agreement before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 205 – PS  
**_ _Harry was ever so grateful for Hagrid on this and felt amazingly bad as he had not added Hagrid to his list of people for which he should stay alive._

Hagrid shrugs and then Hermione says: "And here we get it." Everyone looks at her and she says: "This is where we start to discover about the story title and sadly enough we constantly blame Professor Snape for it." The students nod and Professor Snape asks: "Did you have good reasons behind this, Mss. Granger?"  
Hermione shrugs uncomfortably, obviously still feeling guilty for the earlier mentioned incident and says: "It was mostly your obvious hatred for Harry and that whole attack just now." The man nods, regret shining in his eyes and I know he will treat the boy a whole lot better now. I smile at this fact and happily read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 205 & 206 – PS  
**_ _Harry thought this through and then suddenly realized something; something that made him slightly doubt this theory. If Harry had indeed been killed by that broom accident, all the First years, no matter how insignificant it would sound, would instantly point to Snape, because of his obvious dislike for Harry.  
_ _And Snape was a lot, but he wasn't a Slytherin for nothing. If he really wanted Harry dead, he would not do it at an event where he could be so publically caught in the act. But then – who would hate Harry enough to want him dead? Not being able to come up with a name, he decided to see if Ron and Hermione would think of the same – and maybe come up with a name._

Everyone looks shocked and Snape is even white with shock as he realized that – no matter how badly he treated the young sleeping boy – Harry was still mentally supportive of him and defending him. I shake my head at his nobility as that is something I have always seen as one of Harry's finest traits and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 206 & 207 – PS **_

This makes almost the entire hall look up, some of the Ravens starting to whisper together about the name, while Hagrid hits himself on the head and then suddenly Moody asks: "Just a minute, who of the teachers knew Nicholas Flamel was involved?" And when none of the teachers raise their hands, the ex-Auror growls and Hermione gasps.  
We all look at her and while her face is a mask of shock, does a fury I have never seen before grow in her eyes as she says: "Dumbledore told Hagrid that on purpose. Hagrid's amazing, but he can't hold a secret to save his life, especially not to Harry. Dumbledore planned for Harry to hear of Flamel. He planned it all."  
The two look at each other shocked, having obviously not been expecting this twist in the whole scenario, while I suddenly remember something Ron said to the Headmaster during the Fourth book reading. _**"Years ago, Hermione, Harry and I suspected you had orchestrated the whole thing concerning the Stone."  
**_ I know now that this is what the girl is talking about, but wonder what the Stone is, even if it's obvious that the three of them thought this after the whole adventure itself and then Ron, Neville and Hermione move their seat to the other side of the family sofa – as I now dubbed it. They all glare at the Great Hall doors and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 11, Page 207 – PS**_

"At least now you won't have to any longer, Hagrid. You were played from the start and so were Harry and the rest of us. We were all played and it was all for that retched –." But this time Hermione seems unable to utter the word I just thought and while I feel amazed at how detailed the spell actually is working, do I say:  
"I guess the title's unable to be said, but not thought." The girl looks at me, together with some of the teachers who are apparently aware of this whole thing and I say: "I remember what Ron said before he accused Dumbledore of orchestrating all that happened this year. I was able to think of that word, but apparently we can't say it."  
The girl nods, but I can tell she won't answer the question I want answered – about what a stone could have to do with all this and then Remus, who first looks at Harry worriedly before he turns to the three kids sitting next to his sofa says: "I guess you'll be trying to find out about Flamel now?" Ron nods and says:  
"Yeah, but only to find out what that dog was guarding. We didn't want to get close to it again, we just wanted to know what the heck was going on and if it had any link to the attack on our buddy." The man nods and smiles at the red head, obviously very relieved that they didn't want to get involved, while many look at Harry worried.


	24. Bastards, Truth And Love

_**And here are the translations  
**_ _ **ми малко любов is Bulgarian for My little love**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 23  
**_ _ **Bastards, truth and love**_

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

I look down at the little boy sleeping in my lap, the image of how he must have looked, dangling from his broom running through my mind yet again and think: "I do not want to know how bad it must have been for him to keep reading on with this. All these terrible memories brought up and all those terrible secrets brought to light."  
I shake my head, mostly to get rid of the image and to put my focus back on where I am needed and say: "It's best if we have one last chapter and then have dinner before we divide the Great Hall in bedrooms and call it night." And as if to prove my point does the enchanted ceiling change from the rising to the setting sun.  
Everyone nods but then a bright light shines and I throw myself over my son, wanting to block the light from his sleeping face, so he won't be woken from it. The lights divide and a single small light goes to McGonagall, while a larger light stays shining in the entrance of the Great Hall, just in front of the doors.  
Then both lights die down and one of them – the smaller – turns out to be a letter which I can only imagine will explain the reason behind the other bright light, while the other is a brown haired woman in her mid-fifties at least with curly hair and small glasses in front of her brown eyes with dark green specks in them.  
The woman wears what seems to be a denim jacket, reaching just above her belly button and under this a blue with white striped shirt and dark blue denim jeans with a very fashionable brown belt with rhinestones embedded into the belt and small rips at the end of the legs, showing off dark black heels and dark blue socks.

Everyone looks at the woman who looks as shocked at being here as we are at seeing her, except McGonagall, who reads the letter and gasps. Everyone turns to her and she says: "According to the letter, this is the famous Mss. Fiana Crenson we have heard about and she is here to be our guest and a permanent reader."  
Everyone looks at the woman Harry swore not to visit anymore after November 1986 and I wonder if, from her, we can get the answers about what happened that made my baby want to kill himself back then, a thought that reminds me I almost lost my son before my actual escape. And apparently, I am not the only one as Ron says:  
"So she might give us the answers to that reoccurring thing about November '86." But the woman lowers her head, obviously as hurt over the events as my little boy in the book seems to be and with quite a soft voice, does she say: "Quite the dark month that was. I take it, you mean what happened to my favorite ex-student, Harry Potter?"  
Ron nods and the woman sighs as she says: "I'm afraid I don't really know what happened either. Harry was supposed to come and visit me for some geography lessons, but instead I saw him being carried off to the Hospital, covered in glass shards and so badly bleeding I didn't think he'd ever make it. After that we've never met again."

Everyone looks shocked and Hermione whispers: "One of those things Harry was thinking about when Hagrid asked him about what kind of unexplainable things he had done. Remember what was written." And she quotes: " _ **When Dudley had thrown him out of the window he had somehow survived the fall and fallen into a coma instead of dying."  
**_ Everyone nods while I again whiten at the idea of my baby being thrown out of some window by that baby monster and Mss. Crenson says: "I always believed that bastard had something to do with it. I was heavenly glad he was no longer in my class. Ungrateful little bastard." And she shakes her head in pure, obvious anger.  
She then asks: "So, can anyone talk me by?" And another letter appears in front of her. She quickly reads it through, her eyes widening at some parts and her teeth gnashing at others and then she huffs and crunches the letter up into a ball, her rage shown on her face. She then nods at us and asks: "Can I read next?"

Everyone nods, but then Umbridge stands up and says: "I would first like to know more about you. Who exactly are you and how do you know Mr. Potter?" The woman sighs and says: "My name, as earlier mentioned, is Fiana Crenson. I am 53 years old, live in the West Surrey and have been teacher for the five year olds for the last 20 years."  
The woman nods and asks: "So you're a Muggle?" But the woman puts her hands in her sides and while she actually reminds me of a brown haired Lily, does she say: "No, I'm a Halfblood. My father is Jonathan Crenson, of the Noble and Ancient line of Crenson, christened in Portugal and welcomed in Spain, France and Italy.  
My family just moved to England because we always try to improve our reputation elsewhere and I simply chose to become teacher in the Muggle world, so I could help and educate the Muggle-raised witches and wizards here, all to honor my mother who died while working at the Nursery of a Muggle Hospital that was attacked in 1975."

Umbridge looks taken aback, obviously having not expected to meet someone of such a wealthy line, while I feel myself already liking the powerful, feisty woman and think: "If she was a redhead, I would say she was Lily's reincarnation." Before softly whispering this to Remus, the charm not making others hear me.  
The man snickers and then he says: "Mss. Crenson, it would be our pleasure if you could read the next chapter." Making the elder woman smile at him, before she walks over to the stand. Angelina quickly moves herself over to the three-sitter she shares with the other Chasers and Mss. Crenson smiles at the girl, before she starts to read.

 _ **Fiana's POV**_

I've already seen my favorite ex-student be encased by a thick sleeping bag and held by two strong men of at least 30 and one amazingly strong looking teenager, while three teenagers who I can only assume are his friends sit at his feet and have taken stand behind the pedestal, remarkably shaped like an owl as I start to read.

 _ **The Mirror Of Erised**_

This makes the red-head sitting with the other two teens on the sofa on the left of my sleeping little angel, which I recognize as a Weasley, look up and the boy seems to be the same age as Harry as he says: "Ehm, Professor. I think it's better if we wake Harry soon. Perhaps after reading about the Christmas feast."  
"How do you know that will come up this chapter, Mr. Weasley?" One of the teachers, a strict looking woman with black hair tied up in a bun, asks and the boy, who looks at the book in my hands with a really worried look in his eyes says: "I know this, because I remember it to be Boxing day when Harry and I found that mirror."  
The woman nods and says: "Very well, we will have dinner when the feast is described and Mr. Potter will be woken afterwards." I look at the softly sleeping boy and wonder how he had not woken from this, but then shrug, believing that there must be some kind of spell put on the sleeping bag he's resting in and read on

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 208 – PS**_

This makes the twins high-five, but the young boy looks at a bushy brown-haired girl sitting in the same couch as him, both of their faces white and the boy says: "That really is no reason to be happy." The twins look confused, while his elder brothers look worried at the scared tone in his voice and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 208 – PS  
**_ _Harry was glad he had no one to deliver letters to, but he still received ingredients from the apothecary and Hedwig seemed to like him too much to let Hagrid touch her._ _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 208 – PS  
**_ _Harry perfectly understood why and had to explain to Ron, several times even, why they could not use warming charms. He even got three points taken from him for taking Dean's wand when the boy tried to cast a warming charm, just when Neville wanted to add Boomslang eggs, which Harry knew were highly inflammable.  
_ _He had not cared for the points and Dean had later realized his near mistake and thanked Harry. He had even made him a special self-made Christmas card, because he was going home for Christmas and didn't have an owl to send it with.  
_ _Harry had spend a full hour that night, just looking at the lion on the front of the card, shining red and golden and having a brown scarf around its neck with small spots on it that shined golden every few seconds before he started working on his potion for that night. That was now two weeks ago and Christmas was drawing ever closer._

Everyone smiles at the gesture and Dean says: "If I knew he had liked it so much, I would have worked even harder on that card. I would have actually done that charm myself, instead of asking Hermione." Everyone laughs at the confession and again I wonder how this is not waking the young boy next to me up.  
I see the black-haired man look from Harry to me and he says: "The sleeping bag is charmed. As long as Harry's head is in it, he won't hear anything that happens outside the bag." I nod, relieved for this and smile at the man before I read on, accidentally interrupting the speech of the pink lady who had rudely asked me for my name earlier.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 208 & 209 – PS **_

Said blond boy now looks down in shame and he mutters: "If I knew his home-life was that bad, I wouldn't have pestered him at all. I would have invited him over for Christmas, that's for sure." And Ron asks: "Even if he had asked if we could come too?" And to the red-head's obvious shock does the blonde nod in agreement.  
The boy's parents, who I recognize as Malfoys, a family my father was never too fond of, then hug the young blonde and Hermione says: "You can't really blame yourself for not knowing, Malfoy. Even we didn't know. Harry just never talks of those Muggle-monsters and with reason." This makes me worry for the poor boy and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 209 – PS  
**_ _The fact was that if it was up to him he'd never even set foot in that alley again – and he had no doubt that was the only thing he and Uncle Vernon agreed on. That both of them would have been much better off if Harry never set foot on Privet Drive again. Alas, it was only for the Christmas holidays._

"Not anymore, it's not." The black-haired man says happily, to cheers and shouts of joy and I look at him, as he for some reason looks quite familiar to me. He smiles at me and says: "Let me introduce myself. Sirius Black, framed Mass-murderer and official, till recently unknown blood-brother of Lily Rose Potter née Black.  
Lily was adopted by the Evans family one week into our birth and thus, because of my mother's dislike for a female heir or even its possibility, I never knew she was my sister until a few days ago. I have taken official custody of Harry and my first decision was that Harry never went back to those Monsters again."  
I smile at the man and say: "Glad to know Harry does have family that will take good care of him. but how exactly do you know about Harry and his treatment with those monsters?" And the man answers: "The first four chapters of this book were all about those three monsters." I nod at him, already fearing the worst and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 209 – PS**_

"I sure wish you guys had come too, you know." The man named Charlie says and one of the red-head twins – probably one of his brothers – says: "Sorry Charlie, but it wasn't a matter of money this time." And the other goes on: "It was a matter of our first Christmas with our younger brothers." And they chorus: "We just couldn't miss it."  
This makes me look around for more red-heads that are younger than the two and look alike, but I can only find the one named Ron and then one of them softly coughs, drawing my attention. I look at him and see him aim his finger next to me. Looking to my side, I see Harry fast asleep and smile at the twin brother, before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 209 & 210 – PS **_

This makes me glare at the young man's behavior and his mother even softly slaps him over the head – probably softly to keep his disgrace to a low level – before she tells him to apologize. The boy does so and even seems to have the Pureblood grace to officially make the apology to the elder red-head, that seems to be the Lord over the family.  
I nod, knowing that the boy would have never made it far in life if he had been in my class. Then I shudder and think: "But I did have a boy with similar behavior in my class. And poor Harry had to suffer from living with that brat for years." I shake my head, glad I never have to deal with Dudley Dursley again and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 210 – PS**_

"Sure wish Filch had been there right then. Even Professor Snape would not have been able to deny that he had been littering." A young boy with blue trim on his black robe says angrily, while the man named Snape glares at said student and then he looks around and says: "Speaking of which, where is Filch anyway?"  
Everyone looks around and Ron says: "He was there during the last book, but I got to say, I didn't even see him come in for this one. I guess the Time Reading spell had planned to permanently replace him all along." The students nod, while some seem shocked at his amazing logic and I read on, smiling at the young red-head.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 210 – PS**_

This makes said men look down ashamed and Sirius says: "I can't believe I'm saying this, but cheer up. The kid was 11, what would he know of hatred?" Then suddenly a wave of magic hits me and I feel that I know everyone who speaks – or almost everyone. At the same time a blond-haired man I now know as Remus says:  
"Sirius, I hate to say this myself, but don't forget who he grew up with. Those Muggles obviously hated our little cub, so he had a perfect example of what hatred feels like." The two men next to me and the Potions master and his student all sigh in defeat and while feeling new hatred for those monsters named Dursleys, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 210 – PS  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 211 – PS**_ _, enough even to make Harry's mouth drop_ _ **. PS – Chapter 12, Page 211 – PS**_

Now everyone smiles and while I remember how Erica always made sure that Harry worked on all his talents, including for details, does a small First year say: "That sounds almost as good as this year." But then Harry mumbles something half-asleep and everyone listens as he mutters: "That – better – no – ball." Before he turns and sleeps on.  
The Weasley twins, younger siblings and the two other teens sitting with Ron on the sofa next to Harry seem to understand his mumbling as they snicker and Ron says: "Allow me to translate. Harry said; _**that year better. It had no Yule Ball.**_ He really was terrible at that dance." But then a girl named Padma Patil asks:  
"And you were better?" The boy turns red and says: "I just don't like dancing, alright. I like Quidditch and chess, but dancing is something I will never do. At least not willingly." And while the girl pouts at him, obviously hurt that he never wanted to dance and while I get the feeling that he jinxed himself just now, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 211 – PS**_

At this I can't help but remember how Harry had at one time gotten himself in danger with his curiosity. "And that he said." One of the twins says and the other goes on: "With a bright tone." And they chorus: "Scaring the crap out of dear Hagrid." Everyone laughs and I feel sad that the spell put on me won't tell them apart.  
Then that terrible Umbridge seems to have reached the end of her patience and says: "Mr. Potter really should learn how to respect proper authority. Hating a capable teacher and shocking an – an elder." I can tell she wanted to insult Hagrid and as she realizes that no one listens to her rambles, does she huff, while I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 211 & 212 – PS**_

"Knew it was more than sheer curiosity." Hagrid grumbles, but I can tell he's smiling and Umbridge, apparently in the belief that she can speak her mind as no one seems to be paying attention to her, says: "Just goes to show how much control giants like yourself have over proper witches and wizards, doesn't it?"  
But while the man next to her, who I know is the Minister for Magic, blanches at her words, does Ron snap: "This has nothing to do with control, respect or you. So MIND YOUR OWN BUSSINESS!" The woman looks shocked and Ron asks a question I have heard being muttered all over the hall the entire time I was here:  
" _ **What is she doing here anyway?"**_ I shake my head not knowing the answer to that or the other question I have heard ringing through the hall silently: "Who does she think she is?" Wondering the same myself, I spare a quick glance at the woman, who seems ready to attack Ron, before reading on, interrupting her yet again.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 212 – PS**_

Suddenly, while I see some older students with blue trims nod in appreciation and see others looking curious, do I see Ron and a girl I know is named Hermione look at each other and then they groan and Hermione says: "No wonder we didn't find him. We kept our search to the last century, to modern times and recent events."  
"So, he's older than say – Professor Dumbledore?" One of the twins asks and Ron mutters: "Way older. And still I do believe he's much and much saner." And then, while said twin now looks shocked, do I see him whisper something to Hermione that the spell doesn't let us all know. I shrug, slightly curious, and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 212 – PS**_

"I hate to say it, Hermione." Remus starts, his tone of voice proving he doesn't want to hurt her and he goes on: "But Ron's technique was better there. All you had was a name and that isn't something that can make you decide what subject the man could be in. You really just have to leave it to fate here and that was, in a way, what Ron was doing.  
Randomly plucking a book of a shelf and hoping he'd be lucky and find the man. Although it would also then be handy if Ron made a list of what books he had already been through or he could have easily grabbed the same book twice." And by the redness of the boy's neck do I realize this indeed happened as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 212 – PS  
**_ _Still, Harry couldn't help but feel as if somewhere in those rows there was a book that could help his future beyond his knowledge._

"Still have that feeling." A sleepy voice mutters, startling some of the students sitting close and when I look down, I see a sleepy Harry Potter slowly blink his eyes open, Sirius gently helping him out of the sleeping bag. The boy stretches and I smile, happy to see my favorite student active again – and obviously deeply cared for.  
He looks around while still happily seated on Sirius' lap and with sleep still evident in his eyes as he asks: "What did I miss?" And Sirius gently answers: "You caught the Snitch with your mouth, visited Hagrid, found out about Flamel, had a Potions lesson and saw the Great Hall the day before the Christmas holidays."  
Harry nods, his green eyes still slightly dull from his last little nap and then Remus says: "And the Time Reading spell invited a very interesting – and to you probably very special – guest for the rest of the reading." Harry looks at the man confused and I leave the book behind to walk over to my favorite ex-student.  
He looks at me and his eyes widen as he asks: "Mss. Crenson?" I nod and he smiles widely, before his smile disappears and with his head bowed, he says: "I'm sorry I stopped visiting you." But I lie a hand on his shoulder and say: "You had your reasons, Harry, I'm sure you did." He smiles at me and I smile back before going back to the book.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 212 & 213 – PS**_

Then suddenly, while he has gone to sit between Sirius and Remus, does Harry ask: "Madame Pince, I know it's a weird question, but which teachers visited your library most that year?" The woman looks shocked and confused, but then she says: "That would have been Professor McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell, Mr. Potter."  
And by the suspicious glance shared between Harry, Ron and Hermione, do I not only know they are amazingly good friends, but also that there's a link to that little piece of information and this entire strange plot. Wondering what it could be – and more importantly – which of the names this info is linked to, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 213 – PS**_

"Sorry, Mr. Potter, but I sincerely doubt that will ever be possible. You know how precious my library is to me." The librarian says, slightly stern, but with a caring undertone and Harry, his eyes sparkling in the same way they would when he would try and borrow a book from me, says: "I know, Madam Pince, and I'm really sorry."  
The woman looks confused, while Ron seems to have trouble holding back his snickers and Hermione hits him over the head. The woman then keeps her glance at my ex-student, but he doesn't elaborate and so, knowing Harry well enough – due to his private lessons with me – to know he'll keep quiet no matter what, do I just read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 213 – PS**_

"And besides that are there many witches and wizards that made great achievements magically without Muggles realizing it was magic they used." Remus says and he goes on: "Merlin is after all well known in both the Muggle and Magical world and so are Morgana Le Fay, Jeanne D'Arc and many others.  
Hell, half the witches and wizards from medieval, ancient Greek and Ancient Egyptian times are known in both of our worlds." To this a boy named Blaise Zabini asks: "Even the Man that saved the Jews of Egyptian slavery?" And Hermione says: "Yes, Moses is a popular legend to the Muggles." The boy nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 213 – PS  
**_ _Harry had rethought his earlier words and knew that, while Malfoy and Snape really reminded him of his uncle and cousin's treatment of him, he couldn't hate them – especially not enough to get either of them away from Hogwarts, the place being such an amazing home to him._

Now the two men smile and Ron says: "I knew he was screwing those plans up on purpose. He always said such crazy things at the end of our best plans and I always thought if we did that, we would be the ones expelled. But I got to admit, it was funny, what with all he could come up with." The Great Hall laughs as a whole and I happily read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 214 – PS**_

"Not Septimus Weasley, right?" Professor McGonagall asks and while I vaguely remember my dad talking about him does Ron nods hesitantly, making her gasp and say: "No wonder you're so amazingly good. That is an official Weasley Heirloom. Only true Chess men are the ones allowed to play with it and to pass it on."  
Ron looks shocked and McGonagall says: "Septimus told me that story himself when we were in school together. I came to Hogwarts in 1947 and he was a 3rd year by then. He told me how the Weasley family treasured their chess-set as it was over 300 years old and had ancient spells on it that would only let true Chess masters use it."  
Ron looks shocked and the woman shakes her head: "I was never able to beat him. Not with that set. No wonder you beat my chess set down in the dungeons. Tell me, Mr. Weasley, when did Septimus give it to you?" And Ron answers: "In 1988, Professor. Three months before his death." The woman looks shocked, but nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 214 – PS**_

This makes me hate all those times Harry convinced me not to buy him gifts all over again. "Boy, is that going to change." Sirius tells his son and everyone around the boy nods, along with almost the entire hall. Only some of the elders at the far right table seem to hold back – although this is of course no problem to the Umbridge woman.  
Harry blushes and wants to open his mouth, obviously still stuck on how he was raised by those monsters, when I say: "Harry, this is not your life with those monsters. It's time you adept and realize that those that care about you want to show that. Especially on special days such as Christmas and your birthday."  
And everyone in the hall nods yet again, while Harry is, obviously having trouble accepting my words, but then he gets hugged by the sturdy Bulgarian I know is named Viktor Krum and the boy whispers: "You're loved, ми малко любов. My little love." This makes Harry snuggle into the Bulgarian's chest with a smile as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 214 – PS**_

"And if you wake up at home next summer you'll be buried under millions of gifts." Sirius smiles at his son and all Weasleys along with many Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and even some Slytherins nod in agreement with the man. To this Harry smiles, but I can tell he has something up his sleeve due to his smile and he says:  
"As long as it's not gifts from the HP fan club. I have problems accepting gifts from others, but gifts from people that I don't know and that don't know me either I can't accept." The Great Hall nods and I can tell that everyone is going to use these books to see whether or not they want to get to know the young boy better or not.  
Knowing that those that don't want to will not give Harry gifts, I smile at the possible decrease of gifts, as that will mean that Harry won't have to split himself into too many pieces just to spend time with TOO many people and, while feeling proud of the sneaky way that my little Harry took care of this problem, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 214 – PS**_

"Really should have started seeing signs by then. I mean, the way he tried to talk sunshine onto my family and shadows on his own, the way he tried to make me feel better about my family than his and how he was actually surprised to have gifts?" Ron ends his rant with a hit on the head, before lying his head in his hands.  
Neville and Hermione both embrace him and Hermione says: "Ron, you were eleven. No eleven year old could have known that their best friend was so badly abused, especially not with the vague and random hints Harry threw out." And while the other two keep muttering soft words of encouragement to the redhead, do I read on.

 _Harry brought his attention back to his own pile and quickly checked it for gifts that looked like they could come from his uncle – or worse from Finar. But nothing was wrapped up in Grunnings paper or in expensive green silk – a cloth Finar loved using when he send uncle Vernon a punishment package._ _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 214 & 215 – PS  
**_ _He was relieved that his aunt had joined in on the gift idea; he really didn't want to know what his uncle himself would have send him and neither did he want Ron to see the mad mind that was his uncle's.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 215 – PS  
**_ _He was also glad to be rid of the gift, because he just didn't want to be reminded of them when he was at Hogwarts._

"Right you are, man. Good for you." Fred and George chorus and while many of the teachers nod in agreement with this statement, does Ron look at Harry with a question obvious on his mind. The black-haired boy looks at his friend confused, but then seems to understand his request and with a smile he nods.  
Ron smiles back, while I'm shocked and touched by how strong and deep their friendship really is, which in turn makes me know that Harry and Ron have been through many kinds of ordeals together, and then he walks over to his dad and says: "Here dad, I saved it all this time." And he gives the man the actual fifty pence note.  
Arthur looks excited and shocked and Harry, who has had wide eyes since he saw his friend pull the coin out of his pocket, asks in shock: "You actually kept that on you this entire time?" Ron nods and says: "I guess I saw it as the first gift between us as friends. Used it for luck." The two smile at each other and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 215 – PS**_

"What's so wrong with that, Ronald Weasley?" Molly Prewett asks furiously and Charlie answers: "Maybe the fact they easily tear when he do so much as raise our arms into the sky." And Bill says: "Or maybe the fact they are made of a wool so thick we even feel like we're in a sauna when we're in the middle of a cold winter."  
The woman looks shocked, while I am shocked that she uses a fabric that is thick to the temperature and still easy to break and then Ron ends: "And let's not forget the fact you purposely switch our colors around. Bill gets Percy's soft purple, Charlie my baby blue and vice versa. Year in, year out, every year since Bill went to school."  
The woman bristles, obviously feeling as if she's the one's who's been wronged and as if she did nothing wrong, but the furious glares of the two men and their brother is enough to make her keep her mouth shut and while I can only wonder how this woman could have come to think so highly of herself, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 215 – PS**_

"See, Harry at least knows how to accept and be grateful of a hand-made gift." The woman tries to valiantly defend herself, but then Fred says: "That is because emerald green and soft black are his favorite colors." And George says: "And because he never had been given a proper gift to begin with." And they chorus:  
"And don't you dare ever pull Harry into this again. SO JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU OLD-FASHIONED, MANIPULATING BITCH!" I look at the two boys with wide eyes, shocked for their language, but at the same time proud and happy with how close they too are with Harry and then Umbridge says:  
"Boys! That is no way to talk to an elder, let alone your own mother." But the two glare at the smirking red-head, who seems happy to have found some back-up at last and one of them spats: "Thank goodness then." And the other goes on: "That this terrible woman." And they chorus: "Is our mother no more."

Umbridge looks shocked and Cornelius Fudge says: "That is indeed true Dolores. Arthur Weasley divorced Molly Prewett three days ago.""Why was I not informed of this?" Umbridge spats with her nose in the air and Sirius shrugs and says: "That's easy, Umbridge. You weren't here, that's why." And with a laugh I continue to read.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 215 – PS**_

Now I see Remus and Sirius share a glance and Remus says: "I did wonder how he got that exactly." And Sirius goes on: "I wonder who held onto it for him." The two nod and McGonagall asks: "Am I right to presume you know what is spoken off?" The two nod and then, after some clear hesitation, Sirius says:  
"It's an ancient Potter heirloom. James told me several times how it's been passed down for centuries. He even wanted to start teaching Harry how to use it when the boy would turn eight." Harry and I smile at this, but I can't help but wonder why he looked at the Ministerial members when he said this. Not knowing, I just shrug and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 215 & 216 – PS**_

"It is WHAT?" Many Ministerial members shout, together with almost half the school and McGonagall says: "No wonder we could barely ever catch you four. This explains everything." The two shrug, Sirius still looking at the Ministerial members with wary eyes, which I now feel I understand and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 216 – PS**_

This makes almost the entire school look at me shocked, which in turn reminds me of my time when I work and Harry asks: "What are you all so shocked about? You all saw me using it. When the story mentioned my first bedroom, remember?" The students nod, some of them still very much in awe while others now look embarrassed.

Then Umbridge, who Sirius had been looking at warily since the cloak being used was mentioned stands up and says: "In name of the Ministry must I conclude that such a valuable and rare item is inappropriate in the hands of a minor and thus." But then Sirius spats: "Maybe, I didn't make myself clear enough."  
The woman looks at him and he spats: "The Invisibility Cloak is an ancient Potter Heirloom, having been passed down from father to son and from mother to daughter for the last 346 years. And because of that, the Ministry has no right whatsoever to confiscate the cloak from my son, as I'm sure you're aware of."  
He ends his speech with a biting tone, his tone actually dark enough I remember the time my dad was angry and the woman takes a step back and says: "The Invisibility Cloak is a dangerous artifact in the hands of Mr. Potter and thus must be –." But then Sirius stands up and shouts: "SHUT UP, BITCH AND STOP RUINING HIS LIFE!"

The woman takes another few steps back, while the shouting tone had almost made me flinch and then Cornelius says: "The Ministry will not interfere with Mr. Potter or his ownership of the Invisibility Cloak, but I would like a list of ancient heirlooms, so I can know what to expect, concerning Mr. Potter and his usage of rare items."  
Sirius nods and says: "I'll ask the Goblins for a few copies. Want Harry to have a list for himself either way. He deserves to know what his parents fought to preserve, not to mention the rest of his family." The two men nod at each other and I read on, absolutely hating Dolores Umbridge, who sits back down fuming.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 216 – PS**_

"What on earth was James thinking leaving that with him? _Him of all people_?" Sirius shouts, obviously still furious over Umbridge's terrible attempt to take Harry a precious heirloom and while I can't blame him, do I see Harry trying to shy away from the furious man. Remus then seems to notice this as well as he calmly says:  
"He told me, Sirius, so calm down." The man does as told and Remus says: "He said Dumbledore wanted to have a look at it and only borrow it for a few days to examine it. It was right before he went into hiding. He told me he wanted me to have it, but feared the Ministry would take it from me, seeing my werewolf status."

This makes Umbridge smirk and while my hatred for her grows as I myself have never been biased against anyone, does she say: "The Ministry would have been in full rights, Mr. Lupin. And next to that, how do you plan to get through a full moon night from now on anyway? With a – as you think you can call him – son and all?"  
But then her sickeningly sweet smile is wiped of her face as Harry, his drowsiness obviously replaced by a righteous bit of anger, spats: "At least dad is only a monster once a month, you're obviously a bitch 24/7." The woman looks shocked, while the Weasley twins, some of the Slytherins and his parents burst out laughing.  
The woman then spats: "Mr. Potter, I demand respect." But Harry just looks at his fingernails and says: "Earn it." The woman glares and says: "I need not to. I am –." But Harry says: "A nobody here at Hogwarts, at least according to the treaty. So here, you do have to earn it. And in my eyes, you're doing it pretty lousy."

The woman steams in fury, but Harry just keeps looking at his fingernails and then a Slytherin blond-haired boy named Draco says: "That's my cousin. Right there." And he laughs on, slightly leaning into a man that is obviously his father, who seems to be sharing his son's amusement behind a friendly smiling mask. I smile and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 217 – PS  
**_ _Could he really be holding a single last link to his father in his hands right then?_

Everyone smiles at this last thought and Sirius says: "James, when your grandfather died, went home and to Gringotts and collected all the things his parents had left him. He then made a whole new Vault and hoped with all his heart he could one day, through those items, let his own kids know about the man that was his father."  
Sirius then lies a hand on a teary Harry's shoulder and says softly: "He would have wanted you to know your grandfather, Harry, and I knew Charlus almost as well as your dad did. It would be a great honor if you would let me take you there and fulfill your dad's wish." Harry nods and whispers: "I really want that, mum."  
And he hugs the man tightly while a bile of emotions clog up my throat, making me unable to read. I close the book with my thumb between the pages and use my other to wipe a few of the tears that came to my eyes when I heard of James Potter's wish away. I then wait for the two to turn their attention back to me and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 217 – PS**_

"Perfectly understandable, mate." One of the twins says when Harry looked at them with slight guilt and the other goes on: "Yeah, we fully understand." And while Harry smiles relieved, do they chorus: "Can we perhaps borrow it next year?" But Harry shakes his head, making the teachers sigh relieved, while the twins pout.  
I shake my head at them and read on, but then see others turning their attention away from the three and when this is fully done, do I see Harry send a quick wink at the two, making them light up in joy, before they wink back. I shake my head, already glad I teach Muggle kids and not those two pranksters and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 217 – PS**_

"Were they really?" Charlie asks and one of the twins sighs and says: "No, they were overwhelmingly hot. We just didn't want Harry's first Christmas to be ruined by anything and wanted him to just make his own opinion about the sweaters." The brother nods and smiles at his younger sibling, together with the rest of their brothers and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 217 – PS**_

"Let me guess, you were wearing the wrong ones, weren't you?" Bill asks and then Harry sighs, lying across the laps of the other three man and says: "When will you guys learn that with the twins you have to think out of the box? Don't think of what they'll do to live up to your expectations, but what they'd do to exceed your expectations."  
The brothers look at each other thoughtfully and then Harry says: "They were wearing the right sweaters – because you expected them to wear the opposite sweater. The whole Gred and Forge thing was a bloody hint." The twins pout, while the other siblings look shocked and one of them asks: "How on earth does he do it?"  
But everyone else shakes their heads, those in the twins year looking at the boy with quite a bit of respect and Harry says: "If by the end of the books there hasn't been a hint that shows how I can tell you guys apart, I'll tell you myself, deal?" The twins nod, looking excited and I read on, proud of the little teen.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 217 & 218 – PS**_

Now the twins look at their brother sheepishly, but Percy smiles and says: "Had you thrown away my sweater I would have happily sat with you. I would have even been the one to suggest it." His brothers smile at him, while I smile at the close bond the seven siblings have with each other and after sparing them a glance, I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 218 – PS**_

Then, to my great shock, all tables fill themselves with the most delicious meals, some of the described foods and drinks even coming up and McGonagall quickly stands up and raises her wand to conjure a small table with white and golden covering for eight in front of the two three-seater sofas next to me.  
Ron, Hermione and Neville quickly sit on the other side of the table and then Ron, Neville, Remus and Viktor head over to the other tables, coming back with some platters of food and cans of drinks. They put it down and Sirius and Remus help Harry with a healthy diet – to heal his malnourished stomach as they tell the boy.  
Harry pouts, but then Viktor innocently slips some treacle tart onto the plate and slightly starts shoving with his own plate, which is filled with treacle tart pieces. He grabs another and whispers: "Eat all that and we'll share this plate, deal?" Harry's reaction is to shove down his food amazingly fast, making everyone on the table laugh.  
I then sit down on a small seat at the end of the table and while Harry sends me a wide smile, obviously happy to spend time with me again, do I grab a few chicken wings, some potatoes and some peas and carrots and while dripping some gravy over my potatoes, do I charm the book to float next to me and continue to read.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 218 – PS  
**_ _This caused the other Weasleys to grab large pieces and cut them open in hopes of getting other treasure. Harry just happily enjoyed whatever Ron threw off his plate and onto Harry's – although he doubted the boy did it on purpose._

Everyone laughs, the twins obviously trying not to laugh too loud to embarrass him further and Ron turns red, hiding his face in his goblet of orange juice and being patted on the back by Hermione and Neville. I too smile at the boy, but then suddenly Harry gasps and I see his eyes glazing over, which greatly worries me.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I laugh at my best friend's actions being read out, yet again glad that I'm not the only one feeling embarrassed by the readings of these books, but then suddenly gasp as I feel something in my mind as if a switch is turned on and for a short second I see something in the back of my eye that makes me zone out and lose focus.  
I shake my head to get rid of the dizziness caused by the sudden quick experience and then, when it registers in my mind what I saw, I whisper: "He's gone." Everyone looks at me and I have to take a quick sip of my glass of water as I had gasped when I zoned out before say: "That – that was my last vision ever. I – I saw him. He's – he – he's."  
I look up, my eyes slightly teary as I realize what my next words will mean and I mutter, only barely loud enough to be heard throughout the now silent hall: "He's dead." Everyone looks shocked and it only takes them a second to realize what my words mean, just like the image only appeared in my mind for a single second.

The image of Voldemort, in the same mansion as in my dream last summer, hand limply holding onto a glass of whisky with his left hand and his wand with his right, while there's an obviously poisoned knife in his chest and with his eyes wide open, the blankness in them scaring me as they mean only one thing; Voldemort is dead.

 _ **Lucius' POV**_

The words of my cousin are followed by a terrible pain coursing through my left lower arm and I hiss loudly, trying to hold back on as much of the pain as I can, before I slightly lift my sleeve and see my mark burning, the dark skin little by little growing into a bad burn, like I put my arm in the fireplace instead of being marked by an evil demon.  
Shocked that this was what was supposed to happen when he first vanished, I can barely believe my stupidity for believing I was rid of him for all these years. I shake my head and decide to ask Madam Pomfrey if she'll heal my burned skin later as for now all I feel is the weight of that monster's dominance finally being lifted.  
Happily I show Narcissa and Draco the burned skin and whisper: "See, he's right. That monster's dead." They both look at the skin shocked and then large smiles appear on their faces, while one of the Gryffindors who sits nearby and also saw my mark, stands up and is the first to let out a cheer of happiness to celebrate this amazing news.

 _ **Fiana's POV**_

Everyone is beyond excited and cheers, cries, tears and hugs of relief and happiness are heard and given all around the Hall, the teachers and adults being the most excited of all as they are crying and hugging each other at the same time, the walls almost bursting with the happiness they hold in the amazingly large room.

I smile as I look around, knowing just fine what Voldemort and his reign of terror in the seventies was like, not just because we kept to the Daily Prophet even after we moved to the Muggle world, but also because those were the sole reasons my father left the Magical world with me and my mother, three years before Voldemort's rise.  
My father was the only Male Seer of this century, not that anyone outside our family knew of this and he saw that I and my mother would die if we stayed in the Magical world. Using the stars to help his prediction, he left the magical world and helped me get used to living in the Muggle world instead when I was 26 years old.  
It took me 7 years – in which I sometimes had a slip up, which caused dad to move us again – to get used to the Muggle world, its improving uses and get the scholarships and diplomas needed to be a teacher, but after that it became easy for me to grow from kindergarten teacher to a woman that could easily teach at high school.  
But Harry's appearance and his way of life convinced me not to and after the year he disappeared from his visits, I saw more and more cases of child abuse going on in my classes. This of course got me in a relationship with one of the hottest Aurors in England, who is also closely befriended with the Muggle Child Services; Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Wondering if my little Harry will meet my fiancé of 3 years I look at the boy and think: "In the books there is a war going on, so he'll probably need Auror protection. I have no doubt my fiancé will respond to that call." And with a smile I read on, effectively silencing the deafening cheers and shouts of everyone.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 218 & 219 – PS**_

This causes boisterous laughter, obviously left over from the excitement the students must still be feeling, to fill the hall and even McGonagall laughs along, obviously still too cheerful with the amazing news to really mind her embarrassment. I shake my head at the woman and after letting the cheers die down, I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 219 – PS  
**_ _Of course there was one thing about the snowball fight that made him very glad and that was that the first snowball hit him square in the face as it had been George's invitation for him to join in. This was a relief to him, because the melted snow hid his tears at being included in a family snowball-fight – it was almost as if he really was part of their amazing family already._

Now Ron slaps him on the shoulder and says: "You bet your ruddy ass you are, mate. Family forever, you are." Harry again gets tears in his eyes and thanks the red-head before snuggling his face in Sirius' chest, the man happily hugging him close as he sends Ron a grateful smile to which Ron sends him an easy one back while I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 219 & 220 – PS **__as he blinked away the tears of pain for the man that he lost and never knew – the man that had, apparently, left him this amazing heirloom_ _ **.**_

Everyone looks sad and hurt at this fact, the happiness seeping out of the room quicker than water out of a colander. The snuggling Harry does strengthens and so does Sirius' hold on his son. Only Umbridge seems not to share in the care for my favorite ex-student and everyone noticing glares at her, actually making her whiten as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 220 – PS**_

"Perfectly understandable, mate." Ron says again and Harry smiles at his friend in relief, before Sirius says: "James did the same, he did. Only mistake he made was coming back to our dorm with that thing over his shoulder. And me, being the Pureblood-raised wizard I am, recognized it for what it was instantly. Since we've been using it valiantly."  
Everyone smiles at the man, who leans back against the purple sofa with Harry tucked under his arm and with his own shoulders embraced tightly by Remus, who softly strokes his hair lovingly; Viktor doing the same, but then to Harry, who has his hand on Sirius' chest, his eyes closed and grateful smile on his face.  
I smile at the picture, feeling happier than ever – except when Kingsley asked me to marry him – at seeing the happy family together and at the proof Harry has found a better family than I ever dared to dream for the boy – as I had really, secretly, tried in the year that I was teaching him after class – and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 220 – PS  
**_ _He walked quickly down the corridor. That the Fat Lady didn't continue asking and just went back to sleep proved to him that she was used to this happening; more proof that his dad must have done the same millions of times when he went to Hogwarts._

"He sure did, kiddo. He sure did." Sirius says, softly moving Viktor's hand away to ruffle Harry's hair and while it's obvious that Harry is beyond thrilled to hear more about his birth parents, does McGonagall say: "No wonder we could never catch you for your bigger pranks until hours later when you showed up for classes."  
To this one of the twins asks: "You pulled pranks too?" And the other asks: "Did you go to Hogwarts with the Marauders perhaps?" Remus and Sirius share a glance and Sirius says: "Sorry boys, no telling until the 3rd year reunion. Then all will be revealed." The two pout disappointedly, while Ron has trouble not to laugh and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 220 – PS**_

"Okay, there you really proof you are not just a carbon copy of your dad, you know that?" Sirius asks his son and when Harry looks at him intrigued, he says: "James was pretty cool on letting us use the Invisibility Cloak with him and all, but he was very adamant that the first few uses would be for exploring and learning Hogwarts inside out.  
That you immediately used it for such a dangerous, yet educational purpose on the first use – I don't know whether James would be rolling around in his grave for his little prankster to be studying or that he'd be proud that you snuck off for noble purposes and that you used the Cloak the same way he did on his first try."  
Harry smiles and asks: "And you, mum?" Sirius says: "First of all, I don't have a grave so that part doesn't count. Second, I would prefer it if the whole intention behind that name wasn't so dangerous, but in all other aspects am I really proud of your responsible use of such a valuable item." Harry happily hugs his mum and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 220 & 221 – PS**_

This shocks me as I had been at Hogwarts myself, but had never known about this kind of magic being on the library. "That Potter can sense the magic of the many wands stocked at Olivander's is one thing, but our defense system over the Restricted Section?" Professor Snape asks his colleagues and Madame Pomfrey says:  
"Maybe I should have checked just what parts of his magic have been blocked and who blocked them. I have a feeling that was Albus' work." This shocks me as dad told me all about magical blocks and what affects they have on witches and wizards during my teens and I spare a concerned glance at my ex-student before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 221 – PS**_

Now some of the younger years squeak and get comforted by the elder years, but to my great worry, do I see the teachers look at each other whitened and Hermione asks: "Wait, that's not the protection put on the books there?" The teachers shake their heads and Harry blanches and asks: "Then what book did I grab?"  
And the words, coming from a very white professor McGonagall, shock me to the core as she says: "Mr. Potter – Harry – you grabbed _**Torture And War; How Our Ancestors Died For Us**_. It's the most detailed book about the wars of our past ever written." Harry quickly hides in his mum, who hugs him tight and I read on, hating the title.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 221 & 222 – PS**_

"Harry, there are suits of armor all over the castle. How can you use those things to let you know where you are?" Susan Bones, a girl I know about thanks to my dad's connections asks and Harry says: "Well, I know some students use the windows, but when you're hurrying around, you don't have time to lean out a window, do you?"  
The girl shakes her head and he says: "Well, during the first 2 weeks of school did it often occur that Ron and I were very nearly late for class and one day I was running past one, when I looked in it and in the reflecting armor, I saw Professor McGonagall enter her classroom. Since then I use them to see outside or what is on the other side of the armor."  
The girl looks shocked and Harry says: "And they have small holes in the top of their suits, just below the helmet. Every hole stands for a floor and I counted at least four holes that Christmas day." The girl nods, while I smile at the genius of my little student that apparently shocks his current teachers and I happily read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 222 – PS**_

"Wait, what?" Snape suddenly asks and he goes on: "That can't be right. I was doing rounds that night and I made sure all doors on that floor were closed before Filch came to me." Everyone looks confused at this, except Ron, who seems quite thoughtful and he whispers: "He wouldn't." Making everyone look at him.  
He blushes and says: "This part of the chapter will be hard enough as it is. Better wait and see. I have my suspicions, but –." The boy then sighs and Harry says: "It's okay, Ron, thanks." And the two share a smile, while Sirius, Remus and I share a worried look, wondering what dangers they could get themselves into as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 222 – PS**_

"Always be on your guard, boy. You were in that hallway and you should be then. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" And old, grizzled-looking wizard named Moody, who my dad kept in contact with during the war, growls, shouting at the end and a boy named Terry Boot whispers: "And I thought we were rid of that."  
To which the young Tonks girl says: "Sorry, didn't think he'd comment this chapter. Forgot to silence him." The man looks furious and McGonagall asks: "You got silenced by your own student?" To which the man mutters: "Let's see how observant you are after 10 months being locked in a trunk, Ms. Kitty-cat." The woman glares and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 222 & 223 – PS**_

"Oh no, he didn't." Filius Flitwick growls and he goes on: "Albus told me he kept that mirror safely locked away in his office until further usage." To which Professor Snape says: "Well then, that instantly explains why Albus thought it right to give Potter the cloak on that specific day. He had it all planned, again."  
"I KNEW IT!" Ron then suddenly shouts and he says: "Harry had nightmares for days after he saw that mirror and that was only after the third day he visited it. And Dumbledore had also told him, and I quote: _**I don't need a cloak to become invisible.**_ He was invisible that day and made sure you didn't lock that exact door."  
He then turns to a very white Harry and says: "It was all a set-up, mate. All the way from Gringotts, to Fluffy, to this, to the end of the year. The whole year he has been setting you up, day after day after day." This makes tears appear in Harry's eyes and he again hides his face in the chest of a very, very furious Sirius Black.

The teachers growl and I wonder what exactly I missed. I look at the redhead and he says: "Long story short. The title of this story concerns something dangerous along with Voldemort and Dumbledore is using both factors to lure Harry into a battle against that mad-man. And the mirror he will soon face plays quite the essential role in it all."  
I nod, shocked that Albus Dumbledore, defeater of Grindlewald and all-around powerful light wizard, is manipulative enough to put a wizard – well over his forties – up against an eleven year old. I shake my head and wonder if I can return to the Muggle world with Harry, but then ditch that plan and just continue to read the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 223 – PS**_

Suddenly, while many students start whispering about the words and while Harry dries his tears, does he see my confusion and hands me a small mirror and he says: "Put that with the last words and read again. I have no doubt half the school is wondering what the hell that meant. Never really discovered it myself though."  
I nod at the boy and reread the last part, reading: _**I show not your face, but your heart's desire.**_ Before looking shocked at my own words and Remus says: "I don't like the sound of that." And many adults nod in agreement with the man as Harry again hides his face in Sirius' chest, obviously still hurt over the last revelation as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 223 – PS**_

"What?" Everyone asks confused, some of the students actually scared of what they're hearing and then Parvati Patil says: "But that doesn't make sense. That would mean your deepest desire is to be part of a large group or to have people behind you, like fans. But we all know you hate your fame, so what's with that?"  
Harry sighs and says: "Sometimes blood runs longer and further in time than one can understand." This doesn't make me understand the situation anymore and Harry snuggles into Viktor this time, mumbling: "At least I have my deepest desire now. And in more ways than I would ever even dare to hope I could."  
This makes me get a hunch on what he's talking about and I think: "Those Muggles were terrible to him, but James was a pureblood and those families last generations upon centuries. And didn't Sirius just say that the Invisibility Cloak has been in the Potter family for over 346 years?" This makes me confident of my theory and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 223 – PS  
**_ _Harry quickly shook his head and thought that if that was the case, he would have bumped into someone on his way to the mirror.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 223 & 224 – PS**_

"That doesn't make sense. Who is this woman? And where does Harry know her from?" A girl named Hannah Abbott asks and then, while many students start asking each other similar questions, does she turn to me and asks: "Do you think it was you, Mss. Crenson? That Harry was seeing his past and his time with you?"  
But her words only strengthened my belief in my theory, together with what I read as I have read ahead while listening to the young Abbott girl and I say: "No, that's not it. But you are right in one thing. The mirror, in Harry's case, does indeed show a part of his past." Now some teachers seem to realize what I did and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 224 – PS**_

This makes a silence ring in the room, all of the students looking at me with open mouths while silent tears are running down the faces of the teachers and Hannah, in an almost breathless voice says: "So that's what they meant. The people behind Harry are – or were – indeed part of his past; the past he can only remember the worst parts from."  
Then the girl takes a deep breath as her voice sounds quite clogged up and she goes on: "And the Potters are an Ancient family and thus their blood goes back years and years, exactly like Harry said. Harry's deepest desire isn't fame." She then takes a deep breath, holding onto Terry Boot while softly crying and whispers: "It's family."

Everyone lowers their head and Harry, his face deeply hidden in Viktor's chest, while the Bulgarian softly rubs his back, mutters: "You never know what you miss until it's gone. But while you can't miss what you never knew is knowledge something that grows and thus so can a feeling of missing that what hurts the most."  
And while I can barely believe how poetic my little boy is sounding, can I only agree with his words and smile at him Sirius and Remus gently move him so that he is situated between them – his new family, his new parents, both of them crying silent tears and yet having wide smiles on their faces as they hug the boy with loving vigor.  
Still the words seem to offer some closure and comfort to the softly crying hall and they all nod, while I can tell that not everyone understands what my boy is saying and while the younger years seek comfort with the elder years, the students with parents here with their parents and McGonagall with Flitwick, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 224 – PS**_

"Wait, that doesn't make sense." A Seventh year Ravenclaw, who has a Fifth year Ravenclaw girl hidden under his armpit, the young girl crying tears and hiccupping, speaks up and she says: "Harry's mother was adopted by the Evans family, but was by birth a Black. So how did her adopted family come up in the mirror?"  
And Harry answers: "Back then I didn't even know my new mum, Sirius, let alone the Black family. If I thought of my mum I thought of aunt Petunia and her family. I think the mirror just used whatever knowledge of my family I had." The girl nods, while I can tell they're both a little confused at all this and snicker as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 224 – PS**_

Now both men strongly hug Harry, obviously to comfort him and themselves at the same time and Sirius mutters: "James must surely be rolling in his grave of grief right now. His little boy, parentless and loveless. Longing for family so badly, his heart actually aches with the happiness of just seeing their reflections."  
But then Harry whispers: "He won't." Everyone looks at the boy as his eyes are a little too distant for my liking, but then, with love filling his voice does he say: "My dad's not rolling in his grave. I know he's not. He's looking down at us from heaven – or wherever he is – and he's smiling. Smiling because his son is loved."  
He then looks at his mum, his eyes tearful as he seems to finally accept his new family and says: "Loved by his best friend. His best man. His brother in all but blood. His distant cousin." He then turns to his dad and says: "And loved by his other amazing great friend. His advisor and other brother in all but blood."  
The two smile at their son and they hug him close, moving so they cocoon him on both sides closely, almost encasing him so well he's as good as hidden from view completely and Sirius says: "Loved indeed, son. And nothing will ever change that." Remus then kisses his son's forehead and I happily read the rest of the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 224 & 225 – PS**_

"I really wish that was the only ability the mirror had." Sirius says, wrapping his arm around Harry even tighter and the boy snuggles into his chest, while the man whispers: "You shouldn't want to have family that loves you. No one should long for something like that." I nod in agreement with his words, together with many others and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 225 – PS  
**_ _He knew he could just go after breakfast, but he didn't want this mirror to be public knowledge. Its contents were too special for Harry for that to happen._ _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 225 – PS**_

Sirius sighs and says: "While I am glad you are no longer interested in such dangerous things, do I really wish it wasn't over something like this." Remus nods and says: "Lily was the same in that aspect. Something amazingly important was always needed to keep her from forgetting about things she put her mind to."  
The two nod at each other, while many of the teachers now have soft smiles on their faces, obviously remembering the woman that was once Harry's mother and while Harry smiles at the information, something I can barely see from where he is still hidden by the arms and bodies of the two, do I smile as well as I continue the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 225 & 226 – PS**_

"Why are you seeing yourself?" Fred asks and Percy says: "I've got a feeling _**she**_ has something to do with this again." And he glares at Molly, who glares right back as if insulted that he dares to accuse her of something. I wonder why he does so in the first place – and what caused this break between mother and son – and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 226 – PS**_

"I knew it." Percy spats, while still holding a glaring match with the woman sitting quite a few seats away from him and the other Weasleys and he goes on: "Ron sees everything that would get _**her**_ attention, the one thing he has to fight for, seeing all of us. He sees himself with everything we got that got her attention and her affection.  
He doesn't see himself, not really, just an image of what he has to be to win his mother's – to him – impossible to-gain affection and pride." He then glares at the woman, who smiles in pride until she sees the glare along with the disgusted looks from many of the students around her and Percy then goes on and says:  
"He doesn't see himself, he sees a mindless zombie that drones on with nothing to do or think about but to appease his mistress. Because that's what you are to all of us and that's what drove Bill and Charlie to leave this country and what will drive me, the twins, Ron and Ginny away from you. And last meeting is more than proof enough."

All his brothers are shocked, but nod at his words, but then the woman bursts and shouts: "YOU ARE ALL SUCH IDIOTS! WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS DANGEROUS, RECKLESS AND PLAIN STUPID! I'VE LIVED IN FEAR MY WHOLE LIFE AND KNOW HOW TO CARE FOR YOU! YOU SHOULD JUST LISTEN TO ME!

 **I'M YOUR MOTHER, FOR GOD'S SAKE!"** The outburst itself shocks me and many of the adults to the core, except for Sirius, Remus, Bill and Charlie and I can't believe anyone would be used to such behavior of anybody. The students sitting closest to the Weasleys are as shocked as I am and many are whispering about what they heard.  
Then Percy spats: "Not to us, you're not." The woman looks shocked and Arthur says: "And neither have you been when I divorced you. You lost that right together with your right as a Weasley when our divorce was settled. So sit down and shut up." The woman does as said, while I am shocked at her arrogance and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 226 & 227 – PS**_

Now both boys look down ashamed and McGonagall says: "I knew that mirror had a bad influence on people, but that it actually caused those two to fight over it. I cannot believe it was capable of such things." Many others nod, all agreeing with her words and shock and I smile at the proof my Harry has such close friends as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 227 & 228 – PS**_

This makes the twins want to mock-gasp, but Bill and Charlie seem to believe this situation too severe and send the boys a glare. "Is that bad?" Hermione asks with mock-anger and Harry playfully spats back: "Seeing you guys disagree about almost everything and almost always argue, I can't say it's a bad thing, but it sure is a little creepy."  
To this, while the twins send pouts at their older brothers, obviously asking them to let them do their thing, do Ron and Hermione spat: "We don't always argue." And Harry says: "I know you don't. I said almost always." The two turn red and softly swat him over the head, while all three laugh and I happily smile at them as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 228 – PS**_

Now, while Sirius and Remus glare at the book, do the teachers shake their heads and Filius says: "Albus told us he would do the rounds that night. That we could just stay at our dorms while he would guard that hallway and part of Hogwarts. I should have known he was up to something. That part is barely ever used."

But then Harry grabs his wand and for some reason uses it to levitate himself into a standing position before he speaks and says: "Professors, you couldn't have known. If it wasn't for these books we would have never known of anything Dumbledore was planning, Cedric would have been killed and Voldemort would have been back."  
This makes a shudder go through all of the adults and he goes on: "These books are the sole reason for our knowledge of what Dumbledore did and the loss of trust we have in that man. Yes, there were mistakes made by just about everyone in this room, but that doesn't mean we should blame ourselves for all that occurred in these books.  
Some things happened years ago and others might not even happen. So no hard feelings for anyone, alright?" The teachers nod, while many students are shocked at his words and the way he said them, but I smile at the boy, having always known that his ability of speech and his heart were his strongest forte and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 228 – PS**_

"Wait, again?" A Ravenclaw asks and Snape, who obviously remembers Ron's earlier words, growls: "He must have been there the entire time all three nights. He must have planned it all ahead. Give Potter the cloak, let Filch almost catch him, get him into the room and explain him the mirror. It was all planned."  
I shake my head at the amazing stupidity and terrible manipulation of the Headmaster of this school and see Ron, Harry and Hermione share a look that tells me they had suspected as much, before I sigh, wishing that my little boy can one day be released of every and all people that – one way or another – want to do him harm and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 228 & 229 – PS**_

"As if he has any right to speak of that, what with the family he pushes onto my little boy." Sirius growls, again holding Harry close to him, but then, while I can only imagine the punishment that those Dursleys will get, does Remus pull Harry away from his mother and says: "You've been holding onto our son enough for now. It's my turn."  
Everyone laughs, while Harry mock-glares at his dad and Sirius pouts and then Viktor plays along and says: "I call dibs on holding Harry tomorrow morning." The younger boy hits himself on the head, while the laughter increases, the twins and many of their friends sliding off their couches and sofas and I read on when it has died down.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 229 & 230 – PS**_

"And there's the last piece of evidence we need. Tonks, you better write that down; it's a clear testimony he had planned to let Harry face up with the mirror again." The woman nods, her hair curly and long but dark, pitch-black to show off her anger and disgust and she writes down the words while Hermione turns to Harry and says:  
"We really should have told a teacher of our suspicions." But Harry shakes his head and says: "I fought you nail and tooth to get you off that idea, you know that. And you know just fine and well why I did so." The girl nods, while I fear for his apparent distrust in confiding in adults and with a heavy heart I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 230 – PS**_

This makes Harry growl, but while I can already tell by the look in his eyes that the anger in the growl is not aimed at Dumbledore, does everyone else look at him and he says: "Ever since I've been able to get into Hogsmeade, I've been buying pairs of socks to give that old coot for Christmas. Can't believe I actually did that."  
But then Remus swats him over the head and says: "What you told the teachers goes for you as well, young man. They made mistakes concerning him and so did you, but like them, you shouldn't blame yourself either." The boy nods, the anger in his eyes being replaced with gratitude and I read on, feeling relieved over this matter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 12, Page 230 – PS**_

"That's the end of the chapter." I say closing the book with my heart feeling like it just gained a ton of weight and apparently this has a magical effect as large cubicles appear in the four corners of the room. "I guess we can change in our sleeping cloths there." Sirius says, slowly walking over to one with a lion on the door.  
He opens the door and sticks his head in, looking left and right while Remus helps Harry back into a wheelchair that makes me worry for his injuries all over again, before Sirius says: "There are several doors here, with numbers and a few with names. I guess they stand for the seven school years and some ex-Gryffindor students."  
The students nod and the groups divide, going into the rooms in large rows and I too walk over to the Gryffindor door, walking down the left and shockingly enough, at the end of the row of doors, I find my name on a plague, while Harry's name is on the door next to it, along with a large picture of a wheelchair.

I walk in and see a very simple shower with a single small rack with my favorite shampoo, soap and washing cloth and a few sleeping cloths and a towel hidden behind a closed glass door. I happily take my shower, putting my old cloth behind the glass door on a higher rack and put the soft, suede cloths on after washing my entire body.

I leave the cubicle and see some boys and girls leaving their doors with their hair wrapped up by their own towels, while Harry's door is still with the sign showing occupied. But when we reenter the Great Hall, I see thousands of sleeping bags, in green, red, blue, yellow, silver, purple and dark black, the last three with signatures on them.  
The tables are all gone and so are the chairs and sofas that were around the room and Harry, coming out and positioning his wheelchair beside me, which automatically makes me put a hand on his small shoulder, says: "I guess the spell automatically takes care of its readers once they decide to end the reading for the day."

I nod, while feeling impressed by the magical abilities of the Reading spell and then Sirius and Remus drag three purple, a single red and a black sleeping bag our way and Remus says: "We'll sleep on the side. We want to talk to you and Harry about what happened in November all those years ago, if you don't mind."  
I shake my head, part of me not believing this to be the right place to talk about that and Harry blanches, obviously agreeing with me, but then Sirius pulls up one of the sleeping bags a little higher and says: "We already know you tried to kill yourself, pup. We just want to know what made you want that. We just want to help."  
The boy nods and when the cubicles are empty, the rooms disappear and Remus and Sirius walk over to the right back corner of the Great Hall. There the sleeping bags are put in a circle with Harry's red bag in between 2 purple ones, obviously intent for them, mine next to Remus and the black one next to Sirius. We all lie down and Harry sighs.

* * *

 _ **Okay, that is that.  
**_ _ **Well, I made a few changes to this chapter, mostly just a few word changes here and there, but I did have to alter one part that said Harry had actually stood up – which should still be impossible seeing he is still in his wheelchair, which is kind of stupid of me as the wheelchair was mentioned a few paragraphs later.  
**_ _ **Anyway, I just want to let you all know that I will be trying a new method of content writing once we reach CoS, but that will only be like this: example PoA: Harry Potter was …. Was a wizard. Which is the starting paragraph of the third book. I will try this for the second book, but don't expect any more than that.  
**_ _ **I do understand that a lot of you are confused regarding what is being read about here, seeing I am only referring to the chapter and page numbers and not the actual text, but this story has been taken down before and I love it very, very much and would hate to see that happen again, so I prefer my old method, just for safety reasons.  
**_ _ **Hope you understand,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	25. Reliving A Painful Past

_**WARNING! ADULT CONTENT HERE! MENTIONS OF SEVERE ABUSE, ATTEMPT OF MURDER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**_

 _ **Chapter 24  
**_ _ **Reliving A Painful Experience**_

 _ **Harry's POV**_

"The two months of my life I've tried so hard to forget and now I just keep getting reminded of them. What was I thinking, getting all these books into the world?" I try to think, if only to convince myself to get the hell out of here and avoid this upcoming conversation, something that is a little hard to do thanks to my current condition.  
But then I shake my head and think: "If I hadn't Cedric would have died and I would have never known how much Viktor cares for me – how much he loves me. I would have always considered myself a worthless freak and who knows what I would have done. No, it's better this way, even if it's going to be extremely painful."  
I gulp and cuddle myself closer into my sleeping bag, my left leg on my right to help me move it. I then look up and see mum, dad, Viktor and Mss. Crenson look at me worried, caring and interested; somehow all those emotions at the same time. I smile at them, but then cuddle even deeper and start my story.

"As you know was I expelled from school when I was 5 ½ in 1985. I kept visiting Mss. Crenson after that and she taught me all she could, even though the visits only lasted a year. In November 1986, I was doing the same, taking a detour to avoid Dudley's gang lingering at the playground, but I hadn't checked if they were actually there."  
"They weren't." Dad says and I shake my head, lying it on my crossed arms and say: "No, they were not indeed. Dudley had discovered where I kept going when I wasn't doing chores and was by that time so full into his belief that pestering me and making my life miserable that he didn't care what happened to me as long as."  
I gulp, trying to block out the hateful, spiteful laughter and push back the need to cry as I go on, quoting: " _ **As long as the freak was punished.**_ " I see the ones around me glare and I tremble pushing my head under the lid of my sleeping bag, but mum lies a hand on my shoulder and whispers: "Anger at them, baby. We're angry at them. Go on."

I nod, feeling touched by his calming voice and say: "So when I visited Mss. Crenson on the 24th of November that year, Dudley was awaiting me. He let his stupid friends grab me and – well, you heard what Piers does best." Another round of nods encourages me to go on and I stick my head out of the bag a little further:  
"He held me from behind and Malcolm, Gordon and Dennis all hit me in the face and stomach or kicked me in the legs. I felt so much pain and so very betrayed and cried for Mss. Crenson to save me, but Dudley told me they had distracted her with coffee. He then said; _**you flew before, let's see if we can make the freak fly again."**_

Another shudder runs through my body and Viktor stands up, changing the width of the sleeping bag with his wand and snuggling in with me, just to hold me softly against his chest. I grab onto his soft purple shirt and whisper: "Dudley and his gang weren't the only ones I had to avoid at that school. The janitor there was much like Filch here.  
He hated me and thought I was as much of a freak as everyone else. It was mostly because Dudley often, during our joined time there, made it look as if his destructive pranks were my work, such as broken toilet seats or rocks thrown through windows. Anything that gave him extra work he blamed on me regardless of where I was.  
But while he hated me, he adored Dudley. I even believe he knew it was Dudley the whole time and that he just loved what Dudley did to me, no matter what the costs to the school. Either way, he was there too that day. He saw and heard what Dudley was doing and planning and grinned before – before closing a window close to us."  
Everyone's gasps are enough to make me know they understand what happened. Yet while I can hear their voices, do they sound distant as by now the fear of what happened makes my entire body shudder and I whimper as I remember the terrible gleam look of pleasure shining in the man's eyes while he muttered _**he's all yours, boys.**_

Feeling how my breathing starts to labor and how part of me feels as if I have shrunk back to the age I was at the time of the event, do I try to wipe away the tears, but my body seems incapable of moving, my mind torturing me by continuously showing me that terrible sensation on flying through the glass in slow-motion.  
Then a glass tube is pressed to my panting lips, followed by some kind of liquid falling down my throat. Instantly, the minute the liquid hits my stomach, I feel magic coursing through my body and the same warm feeling I get when eating chocolate calms me down, slowing my laboring breaths and my pumping blood.  
I see Snape walking away and see some vials with purple liquid standing next to my bag. "You were hyperventilating, dear. Your mum, Sirius, immediately called for them and when I explained what you were telling us about, Professor Snape left these for later." I nod, grateful for the man's treatment and when I feel sure I'm calm, I continue on.

"They threw me through that very window and even to this day I remember how it felt to go through all that glass and how pieces cut and stuck to my skin. I remember wanting to grab the window sill with my right hand, but when I did, did I scream as a large part cut into my hand deeper. That was the last I remember before landing."  
My parents and Viktor nods and Mss. Crenson says: "The school wanted to sue Dursley for what their son did, but apparently – probably right after this – did that rotten janitor mop and wax the floor so badly one of my colleagues broke her hand when she fell. The police waved it away as an accident and I never saw you again."

I nod as I clearly remember the man holding a mop and a tube of wax in his hands that day – items he put away before closing the window – and I say: "I don't really remember what happened afterwards, but apparently I was in coma for 2 weeks and 4 days. I woke up on the 12th of December and the doctors treating me allowed to return home 3 days later.  
I would have been allowed earlier, but I had fled and hid the minute my body was all healed again. How it healed – I'll never understand. The doctor that first treated me was also the one that found me and when he did, he told me I had almost died in the first three days, but that I somehow survived every time."  
The four around me gasp, all of them probably terrified that I had almost died of my injuries and then I continue, knowing this is the hardest part I have to go through. I cuddle against Viktor's chest, trying to keep in mind that he is not uncle Vernon and that the Dursleys can never enter Hogwarts or even come close and speak on.

"On the day I woke up from that coma, my brain was all fuzzy and it took the doctor first treating me about five minutes to explain how I got in my position before I remembered the boys and the fall. It – it caused the most terrible feeling and thought to ever run through my body and mind and I actually scared that doctor off with how I cried."  
Viktor holds me close and whispers: "What was it, my little one. What did you think?" I tremble and shake, trying to get the words out of my mouth and then Viktor softly kisses my forehead and while I feel his large hand softly caressing my hair, do I take a deep breath and continue talking, the signs of affection calming me somewhat.  
"I remembered how it had been Dudley's plan and how he knew it was the second floor. I remembered the terrible gleam of pleasure in that man's eyes and the laughter of my cousin that strengthened when I screamed as I tried to grab the windowsill. I remembered hearing and experiencing how they took pleasure in their torture of me.  
All those thoughts came together with all that was told to me when I was half-asleep and for the first time I started believing it. I started believing that I was hated, that I was useless and worthless and that my parents had been better off without me. I tried not to, but the thought that even my cousin would try and kill me was just too much."

Everyone around me gasps and I whisper: "The thoughts made me believe I was better off dead and that the world would be better off. That no one would be happy as long as I was alive. That my relatives would never be happy as long as I lived. I didn't want to die just yet, but the thought did grow in my mind since then."  
Instantly I feel the sleeping bag expand again and mum and dad instantly jump into the bag with me, mum hugging me from the front, with his front against Viktor's back and dad moving me to lie on my side as he lies himself against my bag and kisses my hair in signs of affection. Even Mss. Crenson moves closer and lies her hand on my head.

I take a deep breath and go on: "I fled from the room and bed the minute I was able to properly walk again and hid myself, not wanting to be a bother or return to my murderous cousin. I tried to beg with all of the people healing me, but they had been fooled by my aunt that they wanted me back and none of them were authorized to keep me.  
I returned on the 15th of December and instantly my uncle pulled me inside and broke just about all my bones with his whip and belt.""HE WHAT?" Mum and dad shout and Mss. Crenson shouts: "WHY?" And while mentally feeling that pain all over again, do I softly mutter: "To punish me, of course for getting Dudley in trouble."

Anger courses around me and I can almost feel the magic of the others boiling under their skin as their glares make a soft whimper of fear escape my throat – and sealed-shut lips. Immediately kisses and soft pets touch me all over and Viktor whispers what mum did earlier: "Anger at them, my little darling. We're angry at them. Please, go on."  
I nod and say: "After my punishment my list of chores increased and it was the last bit of my punishment, this time from my aunt. It would last as long as it took my uncle's punishment – as they said – _**to settle in**_. In other words to heal. That, strangely enough only took five days and I was allowed outside again.  
As I wandered the streets and kept an even closer eye on wherever Dudley was, in fear he would try and kill me again, I swore I would never visit Mss. Crenson again. I didn't want her in danger like I was. That, during the night with my nightmares of that day, made me believe I was a danger to her – to my parents and even to my relatives."

I see the others look worried and I sigh as I go on: "Those nightmares only took 4 days to take me down and break what was left of me, not to mention that the Dursleys were still whispering those words when I was half-asleep. I left for the elder side of the School-grounds where the punks and the older years stayed.  
I had heard some rumors about punks hurting themselves for fun and using drugs and all. I didn't care about the drugs, but I hoped they had something I – I could – use to –." I take a deep breath, having a feeling of how much this is going to hurt those around me and whisper softly: "Something I could use to kill myself with."  
Instantly the hugs intensify and tears start sliding down all four faces. I feel the need to cry too, not for the pain the memory causes me, but the pain I cause them. Then Mss. Crenson hiccups: "What happened? What stopped you?" I look down, now letting my tears fall as I remember that day like it was yesterday and say:

"Erica did." Two words that make the tears stop and make Mss. Crenson smile in loving pride, which inspires me to go on: "I had visited that location, saw some beer bottles, broken wine bottles and shards of glass that came from the bottles and knew I could use them to finally relieve everyone's misery and take myself from them.  
I leaned against the back wall of the school, just beside a container to make it look like an accident and was deciding where to use a larger shard I had found to effectively kill myself. I knew slicing the throat, wrist or a stab in the head wouldn't kill me quick enough for someone to notice I had done it myself, so chose my heart.

But –." Here I smile and whisper: "Erica had other plans. She had retired from the US army and had been hired to keep youngsters from committing crimes, whether it be drug-abuse or property destruction. She caught me when my arm was halfway down my body and used her old war fighting techniques to slap the shard out of my hand.  
She then quickly took me to her office and there I cried, begging her to kill me and telling her how I felt." I lower my head, feeling slightly embarrassed and say: "That was – in all honesty – the first time I could ever remember being hugged like I was cared for – like I actually mattered to her, while she was a total stranger to me.  
She hugged me and didn't let me go no matter how much I begged her to let me go, cursed myself or hit her with my fists. I fought to let her let me go and just kill me, but she just held me and said nothing. It took me a full 17 to 20 minutes before I ran out of energy and I actually fell asleep with her arms still around me.  
The next morning I woke up and the first thing I thought off was of how terrifying uncle Vernon was going to be, but apparently Erica had told him a thing or two and convinced him to leave me with her for a couple of days. She stayed by my side, helped me learn self-defense, made me talk of that event and helped my self-esteem grow.

Three days later I returned home and apparently Erica had called and used her title as US Marshall to make sure I didn't get in trouble – she just forgot to mention she was retired. Uncle shortened my chore list and Dudley stopped joining his parents in the whispering. Unfortunately, he chose to do something else instead."  
I look down, trying to focus on the purple shirt and black pants Viktor wears to bed and while tears softly slide down my face, I whisper: "Erica had wanted to keep me for a week, but she had retired, because her last mission caused her to have heart and lung problems. And that –." I sigh and go on: "Was common knowledge at school."  
Now Mss. Crenson lowers her own head and whispers: "I always knew he had something to do with it." I nod and mutter angrily: "I never forgot that day. It was the 7th of September in 1987 and Dudley came home early, saying they had been given free from school right after break, because a guard had died from a heart attack.  
He then turned to me with a nasty smirk and said _**such a shame for poor Mss. Erica.**_ I had blanched and that had been the only times Dudley had ever seen me cry. Of course the cruel gleam in his eyes made me know he was responsible for it, but I didn't dare speak of it, in fear of a repeat of the window incident then almost a year ago.

I went to Erica's funeral and met so many people, mostly soldiers and Marshalls she fought with. The strength they showed and the stories they told me of her when it was their turn to speak made me feel as if Erica was always with me and with those stories always in my mind, I just lived and fought on against those Dursleys.  
I just never realized how wrong it was what they were doing, because after that I never saw anyone but the people from my neighborhood, those Muggles and Dudley's friends. And to me, they were all the same in their lives and treatment, so it was impossible for me to learn that what they did and how I was treated was wrong."

Then a small smile appears on my face as a small wave of strengthened joy courses through me and I say: "I remember the day she was buried. It was during a very touching speech that the sun shone through one of the roof windows and right on one small leaf in a large bush. It lasted only a minute and I was the only one who saw it, but

It really made me feel  
As if she was there with me."

The others smile and mum whispers: "Thank you, Harry. We love you very much and we're sorry we had to let you go through this. I fully understand why you don't want to remember these events." I smile at him and whisper: "I just want to think that Erica has always been part of me, not someone I met just when I wanted it all to end."  
Mum nods and then he hugs me and whispers: "If you want, we can skip the movie plan and, right after this book, go to the graveyard and visit her. So you can meet her again and tell her all you've done over the years. To show her you haven't given up and have made the best you can possibly make out of your life."  
I smile at my mum, finally noticing the tears that must have been streaming down my face this entire time and while I use the hand that is not wrapped around my mum's waist to wipe them away, do I whisper: "I'd like that, mum. And I'd love for her to meet you. And you guys too, dad, Viktor. She'd – she'd really love you guys."

The three smile at me and then mum and dad share a glance and mum and Viktor push themselves out of the sleeping bag, before dad changes it to a 2-person bag and whispers: "Time for bed, cub. And just to be sure you don't have nightmares or something, I'll stay right here with you. I did it often when you were just a baby, you know?"  
I know I should be embarrassed by this, but can't push myself into feeling that as I am overwhelmed with gratitude, mostly because I'm sure the chapters of today really did a number on me and I whisper: "Thanks, dad, love you." Before I change position and lull myself into a slumber, before sleeping in, cuddled up against my dad.


	26. Besides I Tried

_**Hey everyone,  
I just want to remind you all that this is a rewrite of the entire story and that I already have a whole lot of chapters written and ready, just needing a bit of editing here and there. Because of this, even if they might not be here yet, the KH crew will start playing a tremendous role in this story very soon. Just please remain patient until the first book has been read and all will be clear. Also, don't take this as an attack, I just want to reassure the reviewers who were wondering, felt confused or were reading this story for the first time.  
Sincerely yours,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 25  
**_ _ **Besides, I tried**_

 _ **Remus' POV**_

Last night was terrible. The Calming Draught Severus gave my son apparently made it easy for him to fall asleep, but did nothing about his nightmares and thus he woke up half-asleep 4 times last night, shocked and frightened eyes opening before they closed again and he fell back asleep, always muttering the same: "Erica."

I know this, because I had let Moony be at the forefront of my mind and the wolf had guarded over my cub all night, while I took to the background, if only to make sure we could still rest and stay awake the next day as both of us have felt more in sync with each other since our bonding with Sirius and adoption of Harry than ever before.  
And apparently my son had been easily put back asleep after his eyes going open in shock, as Moony had growled a soft relaxing tune each time. The wolf is obviously very protective and caring for our cub and this makes me realize that when it really comes down to it I can trust on the werewolf to protect my pack and its members.  
This definitely makes me partially hate society for having made me believe that I am but a monster, the same way the Dursleys have treated our cub all these years, but also myself for stupidly believing those lies for all these years. Still, last night was terrible especially for my cub, who will only go through more as the reading continues.

 _ **Hermione's POV**_

Ron, Neville, Luna and I had taken our sleeping bags to the side of the stage upon which the Head Table once stood and had laid down there to sleep, close enough to be of support for our friend when needed, but far enough away to give him, his family, Viktor and Mss. Crenson the privacy they obviously wanted.  
We had seen how he had talked with them about something important, had seen how he got scared and hurt a couple of times and had felt the need to go and join him, if only to comfort him, but Viktor, Sirius and Remus had performed exactly those actions that made us know Harry would make it through his story.  
And when they went to sleep, Remus stayed with Harry for the night to comfort him and help him sleep, which made Ron and me smile at each other as it was further proof that the man really loved our best friend. And the protective amber gleam we saw in his eyes as he lay Harry on his chest to sleep made us know Moony felt the same.

 _ **Neville's POV**_

My friends and I had taken to sleep near my best friend and the one boy that confided in me his biggest, darkest secret and we had waited for him to fall asleep, before slumbering in ourselves. But while Luna, Ron and Hermione are apparently thick sleepers, do I sleep quite lightly, mostly when I worry for those I care about.  
And that was only better as I had woken from a shocked gasp three times that night and when I registered where it came from, I wanted to struggle out of my sleeping bag and aid my best friend, but Professor Lupin's soft growls were apparently enough to calm Harry back down and help him fall back asleep.  
This made me smile all three times, but I fear for what could have scared my best friend so badly he would wake from 3 different nightmares on the same night. Now it's morning and I'm rolling up my sleeping bag, lying it on the ever growing pile of red sleeping bags, before sitting with the group of 3 men, 1 woman and my best friend.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

A warmth that is strange, yet comforting; familiar, yet dangerously suppressing and loving yet amazingly strong is all around me and as I feel myself waking I hear a soft growl near my ear that scares me and makes me remember how Uncle Vernon growled at me if I slept in while being told to do chores.  
I struggle and try to let whatever holds onto me let go, my eyes closed tight, but then a soft hand lies itself on my shoulder and a familiar voice whispers: "Harry, it's alright, wake up." I open my eyes slightly and see a vague blur of sandy brown hair just above me, while a loose brown shirt is right in front of me.  
I blink and feel my glasses being put on my face, making me see that it's dad who is holding me and growling; a growl I now define as soft and caring, instead of furious and threateningly. I sigh relieved, but when I push up, it apparently wakes dad as he scrunches up his face before blinking and looking down at me, smiling as he sees me.

I smile back at the man and then he asks: "How do you feel, cub? Well rested? Are you feeling better after last night?" I think about this and then nod and whisper: "I really felt bad never talking of Erica and what she did for me. It really does feel better now I shared her story, thanks." The man smiles, kisses me on the forehead and whispers:

"Anytime for you, cub, anytime. We're always there for you, never forget that." I smile at the man and once we've all woken, dad helping me into my wheelchair and rolling my sleeping bag up for me, do we all put our sleeping bags on their respective piles before they disappear and do the walls fill with small, single door rooms.  
I roll into one and see it holds a shower with behind it another door that probably leads to a small changing room. I pull off my sleeping cloths with some painful effort and put them away, before rolling under my shower and washing my body, all the while thinking of Erica and all she did for me in the short year we knew each other.

I sigh and try not to let the thought of her death affect me as I put shampoo in my hair and think: "I know you don't want me to, Erica, but I really miss you. You were the first mother person I ever felt I had." Then a small smile appears on my face and I whisper: "But now – as weird and harsh as it sounds – I got an even better mum."  
And the face of Erica that appeared in my mind's eye once I closed my eyes and started washing the shampoo out of my hair starts to change and takes the shape of my loving mum, Sirius. I smile and think: "Love you, mum." Before quickly throwing some conditioner in and washing it out of my hair, before turning off the shower.  
I dry myself, put on the cloths that the House Elves must have taken out of my trunk and put in the changing room and as I roll back I see that the shower stall has been cleaned and wiped dry. I smile and put on my socks and shoes with the same painful effort before rolling out, really feeling better after my story, sleep and shower.

Soon everyone is done, the shower stalls are gone and the many different seats are back. Unfortunately so is that Umbridge woman that has been annoyingly ruining the story reading so far with her high and mighty attitude and her ridiculous belief she knows what has to be done and that we should all listen to her and only her.  
I shake my head and get sat down on Viktor's lap, while Percy walks over to the stand and says: "I would like to read next." His brothers and sister are the first to nod, followed by many other students and he opens the book, smiling at me as he pages through. I smile back at my old friend and then get cuddled by my boyfriend.

 _ **Percy's POV**_

I heard from Ron what happened the night before as he had been talking with Neville about it and fear for whatever happened to this mysterious Erica as she was apparently Harry's nightmare topic. But when I look at the boy, I can tell he seems relieved of some kind of pressure and smile in relief at my semi-brother as I start to read.

 _ **Nicolas Flamel  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 231 – PS**_

This causes Sirius to softly pat Harry on the head and he says: "I really have to teach how to and how not to use that Cloak of yours." Harry smiles and says: "More likely how to keep it on me no matter what. Remember?" The man groans and says: "Do I." Intriguing me, but he doesn't continue and I simply read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 231 – PS**_

I feel my heart tear in pain at what my little brother had to go through and his parents and Viktor quickly grab the boy, but then Umbridge hits the end of my patience as her voice sounds nothing short of gleeful as she says: "Well, that will serve you well for sneaking out after curfew and breaking the rules, Mr. Potter."  
To this, mostly because I just cannot believe that she hasn't been affected by last night's reading, do I turn to her angrily and shout: "No one deserves to remember their parents' death. So shut your trap and keep it shut unless you want my brothers to shut it for you." And I smile at my twin brothers, who smile at me proudly.  
But then the woman stands up and says: "Mr. Weasley, you are a Ministerial Employee. I can get you fired for this?" And I ask: "For what? Standing up for a hurt friend? Proving you don't know how to earn someone's trust? That you have a terrible attitude and horrible timing?" The woman fumes, but I glare right back at her, before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 231 – PS**_

Now under the shocked gazes of many older students, does my little brother hit himself on the head and says: "Not the best thing to say." I shake my head, together with many others and then Pansy Parkinson says: "No, but then again you do have the tact of a snail." And Harry mutters: "And you the beauty of a pig."  
Everyone laughs and Collin shouts: "A female Dudley." Making the students laugh even harder, while the girl screeches and shouts: "Drakey, help me!" But Draco seems too deep in conversation with his dad to hear her. I shake my head at the boy and while the pug-faced girl sits down with a huff, I see him smirking and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 231 & 232 – PS  
**_ _He had, during the Christmas holiday, made a small deal with Madame Pince and now – whenever Professor Binns would lull everyone to sleep – would someone working at Hogwarts quickly give him a book to read on his lap, returning it once the lesson was over. This way Harry had a little more chance of finding Flamel and if he didn't, he would at least learn more off the world he felt at home at._

Everyone looks shocked and Fred asks: "Reading other books." And George goes on: "Why didn't we ever think of that?" Even Hermione hits herself on the head, together with many Ravenclaws, while Remus smiles at his son and I smile at the brilliant young boy, who is and was so eager to learn all about his home world, before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 232 – PS  
**_ _This extensive training made his deal with Madame Pince come even more in handy.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 232 – PS**_

"EXCUSE ME?" The team shouts and Angelina shouts: "He worked you the hardest. Harder than he even did when he tried to see if we would fit the team! How could you be on his side?" And Harry answers: "Just read on, Percy." I nod, having already done so and understanding the boy's point of view before I read out loud.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 232 – PS**_

"Oh." The five players mutter together and then I notice Mss. Crenson look at Harry worriedly. The boy seems to have noticed the same and he lies a hand on hers, as she sits on a single chair next to his sofa and says: "These nightmares did not have any influence on me. I didn't let them." The woman nods, while I feel confused and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 232 – PS**_

This makes a few Third year Gryffindors that were taking some drinks – that had appeared together with breakfast on a large buffet table behind the Owl stand – spit them out shocked and while some younger Gryffs start muttering together, the topic of the last Quidditch match on their minds, does Sirius says: "That doesn't make sense."  
Everyone looks at him and he says: "I remember Snape telling some Slytherins in our Seventh year that he loved playing Quidditch, but that he wanted to be an active member of the team, not a commentator or referee." He then turns to the Potions Master and asks: "So what on earth made you do this?" But Snape holds quiet and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 232 & 233 – PS **_

"Sinister, Mr. Potter?" Professor Snape asks cynically, but I can tell he's amused and Harry shrugs and says: "It was just really hard to believe you didn't want to ruin the one thing I was good at and liked doing. You had – no offence – already ruined Potions for me and I feared you wanted to do the same with Quidditch."  
The man nods and then asks: "Would you very much mind if I test your knowledge on what ingredients are what, seeing your amazing, growing inventory?" Harry shrugs and Snape says: "There is another bottle of Calming Draught standing close to your sofa. Please examine it and tell me what ingredients you recognize."

Some students gasp at this, mostly those that had to work on this potion in the past such as the Fourth and Fifth years, but Harry calmly picks up the potion bottle and sniffs the end of the tube, before swirling the potion around the vial gently and finally does he let a single drop fall on his finger before tasting the drop.  
His secure way of working astounds me and he seems to think for a few minutes after gulping down the drop and says: "Hellebore fangs, a single unicorn tail hair, some butter mellow and daisy petals and –." He lets his tongue slide over his teeth and palate before he says: "Half a cup of pumpkin juice and three milliliter of Butterbeer."

The Potions Master smirks and says: "All of them –." He stalls, making many students lean forward, while Harry just raises an eyebrow in challenge and the man says: "Correct." Everyone's shocked, but then the man applauds and soon the whole hall is cheering, while Madam Umbridge seems disgusted with this behavior.  
But this time her _**hem hem's**_ have no affect as the Gryffindors, Viktor, Sirius and Remus are too proud of their fellow House Mate, son and boyfriend to listen to her and it takes another ten minutes before the cheering stops and I read on, having pat Harry on the shoulder when he was applauded, while the boy is red like a fresh tomato.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 233 & 234 – PS  
**_ _Harry, who stopped Ron from laughing by hitting him over the back of the head and_ _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 234 – PS**_ _, who was looking at Harry oddly and rubbing the back of his head_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 234 – PS**_

This makes the young blonde hit himself over the head while his dad and Head of House glare at him and I see Snape mutter something the sound spell won't let us here. But thanks to my slight ability to read lips, do I see him mutter the word _**Potter**_ and I wonder what Harry's dad could have to do with all this as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 234 – PS  
**_ _Harry knew only too well how Neville must be feeling, Dudley making him feel like that day in, day out, and he vowed to hang around Neville more if only to make sure Malfoy would back off.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 234 – PS  
**_ _Harry really didn't want to use the Houses to make Neville feel better, but he had to make up for Ron's bad wording. He knew the red-head didn't mean it like he did – after Hermione and Halloween Ron really tried to watch it with what he was saying – but his friend was still growing and could make mistakes like this. And Harry didn't mind setting them right if it made others feel better._

"Always the peacemaker." Ron snickers and then the twins and all of the other Fourth years, both those in Gryffindor and not chorus: "You have no idea." The boy looks shocked and Neville asks: "Tell me, how many fights between you and Hermione did you mediate, how many did Hermione and how many did Harry?"  
Ron seems to think on this and then Hermione, who must have already started thinking, gasps and says: "Harry mediates most of our fights. He does about 2/3rd more than we ever did." The two look at each other, while most of the others nod in empathy and Harry laughs, proving he doesn't really mind and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 234 & 235 – PS **_

"YOU WHAT?" Almost all of the hall shouts, making me wonder if I should read this paragraph a second time, just when Remus says: "Of course! Your first wizard card. It was even in the book!" Everyone looks shocked and then suddenly I burst out laughing, falling on the Owl stand and shocking all those around me.  
Everyone looks at me and the twins chorus: "Okay, it's official. Percy's lost it." But I shake my head and say: "I'm sorry. I'm just laughing my head off, because they checked just about every ancient and special or rare tome they could find and the information was on one of the most common chocolate frog cards there is. The irony is just what made me laugh."  
This makes students look at each other and I laugh again, this time followed by just about everyone else, even the teachers snickering or holding back their laughter. Only Umbridge doesn't laugh and says: "Mr. Weasley, such atrocious behavior is not the reason we hired you. You were hired for your responsible attitude and should –."  
But Harry spats: "Listen to family, friends and those close to you. And you, Madam Umbridge fall under neither of those categories. So, as we are not at the Ministry, you really have no say over my friend." The woman glares at my semi-brother, but I smile at the boy, who smiles back and shrugs before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 235 – PS**_

Now I snicker, something I know I really shouldn't as I can easily recognize myself in that description, and so do some other students, but I smother it with a cough and a glass of water and then Sirius says: "Don't worry, Hermione. Lily was quite the same." The girl and his son look very interested and he says:  
"Yeah, Lily was really someone who wanted to perform, achieve and make whoever she could proud. So when she got her first good grade for an assignment, I believe it was in the first month of our First year, she instantly asked Professor Flitwick for two copies, which she kept to herself and send the original of it off to her parents.  
James and I pestered her about that, but when they got together he was all in for the idea to use the paper as inspiration for their kids." He shakes his head and Harry asks: "What happened to it?" And Remus answers: "It was kept in a safe in your parents' room. No one knows if it survived Voldemort's attack all those years ago."  
Harry nods, but I can tell just by the look in his eyes that he's desperate to know. Not wanting that to be the reason for his first visit to his ancestral home, I decide to go and check for myself right first time when we get to leave the Great Hall, after the reading. And so after giving the boy a reassuring smile, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 235 – PS**_

"That too sounds like Lily. Never really understood how she could call that _**light reading**_." Sirius says and Remus answers: "She called it light reading, because – as the reading itself couldn't be done in one go – she was able to read it whenever she wanted and as much as she wanted, so it was easier for her to remember what she read."  
Hermione nods and so do I as I often find myself doing so and then the Lovegood girl says: "To read things lightly makes what we read fly and nestle itself into our minds forever." I nod at the girl, while many Ravens look at her as if she's lost it – a look I notice she gets a little too often – and I happily continue the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 235 & 236 – PS **_

This shocks me and I shake my head, before rereading the age and think: "Older than Dumbledore? Merlin, that man can give Dumbledore a run for his money." Then Hermione says: "It really is amazing how old he is, if you count along how many Muggle and Wizarding wars have gone on in the last 600 years."  
Everyone looks intrigued and she goes on: "I mean, the Muggles alone had over 30 wars since the Middle Ages and we had two devastating wars in the last century, so imagine how many wars, losses and deaths those two must have gone through." Everyone looks shocked and then down in regret for how the Flamels must have suffered.  
I shake my head and think: "Why on earth would one want to live this long? What with all the losses they would have to suffer? Who would even want eternal life if it meant losing those you care for the most?" But I can easily think of someone and shudder as I think of the idea of an immortal Voldemort, before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 236 – PS**_

"If only that were true, Mss. Granger. Yet I doubt Flamel even knew of the transfer until a year later." Professor Flitwick tells the girl and Harry says: "I agree with you, Professor, seeing how Dumbledore told me he talked to Flamel, only after the Stone was endangered." The man nods, while Harry's parents look worried and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 236 & 237 – PS **_

"I really wish they were treatable." Remus sighs and Luna says: "Not treatable, no, but they sure are acceptable." Everyone looks at her and Cedric says: "You're right, Luna. A werewolf, when bitten, can't be healed, but it is common knowledge that a person taking his werewolf side into his heart is much better able to control the creature."  
Remus looks shocked and the boy goes on: "I mean, look at Fenrir Greyback. He's a monster, but that's only because his own terrible personality has fused with the hunter's side of the werewolf. He's not even fully fused with his werewolf side." I see Remus whiten and then his eyes widen as he hears this and then Luna goes on:

"Daddy told me that, in Ancient times, there were cults and groups of witches and wizards where some of them were so closely attached to their werewolf instincts and nature they could transform into a creature quite like their werewolf form but without the deadly hunter's instincts without the need of a full moon.  
That they, after some time had passed and multiple of them had been found somewhere, were the first to form true werewolf tribes, by finding each other through their wolf forms and then creating villages far away from other humans. He even tells me that if I study Nargles enough I will one day find such a tribe or the remains of them."

Everyone looks at the girl shocked, while some Ravens still look as if the girl's lost her mind and then Cedric says: "Dad, remember how you always told me there were tribes all over the world where werewolves could learn to grow with their inner wolf, so they were less of a danger to society." Which shocks the others as the man nods and then Umbridge says:  
"If those tribes are really even in existence, Mr. Diggory, then why do we have so much trouble with half-breeds and scum attacking perfectly normal citizens?" But before anyone, especially those sitting around a devastated looking Lupin can even shout at her for her terrible insults does Mr. Diggory stand up and say:

"Dolorus Jane Umbridge, the answer to that is so simple, it's insulting. It's because biased bitches like you and blind idiots like me put up laws against werewolves left, right and centre and thus force werewolves to live like outsiders and animals, which in turn makes the tribes decide they want nothing to do with us or our society."

Everyone looks at each other, while Umbridge glares at the man and then he turns to Remus and says: "I can tell that your bonding with Sirius and your bonding to Harry as your son and cub is already helping you accept your inner werewolf, Remus, but if you want will I try and find these tribes, so they can further help you."  
The man nods, his eyes showing an amazed sense of gratitude and then Umbridge says: "Surely you won't waste your time on a mongrel like him." But while this makes Harry and Viktor have to hold onto Sirius – if only to keep him from killing her – does Mr. Diggory spat: "The only beast I see here, Dolores, is you."  
The woman looks shocked and the man goes on: "After all, Remus has spent seven proud years as a student and a single year as a teacher here, not to mention the last four days and he is highly respected by every student and teacher here. You've been here half a day and I can almost feel the anger and disgust everyone here feels for you.

So in my eyes, is he a true wizard and you a biased bitch." This seems to completely floor the woman, yet a single look around me proves something I know she will not like when she notices it herself and that is that, all over the hall, there are lots of students of all three schools that have looks of agreement on their faces.  
Mr. Diggory then turns to Remus and says: "I will let the Wizengamot look into every werewolf law we have, Remus. It's about high time we get some even society or we'll have another You – Voldemort on our neck before we can even grab our wands." Remus smiles, while holding Sirius and muttering sweet words in his ear and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 237 – PS**_

"As if you could fool us, mate." Ron smiles at the boy and Hermione says: "You were – and still are – an open book when you're nervous." The boy shrugs and says: "Just didn't want them to think what Percy just read." The two nod, while I shake my head and some students look down in shame, before I again read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 237 & 238 – PS **_

Snape mock-glares at the boy and hisses: "Over-observant brat." Harry shrugs and Sirius asks: "You were?" Snape shrugs and says: "I was just checking his plans for if something happened this match. I cared nothing for whatever else he was thinking about. Something, I now see, was a mistake." Sirius nods and Harry asks:  
"Why?" And Snape answers: "Because, Potter, then I would know of your knowledge on Flamel, of how you suspected yet not suspected me and of your actual expertise in Potions. It would have made me slowly lessen my horrible behavior until you would trust me and I would then help you keep away of that over-sized mutt."  
Harry nods, while Sirius, Remus, Viktor and the teachers smile at the man in gratitude and then Harry says: "Thanks professor, but personally I'm glad you didn't interfere in any way possible. And that's not because I wanted what happened." The man nods, while I feel confused as to what could be the boy's reason and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 238 – PS**_

"I wasn't really giving a pep talk either, to be honest. I was trying to make you all remember your best qualities and to use them as fully as possible." Oliver admits and then Fred winces and says: "No wonder I saw you glare at me after that Bludger." The man nods at his Beater, while I shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 238 – PS**_

"And I thought what Malfoy did last year was a bad idea." Harry mutters with his head turned down and a hand over his eyes before he turns to his friends, asking: "You do realize you would have been arrested for murder if you had done that, right?" The two look shocked and Harry mutters: "Clearly, they didn't know."  
Before he tells them: "Think about it, guys. If that spell had hit, it would have forced Snape off his broom to close his legs and that would have made him fall off. Either that, or his legs would have pulled his broom so tightly up his lower regions they'd be – well, you get my point." The two nod, both very white before I just read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 238 & 239 – PS **_

"He really could have told you he was coming." Harry tells Professor Snape, who nods and grumbles, making me realize Snape only wanted to ref for one reason. To keep whoever attacked Harry from doing it again. But he didn't need to, because no one would be mad enough to do so with Dumbledore in the stands. I shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 239 – PS  
**_ _And while he knew Snape was not out to kill him, definitely not during a Quidditch match, were the constant rants and angry glares during Potions enough to keep Harry from fully believing Snape was a good-guy.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 239 – PS**_

Again Draco hits himself over the head and Lucius asks: "Another case where your Malfoy arrogance gets the better of you, Draco?" Draco nods and says: "I really hated Weasley, more than we did before, because he was the friend of someone I only saw as the over-arrogant Boy-Who-Lived and I wanted to make him miserable for it."  
Lucius nods and Harry whispers: "Please tell me you don't see that in me anymore?" Draco shakes his head and says: "It took me a long time, but these books and all I heard you had to go through with those monsters for Muggles made me realize who you really are. Who my cousin really is." The two boys smile at each other and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 239 – PS**_

"Actually professor, I wanted to help Harry there. You see, I was keeping an eye on my fellow team mates, the Bludgers and out for the Snitch and then I noticed it and wanted to get Harry's attention to it, so I shot a Bludger to it, but – well, I guess I just didn't see you until I had hit that thing. Sorry about that."  
The professor nods, while everyone looks at my brother shocked, except for the other Gryffindor Team players who smile at him in pride and Viktor says: "I've heard of team players wanting to help the Seeker wherever they can, but that one's new to me." And members of the other teams nod in agreement before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 239 – PS**_

"I'm really glad I didn't hear that." Harry hisses, this time actually angry and then he goes on: "I'm even more glad you didn't make that comment at the end of this year, Malfoy. Or I swear – Quidditch match or not – I would have flown my broom straight into you and pushed you off whatever stand you were standing on."  
The blonde boy is shocked, whitening when he hears Harry call him by his last name and Harry, who's voice is almost softer than the hissing of a candle flame, hisses: "I take a lot, Malfoy, but insults to those that I owe my life to and that I – and my close friends – lost is something you should never try with me. No. Matter. Who. You. Are."  
He ends with strength on every word and everyone looks at the boy shocked as he had yet to turn angry over anything all book, but I can fully understand how he feels and agree with him, something Neville shares with me as we both smile at him in pride and understanding – Neville mostly pride – before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 240 – PS**_

"Oh god!" The three in the sofa chorus, while some younger years turn frightened as well and the three of them all grab onto the boy, yet not his legs, but then Angelina says: "I can assure you, nothing bad. In fact, you'd be the proudest you have been yet." The three lessen the strength of their hold, but don't let go as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 240 – PS**_

"You fought Malfoy?" The twins chorus and one of them asks: "Why didn't you tell us?" And Ron answers: "One, I was too hyped over the fact we had won. Two, I wanted to, but when I tried you had left for the kitchens." The two lower their heads in shame, while many laugh and I shake my head in exasperation before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 240 – PS**_

"You fought CRABBE **AND** GOYLE?"The twins shout in a chorus, together with almost half the school, the elder voices proving they just can't believe what they just heard regarding what the timid boy had done and then Luna says: "The best students for a House are those that show where they belong when it truly matters."  
Students shake their heads as they look at the girl and Harry says: "You're absolutely right. I mean, Neville never shows where he belongs 24/7, but when it comes to cases like this, defending his honor and helping a friend – he's a Lion through and through." The students nod, while Neville turns slightly red and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 240 & 241 – PS **_

This causes laughter to run through the cheers and screams that almost deafen out my readings and the girl blushes, but then Umbridge shouts: "SILE –." But I have already had it with her and when I see her shooting up to shout, I grab my wand and use I _**Silencio**_ halfway through her shout, which causes even more laughter to ring through the Hall.  
"Mr. Weasley!" Fudge shouts and I say: "I had some payback for her earlier comments on werewolves and Professor Lupin, Minister. And if I was annoyed by the cheers and shouts I would have said something; I didn't need her interference. No offence to the Ministry." The man nods and I feel glad at the man's understanding before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 241 – PS**_

"I timed it, Harry." Dean says and he goes on: "I heard Snape had been ref and knew you'd want the match to end quick, so I used my watch to time you. It was 4 minutes and 27 seconds. I also decided to take the liberty to check the previous record, which came from Charlus Potter and that was 8 minutes and 45 seconds."  
Harry looks shocked and asks: "My grandfather was a Seeker?" Dean nods and then Harry smiles and says: "Thanks Dean." But Dean shrugs and Sirius says: "Charlus really would have been proud of you, Harry. You actually bested his record in half the time." The boy looks shocked and another cheer rings through the hall before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 241 – PS**_

"Sore loser." I hear a student mutter, but Harry shakes his head and says: "It's already been concluded Professor Snape was angry, because professor Dumbledore was there. To see the man talk to me must have angered him even more." The student nod, while some look shocked Harry stood up for his Potions teacher and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 241 – PS**_

"Wait, you thought winning a Quidditch match would be more sensational than defeating the darkest wizard to have ever lived?" Alicia asks and Harry says: "Not really, just that now people had really seen me perform something amazing. No one was there when I defeated Voldemort, so no one knew what had really happened.  
This was something that had many spectators and witnesses and I just saw it as my chance to make the name Harry Potter have some achievements other than the Boy Who Lived, which was a title that just reminded me of what I lost while gaining it." The Great Hall nods and while Viktor hugs his boyfriend close, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 241 & 242 – PS **_

This makes Snape hit himself on the head and he says: "Bloody observant brat." But Harry shrugs and says: "What can I say? When my emotions are running high, then so are my senses, especially when I'm happy as I don't want people around me then that could ruin my happy mood." The man nods, still looking slightly grumpy and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 242 – PS**_

"Not really your brightest move, Severus." Professor Flitwick says, his voice sounding happily playful and Snape grumpily retorts: "I was under the presumption everyone was indeed at dinner. Should have checked to see if I was right." But strangely enough does this make Harry look down in hurt and fear and he whispers:  
"A fatal mistake anyone could make, Professor. Trust me on that one." The man looks as the boy shudders and Viktor hugs him close, softly patting his hair and kissing his forehead. Harry smiles at him, but then moves his head away and his closed eyes make it seem as if he's trying to push away a terrible memory or something.  
This makes Mss. Crenson, Sirius and Remus hug the boy as close as Viktor's doing and suddenly I wonder if his words have any connection to the tale he must have told them last night before bed. I decide to wait and see and after sharing a look with my siblings to convey them my thoughts, do I read on again.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 242 – PS**_

"A beech tree? Are you sure?" Neville asks and when Harry nods, do his eyes widen as he says: "Wow, that's a real show of talent, mate. The beech tree is known for its many leaves, small, thin branches and the nuts used for the Draught of Peace." Everyone looks at the two boys shocked and Dean tells Seamus:  
"How it's possible that he can work with plants and recognize them and their uses so well, but still suck at Potions so badly, I'll never know." And his best friend nods in agreement, while I look at Professor Snape as I remember the rumors of the man being Neville's Boggart last year quite well, before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 242 – PS**_

"What was scared pants doing in the Forbidden Forest?" Seamus asks Dean, but neither boys has an answer and I think: "He sure is mentioned a lot. And he mysteriously disappeared right after Harry landed in the Hospital Wing. What is his role in all this?" But I can't give myself any answers and instead read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 242 & 243 – PS **_

"Hagrid's not going to like it, but I agree with Snape there. Some creatures, when in the vicinity of kids or teens, are beasts as their instincts are then too dangerous to keep around youngsters." Sirius says and the teachers nod, but then he asks: "So why keep that monster?" Now the teachers look down and I read on.  
But then Ron asks: "Hey, where is Hagrid?" And we all look around, before I suddenly notice that the doors are open. I look through it a little and hit myself on the head. Everyone looks and I say: "He went out. He forgot about the time spell. Look at the doors." Everyone looks and sees Hagrid with a leg raised as if wanting to step away.  
Everyone sighs and the students closest to the doors close them, before I shake my head again and McGonagall says: "We better lock the doors when the next book starts. That way no one can make that mistake and the spell can keep deciding who should go and who should stay." Everyone nods at this and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 243 – PS**_

This makes Snape hit himself on the head and he whispers: "And of course you missed the most crucial part of my conversation, thus making me even more a suspect." Harry shrugs and says: "That depends on the rest of the chapter, doesn't it Professor?" The man looks slightly curious and I feel the same as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 243 – PS**_

"Too bad his decision on that was made almost a year before." Harry grunts and when the students look at him, he says: "Voldemort told you all in the Fourth book. The Defense Teacher he found and controlled." The students look shocked and I feel fear rising as I remember what Voldemort said about that particular event.  
How he was thwarted by Harry Potter. This together with everything else we have read so far makes me wish we had never discovered the chapter title and even more that Harry's simple desire to find out what was going on had been able to stay just yet, something which is impossible seeing the power-houses involved. I shudder heavily and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 243 – PS  
**_ _He jumped back on his broom and rose out of the breech tree, but as he did, he kept a close eye on Quirrell and saw him make a strange nod movement with his head, as if he agreed on something – with no one in sight.  
_ _Harry flew a little higher and saw Snape walk back out of the Forest and scurry back to the castle. He himself moved to the front line of the forest and started flying around a few trees as he thought over everything he knew.  
_ _Snape was a suspect to Harry's disastrous first game, but he would never do that as he would instantly be a suspect to Harry's murder with his behavior as Harry's teacher. He had also refereed that afternoon, but Harry suspected it was to keep the real attacker from trying anything.  
_ _And now he had that weird, slightly ominous conversation with Quirrell, which clearly didn't do too much good for the other man's mental stability.  
_ _Or was there something about Quirrell that Snape suspected. Was this perhaps because the man knew what a terrible teacher Quirrell was? Was he trying to get rid of Quirrell through the protections of the Stone? Or did he want to use the Stone to get rid of Quirrell?  
_ _Eternal life and endless gold would definitely make him capable of owning Hogwarts and whatever teaching position he wanted for all eternity. There was just one thing nagging Harry and he couldn't put his finger to it as he flew back to the broomshed, trying to make it look as if he just left the place._

Everyone looks at me shocked, even while some people like Mr. Diggory and Remus also have pride showing on their faces and I shake my head as I reread the written words and think: "Even with Snape being as horrible as he is, Harry still tries to see the finest in the man. Why on earth?" But then Remus chuckles and says:

"You are so like Lily."

We all look at him and he says: "When Lily and I became Prefect, it was our duty to know our fellow Prefects. So I told her my secret and feared she would switch me, just to be rid of me or that she would tell the school just to get me expelled. But instead she took all Prefect rounds with me on her and constantly praised me if I did good.  
She really saw the best in me and even, for a short time every month, made me believe my heightened senses were perfect for my task as Prefect. She just never really liked it that I kept pulling pranks with your dad and Sirius." Many laugh at the end of the story, while others smile at the wonderful person that was Lily Potter and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 243 & 244 – PS **_

"There really isn't a single thing you don't tell them, is there?" Fred asks, but Harry shakes his head and says: "My traumas and what really happens at the Dursley Household. That was something I only told Neville, but that was because of the Easter incident." My younger brother nods, looking strangely ashamed of himself and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 244 – PS**_ _before Harry could tell them what he thought off while flying away_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 13, Page 244 – PS**_ _And then Harry remembered. Snape didn't want Harry dead and he seemed to really hate him. So would he really want Quirrell dead, if only to make the man lose his job?_

Everyone looks shocked and Ron asks: "Why didn't you share that idea with us?" And Harry says: "Because I had barely ended that thought before you continued your words and dragged me to the party. And you, Fred and George are hard to get rid off if you want others to party." The three turn red and others laugh hard. Then Harry shrugs and says:

"Besides, I tried."


	27. I Hope So Too

_**Chapter 26  
**_ _ **I hope so too**_

 _ **Lucius' POV**_

The reading so far has been amazing and awful all at the same time. Yet knowing that my son has a 50% chance of being Veela, I look at Umbridge and think: "I can't risk her hurting my son or making him feel bad about his inner creature. She has to go." And, as if reading my thoughts, does a letter appear in front of us all.  
I look down at the one that appeared in front of me and smirk as I read the questionnaire on the paper asking _**Do you want Dolores Jane Umbridge to leave or not?**_ With 2 squares under it, one with a _**yes**_ next to it and the other with a _**no.**_ I quickly grab the quill that appeared next to the paper and cross the square next to the word _**yes.  
**_ I see my wife, son and many around us do the same and then see that the twins have barely read theirs before they almost tear through their paper, marking the _**yes**_ square with their quills. I smirk and think: "If something like this were to go round at the Ministry, I doubt that woman would be working there much longer."

Then the papers disappear and the blinding white light reappears, shocking Umbridge quite badly and she shouts: "What is going on here? I demand to be told what is happening." To this I use a honing tone of voice as I say: "The students were allowed to decide whether you stayed or left. I guess it's clear what the majority wanted."  
The woman screams and curses me before she shouts: "You can't do this I demand to be –!" But that is as far as she gets before the light dies out and takes her away – and just in time too as her curse urged Narcissa to shoot a nasty hex her way in my defense. I smile at my wife and then the second eldest Weasley stands up.

 _ **Charlie's POV**_

Having a fine idea of what will happen next – and feeling heavenly relieved that that damned woman is gone for now – I stand up and say: "I'm following your lead, bro. I'll read next." My younger brother nods and leaves the Owl stand, high fiving me as we pass and when I stand in front of the Owl Stand, I see that I'm right.  
This makes me sigh as the subject of the next chapter had excited me when it happened, but during my flight back had I started to think things over and I wondered why my little brother hadn't been present as well. I feel myself fearing for his health even while this event happened years ago and after taking a deep breath I start to read.

 _ **Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback**_

"I'm sorry." Sirius interrupts me and his soft, deadly tone scares me before he goes on: "But could you repeat that, please?" I gulp and reread the title, before Remus groans: "Hagrid. Has to be him. He after all told Harry he wanted a dragon. I knew that comment was there for a reason." I gulp, fearing the men's wrath and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 245 – PS**_

Now all students that had Quirrell for a teacher look at each other, clearly disbelieving the words I just read and I think: "If he's not brave enough to face Snape, then what is his role in all this?" And while I feel as I was already told the answer just recently, is it impossible for me to grasp it and with a defeated sigh I read on.

 _Harry didn't really know whether it was bravery or the sheer need to keep a job he liked doing, but he obviously had lots of it – no matter which of the two it was that he had._ _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 245 – PS  
**_ _They also started to catch Snape glare and suspiciously glance at Quirrell, but Harry stayed firm in his belief that Snape would sooner kill someone he obviously disliked than someone who he just had nothing in common with.  
_ _To Ron this was the same and unfortunately did his words convince Hermione even more that Snape had tried to kill Harry during both matches – even when Harry pointed out that Snape couldn't have done a thing during the last one.  
_ _He wanted to tell them of his actual belief that Snape didn't want to kill him and might have noble reasons for wanting the Stone, but even he knew that hearing from a possible victim that their possible murderer isn't the one sounded more ridiculous than growing roses during a white winter._

I look around, having to agree with the boy's words and then Harry snickers: "I know something that sounds even crazier. Hearing from someone who's out to kill you that he doesn't want to kill you at all." Everyone looks confused, but I spare a glance at Sirius, who mock-glares at his son and snicker before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 245 & 246 – PS  
**_ _Harry slightly agreed with her, but that was only because he was finding more and more ways to study ancient tomes and learn about the Wizarding world and everything that has been happening in it. Wars and other terrible events he surpassed, but else he was studying as much as he could, mostly the more advanced forms of his subjects and how they were used in Ancient Times.  
_ _He understood what Hermione was going through because, like her, he wanted to be the best he could be, prove he was more than a Potter, a Halfblood and a Muggle-raised student and that there was more to his character and strengths than his scar._

The entire Hall is touched by the words and Hermione asks: "But Harry, if that was your goal, then why not show it?" Harry lowers his head and says: "Slightly because of what was read after the Halloween chapter and because I just really first wanted to see if there was even anyone I could show what I could do to." The girl nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 246 – PS**_

 _Harry of course understood her need to practice things that would surely not come up in the exams, but really hoped that, with time, she would understand that individuals study in their own individual way – something he learned from growing up with Dudley for a cousin._

The girl blushes and Harry, who seems to feel a little bad for having this read out so bluntly, smiles as he tells her: "I admit that we learn way and way more if we study with you, Hermione, but your need to pass the exams sometimes works on our nerves and makes it harder for us to really learn and understand what we learn.  
So from now on, we'll all study in the library, common room or outside separately and we'll divide the time in those locations equally with a schedule, so we each get the time we need to study where we want to and where we have to. Is that agreed, guys?" The two other friends nod and I smile, knowing this will be great for later on as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 246 – PS**_

"Hagrid?" The teachers and some of the elder students all ask in unison and McGonagall says: "As far as I know the last time he was in the library was when he was still a student." This makes me get a bad feeling about this and I mutter: "I think this is linked with the chapter title." Making the woman worry, before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 246 & 247 – PS **_

"Interesting conversation, don't you think?" One of my twin brothers asks, his tone of voice only slightly betraying his own growing worry and the other, whose voice hides this better, replies: "Yes, especially the fact he didn't try and change the subject." His brother nods and says: "Quite right you are, my fine twin."  
And the other goes on: "Thank you. And do you agree that he did not try to change the subject –." And his brother ends for him: "Because he was trying to hide something and didn't want to reveal it. Yes, I quite agree." I shake my head at their antics, but have to give them right at their suspicions, making me sigh again and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 247 – PS**_

"I told you!" Remus shouts, almost shocking me and making me glad I am not holding the book as it definitely would have fallen if I had before he goes on: "I told you that conversation wasn't there without reason." But then he gets interrupted and Sirius asks: "What is Hagrid thinking? A Dragon? With First years as close friends?"  
He then turns to his son, slightly looking furious, but mostly looking very worried for the boy's health and says: "Please tell me you didn't go looking for the dragon and that you had nothing to do with it." To which Harry says: "I promise, mum, I wanted nothing to do with that Dragon. I was excited, but I wanted it gone."  
The man nods appeased and while he was tense and almost out of the sofa at first does he now lean against the back rest comfortably with his arm pulling his son close against his form as he does, but I noticed Harry's choice of words and with a growing suspicion for what he, his friends and Hagrid had done, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 248 – PS**_

This shocks me and I say: "I didn't discover that until I was in my Sixth. I told you that myself a few times while trying to memorize Dragon laws and history. That you remember that." My brother looks slightly abashed, but proud and I smile at him widely, feeling very touched that he remembered my words, before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 248 – PS  
**_ _Harry hated the sight of this as it reminded him, not only of his dark cupboard, but of Dudley's Second bedroom where Uncle Vernon always closed the curtains if he punished Harry or showed Harry what Finar had 'taught' him. Now that he understood that what Vernon had done was wrong and why the curtains were always closed, Harry sacredly hoped he was wrong and that Hagrid wasn't hiding something the Wizarding World would be better off not seeing._

This, while many turn angry at the reminder, makes Mss. Crenson hug the boy, who is still on Viktor's lap and Harry seems to shudder badly, making me wonder what kind of man exactly this Finar person was. But I shudder myself as I think of finding out and decide to let some Hit-Wizards or other Ministerial members find out.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 248 & 249 – PS  
**_ _Harry would have loved to tell Hagrid, in exchange for some information, but then he would have to give away his ability to handle Peeves, which was growing better every month._

"You're right there, Harry. Peeves only annoys you if something major happens that affects the entire school. Else you always know how to get him off your back." Ron smiles at his best friend and this change of subject seems to calm Harry down enough to softly lie himself in the egg-shape that are Viktor's arms wrapped around him.  
I worry for the boy as he seems to fear something of his past – or something that will happen in the books. Fearing it to be the second, I quickly conjure a chair of my own near the boy's sofa and sit down next to him, hoping to offer him comfort and reassurance wherever he needs it before I continue the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 249 – PS**_

"The two ways to get Hagrid to talk." The twins chorus, both of them looking at Hermione with so much pride she actually turns red at seeing their gazes and one of them says: "Get him drunk." And the other ends: "Or flatter him endlessly." But then McGonagall asks: "And how do you boys know this exactly?"  
They both sigh before one of them says: "We discovered the second when we were trying to let Lee's help with one of our products and its testing." And the other ends: "And the other we discovered when he wanted to celebrate an amazing prank we pulled." The woman nods, while Lee grumbles, making me snicker before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 249 – PS  
**_ _Hermione and Ron were the ones to exclaim this, but Harry was valiantly trying to hold onto the idea of Snape wanting the Stone to get rid of Quirrell, so he wasn't too surprised.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 249 – PS  
**_ _Was this done on purpose? Had Hagrid only let Fluffy in after Snape had set his enchantments? And was Quirrell perhaps just too much of a scared pants and worry wart to tell Snape his enchantments? If so, it would fuel Harry's theory that Snape thought Quirrell a bad teacher and co-worker and thus wanted rid of the man.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 250 – PS  
**_ _This alone worried Harry as he had checked a few books on Magical plants and animals after Ron's explanation that day and apparently Dragons were exceedingly rare as they were only to be wild in places wizards could keep an eye on them and those entering their environment or to be tamed enough to live in reserves where Dragon Keepers could help them and their species stay alive – something which was illegal in Britain as there was not enough magical ground to build a proper reserve on._

Everyone looks shocked and Ron says: "That – I didn't know." Harry shrugs and says: "I checked the book _**Ancient Rare Creatures and their feedings.**_ Helped loads, really." The boy nods and Ms. Crenson, who is still petting Harry's hair says: "You really always did know what to find in what book, didn't you Harry?"  
But Harry groans, confusing her and me and says: "I wish. Flamel, remember?" The woman snickers behind her hand, making Harry huff, but then Viktor softly kisses his cheek and that makes his insulted huff turn in a sweet smile, something that makes all of us, especially those that care, feel happy for him before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 250 & 251 – PS **_

"Rare?" I ask, suddenly remembering something I forgot in my excitement to get a Dragon last time and while feeling like a right fool for forgetting this, do I say: "Hagrid, that specie has a very important reason to be called Norwegian and its reason for being endangered is even more bloody valid. How did I forget this?"

I ask myself, but I of course know the answer and groan, before a timid first year asks: "Why are they endangered?" And I answer heavily: "It's because from 1665 to 1712 their species have been used in several wars and during the period 1712 to 1719 Russian and Fining teens were raised to ride these Dragons, which had terrible results."  
The girl gulps and asks: "What results? If you don't mind me asking, that is?" But I shake my head and say: "I don't. The results were that half the teens from Finland were killed due to heavy burns, poisonous bites or their Dragons throwing them off their backs. In Russia mostly the same, only the falling was more common.  
It caused parents to kill off the Dragons and when the Norwegian Ministry discovered this, they used their Department for Regulation of Magical Creatures to create a gigantic reserve where the Dragons were brought to and International Confederation laws were put up to never more use a Dragon for teenage joyriding."

"But why is it called a Norwegian then? Because most of its species have lived in Norway since the 17 hundreds?" Draco asks and I shake my head and while trying to feel happy to share this info as I say: "The nickname for a Norwegian Ridgeback is the Poisonous Viking, because most Magical Vikings come from Norway.  
It's kind of a combination of their usage during the wars, their ingrown behaviour thanks to those wars, what they can do if let loose on cities or villages and their home-country for the last 200 almost 300 years." The girl nods and Ron and his friends look shocked, before I read on, hating myself for forgetting all of this.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 251 – PS**_

The girl looks at her friends and Harry says: "You just insisted that we studied three hours right after each other, four days a week. You didn't allow us a single break and we knew this would make it impossible for us to study and remember what we studied. I only used the long hours to catch up on what I never learned at Primary school."  
The girl nods and one of my twin brothers says: "Performing and wanting to do your very best is fine, Hermione." And before the girl can feel as if an insult is coming, the other says: "But everyone's mind works and responds to things differently. And you, Harry and Ron were only 11 years old." And then they chorus:

"You were way too young to be able to study so efficiently. It would only backfire on you, especially if it's only done every so often." The girl looks at the two shocked, actually with the same shock I feel for their caring, intelligent speech and I think: "Those two really know what to say at what times." And with a proud smile do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 251 – PS**_

"I didn't hear much, really. Just the question, but I couldn't hear enough of it to know what kind of creature would hatch. It was more your need not to let me know that spurred me into wanting to know." Draco tells his cousin and the black-haired boy raises his eyes sky-ward, while I snicker and continue the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 252 – PS**_ _, Harry making sure they only argued when there was no one around and else making sure they walked somewhere no one heard them_ _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 252 – PS**_ _Harry drew his wand and held it under the table. The night after visiting Hagrid he had checked up on Norwegian Ridgebacks and apparently they weren't the safest of Dragon species to hang around with. He knew the Dragon would be only an infant, but he was ready to cast a Levitation charm if it tried to attack any one of them at any time.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 252 – PS**_ _Harry felt himself pushing his body back a bit and quickly hid his wand out of sight of the Dragon – before it could burn it to a crisp.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 252 – PS  
**_ _Harry didn't know what was worse about this situation. That Hagrid wanted to raise a fire-breathing creature in a wooden hut, that he believed he could be the mother of a dangerous beast or that he thought a bite from a poisonous dragon was a sign said Dragon recognized his mother. This situation was going from bad to worse._

"You can say that again." I whisper as I have seen some baby Norwegian Ridgebacks get born and none of them bit their mothers. Then again, Hagrid was handling the birthing all wrong as the baby Norwegian Ridgeback was supposed to be bitten in the neck right after hatching. That way it would always recognize his mother.  
"He made a fatal mistake. He was supposed to have made the first move and it was not supposed to be a gentle pat. Had he hit or softly kicked the Dragon it would have been able to be tamed. Now – I don't know what it'll do." I shudder as I speak and Sirius whimpers: "Not very comforting, Charlie." Making me cringe before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 252 & 253 – PS**_

Now Narcissa turns to her son and says: "And you immediately went to professor Snape or the Headmaster with this news, knowing it, in the long term, could endanger the entire school. Am I right?" But the boy lowers his head and mumbles: "I actually wanted to hold this over their heads and kept quiet."  
The woman sighs and the boy says: "But it wasn't for very long. And when I did talk, the teacher I told didn't even believe me." This makes my Head of House, shockingly enough, lower her head in shame and instantly I get a terrible feeling and think: "This just can't end right." And with a heavy heart do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 253 – PS**_

"That is bad. That is really bad." I mutter, the things I am reading and remembering making me worry for the situation more and more and then an inquisitive First year Hufflepuff asks a friend of hers: "Wait a minute. Wasn't Potter a Parsletongue? Wouldn't he be able to understand the dragon, seeing it's a certain kind of reptile?"  
But Harry shakes his head and says: "I checked right after discovering about the talent. I would have needed months of extensive training and the ability to fluently switch from English to Parsletongue, before I would be able to understand Dragons. The magic residing within them would prevent me from being able to do so."  
The first year nods, a small blush on her face proving she hadn't expected Harry to actually hear her, yet Harry proved his maturity as a person by smiling at her gently, ignoring how other students look intrigued, yet before anymore conversation can sprout from this as I can see quite a few Ravens dying to learn more, do I continue the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 253 & 254 – PS**_

This shocks me and I say: "Apart from the setting back in the wild part, that plan was brilliant." And Hermione says: "Yeah, too bad Harry's long termed-plans always end up faulty one way or another. It's the on the spot plans that are both genius and work without fault." I sigh and mutter: "I feared as much." Before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 254 – PS  
**_ _Harry was now using his invisibility cloak every few days to mask away the books he was studying, which made him able to loan more books and read for longer hours than before.  
_ _Unfortunately the 'Harry Potter is an average wizard' persona seemed to have gotten a life of itself and seemed to have permanently settled in the minds of the teachers and so Harry didn't see the need to slowly build up his actual abilities and if they wanted to keep him as average instead of what he could do, it would only mean he could have more time to be good at everything he was working on – including his growing amount of Potion ingredients and the self-made potions._

The teachers look down that they, in their own blindness, made Harry think he had to perform under his actual ability and Harry says: "It's not really your fault, professors, I had to work and hold up a semi-normal mask for the neighbours of Privet Drive for years, so I was used to doing the same. I just have trust issues and they too are not your fault."  
Viktor then hugs the boy close and whispers: "At least now you are rid of all the factors harming your life and you can start to heal and show everyone – especially those you love and who love you – what a wonderful person you really are." The boy smiles at his boyfriend, obviously reassured by his words and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 254 – PS  
**_ _Harry had wanted to use it to study some extra, but they needed to help Hagrid get ready to send Norbert off. The better Hagrid thought Norbert was doing the quicker he would send him off.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 254 – PS**_

"HE WHAT?" I scream, suddenly understanding why my little brother hadn't been present when we came to pick up Norbert and I whimper: "Please tell me Hagrid went and gave that Dragon a rant like never before for that." But Ron nods and says: "Just read on. It's crazy, that's what it is." I sigh, shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 254 – PS**_

This, while it makes many students share looks with each other of great disbelief, makes me hit myself on the head and I say: "He really should not even try to raise a Norwegian Ridgeback. He's going over it all wrong. He would have gotten killed if you guys and I hadn't stepped in. I repeat, not rare and dangerous without reason."  
"And then to think that you were always Professor Kettleburn's favourite student, Mr. Weasley. This sure is a turnaround from how you went around at school." Professor McGonagall praises me and while I can clearly her from her voice that she wants to ease my worries, do I smile at the woman before I say:  
"Yeah well, if there's one thing I've learned from being a Dragon Tamer, it's that you have to be headstrong and tough if you want to handle anything more dangerous than a Hippogriff. Show the slightest hint of fear and they'll feast on it like a cheetah on an antelope." And to my deep concern do Ron and Harry nod before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 254 & 255 – PS**_

"Mr. Weasley, might I ask why you didn't write us teachers about this and what exactly was going through your head when you heard of the Dragon?" Professor Snape asks me and I blush as I now realize what a stupid story really went through my head when I wanted to find a possible excuse for the Dragon being at Hogwarts.  
I sigh and say: "I thought Professor Kettleburn had used the Dragon for her N.E.W.T. class and that she then gave it to Hagrid, but that Ron and the others thought that too dangerous, because of his wooden hut, so they asked for my help." The man nods and says: "Valuable, Mr. Weasley. Too bad it's incorrect." I nod, sigh and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 255 – PS**_

"You wanted rid of me?" Draco asks a hint of fear and pain in his tone and Harry says: "Not really _**rid of**_ you, just wanted to get you off our backs and stop worrying about what you'd do to get Hagrid in trouble." The Malfoy heir nods, obviously relieved and Sirius and Remus smile at their son, before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 255 – PS**_

"There always is. At least where Harry's long-termed plans are concerned." Hermione snickers and Harry says: "Oh really? Prove it." The girl shrugs and says: "This plan had a hitch, the Peeves plan at the end of the year didn't." Harry grumbles, having to give her right and I snicker, wondering how Peeves got involved before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 255 & 256 – PS**_

"I would, Mr. Weasley, seeing as how Voldemort used several dragons during the last war. Luckily for us, but unluckily for you, did he never use Norwegian Ridgebacks or I would have been able to help you better than I did." The boy shrugs at his Matron's words and says: "I don't mind, you did great." The woman smiles and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 256 – PS**_

"Actually I was furious you got the chance to have the Boy Who Lived as your House and year mate and best friend – and the Weasley-Malfoy feud wasn't really helping the case." Draco tells the boy and Harry asks: "What feud?" But Sirius whispers: "I'll tell you later, I want that Dragon gone." And wanting the same, I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 256 – PS**_

"Why did you put it in a book anyway? Why not just in your book bag or something?" Dean asks and Ron says: "Hermione was making sure we studied that book every day. So as a motivation that I would only have to take that Dragon a few more days, I kept it where I could see it most of the time." The other Lion nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 256 & 257 – PS**_

"Not true, Hagrid. A Norwegian Ridgeback infant at almost 2 weeks old has teeth sharp enough to cut through the walls of Hogwarts like they're made of cake. They're like that, because their mothers then send them things like giant lizards and other creatures with hard scales for a skin. It helps them learn what to hunt for later."  
I mutter to myself in raging fury, wanting nothing more than to give Hagrid a rant about Dragons, magical creatures and what dangers they form to society, while hating the fact that he had been there for the last reading, but not this one. And with a sigh of defeat, I decide to calm down, read on and rant at Hagrid later.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 257 – PS**_

This makes me hit myself on the head and I mutter: "No wonder he was so rough to transport. Some iron plates would have been loads better." To which Bill says: "At least he's almost gone from Hogwarts. And you'll make your entrance soon, won't you bro?" I nod, smile at my older brother and then read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 257 & 258 – PS**_

"And he really knew almost all of them by that time. Except for the ones out, but he discovered those soon enough." Hermione says, sending a secret smile at the twins, who in return wink at Harry, who nods in agreement – making me wonder what they know that I don't. But as none of them speak up, do I sigh and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 258 & 259 – PS**_

"Because she's a bad singer?" Collin asks and Hermione huffs, but Harry says: "No, because I knew of Professor McGonagall being a cat Animagus and I knew that any sound louder than a soft jump would let her know we were up there." The boy nods, while professor McGonagall raises her eyes skyward and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 259 – PS**_

This makes everyone sigh in relief and Bill says: "Not really a grand entrance, huh Charlie?" I shake my head and say: "I forgot. I kept my broom flying above the tower, keeping a look-out through the windows to make sure no one would see us." My brother nods, smiling at me in pride and I read on, glad the chapter's almost over.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 259 – PS**_

"Harry's long-termed plans always going wrong and that question jinxing it? How on earth could we have thought this would work?" Hermione asks with a cringe and Harry says: "We thought so, because that was the first time we used one of my long termed plans." The girl nods, while others snicker and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 14, Page 259 – PS**_

"Okay, that's it. You are getting some serious lessons in how to keep that and other valuables on you at all times, young man. Even if I have to put a charm on your person so that only you can use it." Sirius grumbles and Remus says: "I just hope Filch won't go too harsh on them." Before another voice says: "I hope so too."

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **This chapter was a lot of fun to edit and while I definitely enjoyed the little Dragon lessons Charlie gave, am I more looking forward to next chapter as that will be the introduction of the person who will, once the book has been read, introduce Harry to the KH crew, though it will remain with Sora, Riku and Kairi only, at least at first.  
**_ _ **Now, another thing I'm happy about is the little spiel created by Malfoy and, starting a few chapters from now, I might just continue a spiel like that where we will first get the POV of some random person and then move onto the POV of the next reader. Let me just give out 1 warning; these POV's will mostly be OC and not Cannon.  
**_ _ **The reason? This reading is in the Freakin' GREAT HALL! The Minister, dignitaries from two other countries, parents we have never or barely ever met, students we have only heard of as Ravenclaw this year or Slytherin that year. I want to explore that. I want to develop characters outside the usual group.  
**_ _ **And for those of you who are Bronies like me: YES the 100**_ _ **th**_ _ **episode called Slice of Life is more or less where my desire for this came from – along with how widespread the HP universe actually is and the fact that I actually managed to create 9 OC's for another story and now want to expand developing on that talent.  
**_ _ **Okay, see yah,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
PS. If Preventing Trouble is your absolute favorite, please vote on it in my new poll. Thanks in advance.**_


	28. Erica's Return And The Forest

_**Chapter 27  
**_ _ **Erica's Return And The Forest**_

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

I wonder who the woman is that stands in front of the Great Hall doors and remarked to Remus' words, but then Harry and Fiana gasp and Harry mutters: "I-I-impo-impo-impossible." This worries me as I wonder how Harry met this woman. Then Fiana makes everything clear to me – and causes me to gasp in shock – as she asks:

"Erica?"

This makes everyone gasp, those at the couch with me the hardest as we remember last night's tale while the rest all remembers what we learned about her, thanks to the book just read. The woman smiles and I decide to have a closer look at her, wanting to memorize every aspect of the woman that saved my son's life years ago.

The woman has short brown hair with a wave at the end, making it lie on her shoulders softly, which are still showing signs of having been amazingly muscular and obviously used for heavy-weighted work – such as fighting in wars. This alone is enough to make my respect for the woman rise even higher than it was.  
Her face is pulled tight, her forehead slightly large and growing to the back of her head, which is mostly visible by a lot of wrinkles covering her forehead and the fact she has no fringe whatsoever. Her eyes are sharp and colored deep blue, the color within which you can easily drown and her lips are naturally thin.  
Her whole face actually shows a combination of innocence and inner strength, which makes me know she has the ability to either completely break her enemy or make him or her underestimate her – two abilities that can work wonders in front of enemy front lines. The innocence can be seen mostly in her eyes with a hidden sense of the strength.  
The rest of her body is still nicely muscular, but not enough to make people believe she has been working out for war in the last couple of years; more that she has been working hard to keep her body in shape. The woman is standing in front of the closed doors of the Great Hall, yet she doesn't look like some easy target.

All in all she's quite lovely with her blue eyes, thin lips, muscular body and the kind smile that is currently adorning her face as she looks at all the shocked faces of students and teachers. She herself wears a simple blue dress with a halter top black jacket over it that is opened at the front. Then she turns to us four and she says:  
"Fiana, Harry, so good to see you. Glad to see you're magical too, sweetling." Harry looks shocked while I can actually feel the emotions coming off of her through her voice and he asks: "B-but – how?" The woman sighs and says: "You know how much of a bully your cousin was and how I had heart and lung problems."

Harry nods, while those that hadn't heard the tale he told us last night look at this new bit of information in shock and she says: "One day, on the 7th of September, Dudley went to me and started pestering me, but the pestering was different from the usual I could handle. He pestered me and bullied me – about you, sweetling."  
Harry looks shocked, but her use of the word sweetling makes me know how much she really cares for my son and I smile at this fact as she goes on: "He bullied me and insulted me on my care for you and how you weren't worth any of it and I couldn't mentally take that, so my body reacted and I got a heart attack."

The students gasp, madam Pomfrey now having a hand on her own heart and the other on her pocket where her wand must be and Harry looks as though he wants run at the woman, if not for his injury. Instead of that, Erica walks over to us and sits down next to Fiana, softly starting to pat Harry on the head as she continues her story.  
"The medicals of the Muggle world, the doctors, instantly came and tried to give me CPR and whatnot to revive me, but it was not to be. Luckily enough is my family quite familiar to the St. Mungo Company and three expert Healers instantly arrived and took me from the doctors when they wanted to give up on me.  
They brought me a private wing my family has at the Hospital and revived me, but I knew I had to get stronger before I could face Dudley again. I decided to rejoin the army and went to fight the Russians in Germany for the Democrats. That took me until 1989 when the wall fell and afterwards I traveled to learn new ways to get strong.

I never forgot you, but felt I needed all the experience I could get, so I travelled the world to learn more about fighting and law and with that hoped to find things I could use to permanently remove you from those terrible Muggles and legally embarrass them so badly they would never try what they did to you or me again.  
That unfortunately took me years and while I kept up through the papers, did I not contact you or Fiana until finally I arrived back in England and heard you were going to school here. I really wanted to see you again and then I got this letter, read it through and next thing I know I'm here. And I'm damn glad I am."

The woman ends her story, still softly patting Harry's head and the boy has now laid his head back on Viktor's shoulder and is now smiling at her in glee. The woman smiles back and says: "I guess my work with the Dursleys will be quite unnecessary now, seeing the family you've seen to have made for yourself, sweetling."  
Harry nods and says: "Sirius and Remus here adopted me through werewolf Laws and Viktor here is my new boyfriend. It's a long story." Then, quite suddenly, he uses his good leg to jump out of Viktor's arms and into Erica's, hugging her and crying badly, muttering about how badly he missed her and how happy he is to see her.  
The woman stays shocked for only a few seconds, but then she smiles and hugs the boy close, while I feel glad for her help all those years ago as it made it easier for the boy to accept and ask for human contact and affection. The woman softly makes sure Harry slowly stops crying before softly lifting him up and back into Viktor's lap.

 _ **Erica's POV**_

I am so thankful for my Army training as it allowed me to keep my emotions under tight control when some strange magic kidnapped me, when I felt my little sweetling in danger of criminals, when I realized that I was misinformed and even after all that when I explained my side of the story of my near-death experience.  
Still, never more have I hoped for a better future for my little Harry than the family picture I see now before me. The black-haired man and sandy-brown haired man softly petting his hair and back and the sturdy brown haired boy obviously holds my little sweetling with tender care and an amazing amount of love.  
I then smile at my friend of so many years ago, hugging her swiftly as she tells me how much she missed me and when I feel that all of them have come at peace with my return to their lives, do I stand up and loudly ask: "Is anyone against it if I read next?" No one objects and I walk over to the owl stand and start to read.

 _ **The Forbidden Forest**_

"EXCUSE ME?" All the elders shout furious and Sirius asks: "What on earth? The Forest? One of the most dangerous places here at Hogwarts?" He then turns to his son, who has a mixed look of defiant fear on his face and asks: "What were you doing there of all places?" And Harry's answer shocks me as he says: "Serving detention."  
The man then turns to the teachers and asks: "Which one of you thought it appropriate to send my eleven year old child to the one place he could most easily get attacked or eaten?" And to his growing shock – and obvious anger – does Professor McGonagall raise her hand. Instantly he shouts: "MINERVA MCGONAGALL!"  
The woman looks down and Sirius rants: "I lost count of how many times you gave us detention for sneaking into that Forest in my 4th and you send my son – the son of two of the boys you vowed would never step into the Forest – into that VERY SAME FOREST! WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED TO YOUR COMMON SENSE?"

Then Remus pulls him back and with the voice of a dominant male, does he say: "If Harry gets hurt Minerva, it will be your name I will take my anger out on. I will not let you endanger my cub. Not for thinking he was out after curfew." But then Harry makes it worse and mutters: "And then her actions weren't even the worst of all."  
This causes his parents, boyfriend, Fiana and me to look at him shocked, but then I notice that all students of Fourth year and higher look down ashamed and I think: "What on earth happened?" Before I decide to find out for myself. I turn back to the black-haired man and say: "You said all I wanted to, Sirius, thanks." And with that I start to read.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 260 – PS**_ _, but at least they were better than the ways of punishments that he was starting to dread. Sure, he had yet to see a student punished like that, but even the twins had – as far as he knew – yet to be caught out of bed after midnight_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 260 – PS  
**_ _About that Harry had mixed feelings. On one hand he wanted her to find it, so he could explain where he had gone with it and he could get Hagrid to help him get out of this sticky situation.  
_ _On the other hand was it still the only thing he had to relate himself to his father and if McGonagall heard of Norbert, Hagrid would surely get in trouble with her. And Harry cared too much about Hagrid after everything that happened to let the man get blame, when he could face the same himself._

Everyone looks shocked and I shake my head, whispering: "I knew those Muggles blaming my little sweetling for everything would have terrible consequences. They'll pay for this." And all around me heads nod in agreement, while McGonagall looks down in shame, obviously feeling terrible for putting the blame on the wrong person.  
I look at the woman in slight pity, but then remember the chapter title and think: "Whether she laid the blame with the wrong person or not, she had no right whatsoever to send eleven year olds to such a dangerous location." I sigh, having read up on the Forest when learning how to better defend myself, shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 260 – PS**_

"Mr. Potter, had I known of Norbert or the Invisibility Cloak, I would not have laid the blame with either of you. I would have laid the blame where it belongs; with Dumbledore for giving the cloak to you without proper rules on when and when not to use it; and with Hagrid for putting you up with such a dangerous creature."  
McGonagall says and Harry lowers his head and says: "I know that now, Professor McGonagall. But – back then –." The woman nods and says: "I understand. You were after all only gone from those Muggles for less than a year. Their influence on you still had a great impact on your person and your behavior. I blame you not."  
The boy smiles at her, yet at the same time I can ehar a lot of muttering going through the hall, as multiple groups of students from different Houses and even the two other schools all debate on how to let those disgusting Muggles pay for mentally and emotionally scarring my sweetling like they did, which makes me read on with pride.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 260 & 261 – PS  
**_ _This scared Harry even more, because uncle Vernon was known to come up with terrible excuses if he said those words – only to make sure he could blame Harry on whatever had gone wrong. He violently shook his head, begging the woman not to continue and trying to remember that she was not his uncle at the same time.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 261 – PS  
**_ _Harry never felt more betrayed than he did right there. He stared at his Head of House for a single second and thought, "Is that really how she thinks of me? What did I do to make her think that? Is this about that broom incident? But that was months ago? Did my dad do something like this? But then – why? Why would she expect me to do it too? And to NEVILLE no less!"  
_ _He felt his heart break and knew. Knew he couldn't trust McGonagall. She was just not the person to talk to about his home life. She would, after all, just think it one big prank he pulled. And Merlin only knew on who she would believe he wanted to pull the prank then._

Everyone looks shocked and hurt and while I feel my heart break over the thoughts of my little sweetling, does Luna say: "One should never be expected to be his parent. Each child is different as times keep changing." Everyone looks at the girl, except McGonagall as she has her head in her hands with her shoulders shaking with tears of regret.  
"I really don't want to be rude right now." Neville then suddenly speaks up, making many people look at him and he looks at Snape quite shortly, the same happening with Sirius, Remus and McGonagall before he calmly goes on: "But how can all of you expect him to be his father – if he never got to know the man?"  
Everyone seems shocked by this logical question and he goes on: "I mean, I know to Purebloods and most of the Wizarding world, appearances are everything, but you can't judge a person just on how they look, can you? Especially not if a child looks like their parents. It just really wouldn't be fair to said child."  
And while many nod, do I get the feeling that Neville isn't just talking about Harry having the pressure of everyone seeing his father in him. Deciding to see who this boy is and who his parents are – or were – I smile encouragingly at the young Fourth year and then, when I see him send me a grateful smile back, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 261 – PS**_

"To break his trust in you is one thing, Minerva." Snape suddenly interferes, his tone proving that he really has a bone to pick with the woman and then he goes on: "But lying to him is a whole other story. Especially seeing you are being as ironic as can be here." The woman doesn't look at him, but he still goes on:  
"You know as well as I do Potter's father and his three – now respectively two – friends were out every other night, if not every night and you quite expect him to be the carbon copy of James Potter, yet you lie about one of the greatest faults the man had. Wanting to spare him his father's faults is one thing, Minerva, but I repeat, lying a whole other."  
The man then holds silent, yet the entire Hall seems shocked beyond words that it had been him who had said these things, Harry apparently more than any of them and while I can't help but wonder what the bond between the man and my sweetling could have been before all of this, do I decide to answer the silent hint as I take my cue to read.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 261 & 262 – PS**_

This makes all students in Gryffindor House between 14 and 17 gasp and while mutters break out amongst those that aren't from this school, does one Seventh year say: "I thought it was that they tried to turn the Giant Staircase into an ice slope and almost caused McGonagall to break her neck that cost them those points."  
Hermione and Harry look at the Seventh year with clear shock, as if he's grown two extra heads and while others also start to mutter about rumors they had heard, does another student, this one a female Sixth Year say: "I thought they were caught battling whatever was guarding the Third floor that made it that dangerous."  
This makes the two turn their heads from one side the other, as if that theory isn't even that far-fetched and then the twins chorus: "But for being out after curfew?" And all of Gryffindor looks at their Head of House, but then Fillius Flitwick asks: "Wait, what made you triple the amount?" And a groan is his only answer, making me read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 262 – PS**_

"Let me get this straight." Percy states, his body tense and his glare aimed straight at his ex-Head of House and he goes on: "You knew nothing of Hagrid's dragon. You knew nothing of the Invisibility Cloak. You only knew that they were out after curfew – something my brothers do weekly – and you took 150 points?"  
At this the woman doesn't answer, yet Percy continues to rant and starts to shout: "Without listening to their story. Without giving them time to explain. Without questioning even any of them privately. And you did this based on your own crazy theory, which makes no sense at all. And you called them liars to their own friends?"  
Everyone looks at the man shocked and I ask: "Did I just summarize all that happened correctly?" The Ravenclaws nod and Luna says: "Couldn't have asked it better myself." Making the man smile, but then Harry mutters: "And then to think it'll only get worse." Everyone looks worried, while most older years seem ashamed and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 262 – PS**_

Suddenly a rattling sound is heard behind me and the twins shout: "NO WAY!" Together with Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones, Cho Chang and Terry Boot and Astoria and Daphne Greengrass. I look behind me and see rubies, emeralds, sapphires and blue crystals falling into the four Hourglasses attached to the right back wall.  
Then Draco Malfoy says: "All Houses just gained 150 each." And the twins cheer: "Gryffindor takes the lead! 254 point! ALRIGHT!" But then Hannah says: "Sorry, but Hufflepuff has 265 points. We're in the lead!" And the twins shout: "Not for long, you're not!" While smiling widely. I smile at the display and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 262 – PS  
**_ _Harry fell asleep with the wane hope a Gryffindor punishment wouldn't be like a Dursley punishment._

Again the lions lower their heads, making me gasp in feared shock as I look from them to my sweetling and Sirius hisses: "You didn't." But they all keep their heads low and one of the twins mutter: "We did." And the other goes on: "We were plain stupid." And the other goes on: "And it was plain wrong."  
"That it was." Harry mutters timidly, cuddling close with Viktor, obviously trying not to think of what had happened and apparently he isn't the only one saying it, as Madame Pomfrey says the same, but then with disgust in her tone before she goes on: "He was in my Hospital at least once a week just for all you fools did."  
Now the teachers look shocked and Flitwick asks: "But if he was there once a week, then why didn't you notice?" The woman sighs and says: "He had an amazingly valiant excuse and I fell for it. He told me he was practicing his magic, so he could perform on his exams so well, he would be able to earn back all those points."

Everyone looks at the boy shocked and one of the twins asks: "We punish you and hurt you." And the other goes on: "For something we do weekly." And then they chorus: "And you still cover for us?" But Harry lowers his head and shakes it, muttering: "I didn't want my reputation – or your punishment – worsening for being a snitch."  
This makes the Gryffindors look down again and Hermione asks: "Wait a minute. We got punished too, but we never got cursed badly enough to land in the Hospital wing. What's with that?" And Harry mutters: "Just read on." Still cuddling close with Viktor and still obviously scared. I look at my little sweetling in worry and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 262 & 263 – PS  
**_ _He knew Hermione and Neville would get the same treatment and when he started noticing that some fingers turned to wands being pointed at them, he quickly took the only action he thought was rightful of him to take – if only to apologize to Hermione for befouling her wondrous reputation and to Neville for making him feel as bad as he did.  
_ _He used his famous title and scar to make people go after him. He boasted a little with Parvati and Lavender, who luckily enough were big enough lovers of gossip to really care, and soon everyone thought a different story.  
_ _Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, wanted to see if he was ready for a girl and wanted the best Hogwarts could offer him – the brains of Hogwarts, Hermione Granger – so he lured her to the Astronomy tower to see if she would be his lover at a later age. But Neville had tried to stop Harry and Harry had laughed in his face, pushing him straight into Professor McGonagall._

Everyone looks shocked and the twins mutter: "That we believed that." Before hitting themselves on the head. But then Hermione and Neville fling themselves at Harry and Neville asks: "You actually thought you had to make up?" And Hermione asks: "You really took all that blame and made that story just to spare us?"  
Harry shrugs, while the two hug him tightly and he mutters: "I just really believed it to be my fault. The Dursley life and rules were still too deeply ingrained in my brain. I still too easily blame myself if something bad happens." The two hug him tighter, while his words make othes look even more ashamed as I shake my head and read on.

 _He sincerely hoped the others would believe him – while part of him hoped not as it would mean they really wanted to know Harry and not the Boy Who Lived – but everyone did and the wands really came out.  
_ _Harry took to leaving classes alone, saying he needed to go to the bathroom, talk to teachers, ask them for pointers, forgot his books and many other things. And for weeks, the minute older years, mostly Fifth and higher, realized he was alone, the spell fire started. Harry was glad he was lithe and agile, but still let some spells hit, just to punish himself for letting down his House and ruining the chance of possible friends for himself.  
_ _His nights became worse and worse and at least once a week he wasn't sleeping in his own dorm, but in the Hospital wing, claiming to the matron he was studying spells out of his year so he could perform magnificently at the exams and win back his lost points. The students were luckily lenient enough not to curse him when he came out of the Hospital wing, but else it was open fire on Harry Potter._

Everyone looks down, the elder years ashamed of their actions and the younger years ashamed of their Houses and Sirius says: "You know, the funny part here is that Voldemort was supposedly dead for a decade by this time. But apparently all of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff saw it fit to continue his work on their Hero."  
This makes one of the elder year Lions burst out crying, finally feeling too much guilt to keep herself under control and then, while an angry Madam Pomfrey rushes over to give the girl a Calming Draught, is a terrible question asked silently: "Harry, your nights. Does that mean the same as in your story. Of Erica?"  
I look at my sweetling, seeing his hollow eyes and his faraway look, making me hate how he must be reliving that period of his life, but then Neville grabs him and says: "Excuse me a minute." Making everyone in the Great Hall blanch as they watch him carry Harry to the antechamber before closing the door behind them.

Hermione is the first to react and she too bursts into tears, Viktor quickly grabbing her and hugging her as she mutters: "He must be reliving the emotions he felt back then. He must be having a relapse. And Neville – how many times did this happen that he realized Harry was on the brink of another suicide attempt."  
"OF ANOTHER WHAT?" Fiana and I shout, me feeling as if I'm back to the day I met the young lad and Sirius says: "We discovered a few chapters ago that Harry has suicide attempts that come up every now and again and that Neville is always the one he goes to for help. Neville was apparently the only one who knew."

I blanch myself, the thought that my little sweetling had to rely on someone his age to fight such mental illness and think to myself: "I – I thought all those years ago it would be over. That I taught him enough to keep him from that. Did this really cause a relapse? And how many more will there be during these books?"  
I blanch even more at this thought and Fiana hugs me tightly, making me hug her back as I know she can handle considerably less of this than I can, her having become a teacher because she has such a caring and loving heart and I comfort her to the best of my abilities – while looking at the book in fear and then at the door.

Finally after about 10 minutes Sirius does what I would do were it not for Fiana and shouts: "Harry!" Running over to the door to the antechamber. But just as he throws it open, is he thrown to the floor by a flying, black-haired blur of cloths and a whooshing sound of cloths and before I even realize it, does he have a crying Harry in his arms.  
The man seems to have expected this as he has reacted a lot faster than I could and while the two of them are now lying sideways, is he already sitting up, holding Harry's body close and comforting him, while the way he holds his body indicates how badly he wants to protect the young boy – if possible from the entire world.

Then words the young boy utters come through to me and while his voice is thick with tears and makes it so I can't hear everything, does he mutter: "Love you – don't hate – 'll be good – don't hurt – don't – dead." From which I can take the sentences: "I love you. Don't hate me. I'll be good. Don't hurt me. Don't want to be dead."  
I look at the other boy who walked into the room, the happy smile on his face reliving me and making me feel curious as I then ask the question that is probably on the minds of many in the room: "How'd you get him out of it?" And Neville calmly says: "A lot easier than I usually do. I just reminded him of his parents."  
This confuses me, but then I understand that he means Sirius and Remus and smile at the brilliance of the boy. In the meanwhile do I hear Sirius mutter: "Won't ever, pup. Love you too, my son. You're the best I could ever wish for. I'd die before I let you." Making me smile at his words as they seem to calm Harry down amazingly.  
Once everyone's calm, Neville and the others having joined the small sofa next to me, and Harry has retaken his seat on Viktor's lap, do I ask: "Feeling better, sweetling? Can I read on?" The boy is held by the Quidditch champ like he was by his mother and shortly looks at me before he nods. I smile at him and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 263 – PS  
**_ _Dean, Seamus and Neville did too, apparently, but they weren't going to do it openly in fear of being hurt or – in Neville's case – being cast-away even worse._

"That really was stupid of us. We should have shown open support and made people wonder how you lost those points. Then they would have stopped once they heard the truth." Seamus says with his head down, but Harry shakes his head and says: "I wouldn't have said a thing. I was too used to taking blame wherever I was supposed to."  
This makes me feel angry beyond words at the Dursleys and I think: "Dudley, just you wait. I know you play a role in that and I would love to see how you respond to a supposedly dead woman coming to visit you. Or maybe I can charm myself to look like a ghost and haunt him for a few days." And with an evil smirk, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 263 – PS**_

"You WHAT?" All of Gryffindor shouts in pure shock and then the older years shout: "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" While Wood moans: "Worst words I ever heard." Lying his head in his hands. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, in the meantime, don't seem to know how to feel about this news and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 263 – PS**_

"HOW'S THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?" Wood shouts, but then he sees the rest of his team look down in pure shame and mutters: "No. No way. You wouldn't." But these words only make them look more ashamed and I shake my head before reading on, already having a good guess as to what I will be reading next.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 263 – PS**_

"ANTECHAMBER! NOW!" Wood rages and Harry tries getting into his wheelchair, but Wood spats: "Not you, Harry." Making the boy cringe and when Wood notices he sighs and while he tries and fails to keep the anger out of his voice and speak with tranquility does he say: "Sit down, Harry. I'm not angry at you, I'm –Argh!"  
He shouts, glaring at the rest of his team and they reluctantly, with their heads low and with an air of having their tails between their legs, leave for the antechamber. Percy then casts a silencing spell on the door and when others look at him he says: "Trust me, you don't want to hear him shouting. Not when he's that furious."

And indeed a few seconds later do muffled shouts and incoherent screams come from the door, the words unable to be understood and the shouts more sounding like high-whispers, but still do I agree with the Weasley brother and think: "Glad I'm not them. Or him for that matter, if he has so much experience with that man's shouts."  
Then the Quidditch team returns, their stances making them look like beaten puppies or something and all of them have their heads low enough that their necks are almost invisible. Wood quickly walks out of the room at the end of the line, hugs Harry in comfort and apologizes and then sits back with his team, glaring at them as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 263 – PS**_ _and because of the rumor Harry helped spread around Hogwarts_ _ **, PS – Chapter 15, Page 264 – PS  
**_ _Unfortunately did that not always help and often, during the nights after studying did he remember all the curses and hexes he was hit with, which caused the words he often heard the Dursleys mutter at him to come to the forefront of his mind and increase the defeated, ashamed, terribly useless feeling he felt growing inside of him.  
_ _Week after week this went on and Harry felt himself silently crying as he fell asleep more and more, the words actually keeping up until his mind went into oblivion and he fell asleep. He slept less and less as the words kept him awake longer and longer as the weeks progressed and finally, after three and a half weeks he couldn't take no more.  
_ _The other boys were still at dinner, but Harry's appetite had disappeared after lunch and right after his lesson had he returned to the dorm. He knew he could get into major trouble for this, but didn't care anymore. He entered his dorm and closed the door, using one of his old cloths to stuff under the bottom of the door, thereby muffling the sounds of what was to happen inside the dorm.  
_ _He then turned to the walls of his dorm and with tears starting to spring and fall from his eyes he started ramming, hitting and kicking against all the walls around the dorm, injuring himself and causing wounds and scrapes on his skin while he tore his robe and cloths on the sharper edges of the walls._

"HARRY!" Everyone shouts and Neville mutters: "Merlin be blessed for the fact I had to feed Trevor. I don't want to think of what would have happened had I not." Everyone blanches and Ron asks: "You knew of this?" But Neville shakes his head and says: "Had a hunch, but didn't know. Just read on." I nod and do as he asks.

 _The pain barely registered in his mind, but – because of his life with the Muggles – actually made him feel better about himself. He was doing a much better job of punishing himself than his Head of House or fellow students and, mostly because of the words still ringing through his mind, knew this was the only way to punish a freak like him.  
_ _Finally, halfway through diner, Harry stopped, panting his hands on his knees, barely wincing as he had a large cut across the inside of his hand and then turned from the walls to his bed. He looked at it and his mind quickly processed a way that would not only punish him further, but would really get him to his new goal; his ultimate end.  
_ _He slowly walked over to the bedposts and started hitting it with his right and left leg, intending on breaking it in half and making large parts of it stick out. The kicks went on and on and while splinters hit and made small cuts in his cloths and legs, did he keep on, crying harder and almost screaming, but not in physical pain.  
_ _His body only functioned as a vessel for punishment to him. His skin, his veins, his hair, his face, his heart and his lungs; it didn't matter to him anymore as he was lost in the words his relatives kept telling him and the pain of losing everyone who could one day be a friend.  
_ _Finally he heard the pole break and to his sheer luck the downside fell to him, the top pointed and jagged and filled with long, thick razor-sharp wooden needles. He panted, admiring his work and took a few steps back. Tears were now streaming down his face as he knew he would hurt Ron and Hermione immensely with this, but every person had his limit and his was far-breached.  
_ _He closed his eyes, took another step back and then ran at the pointed jags, not hearing the door open behind him or the sharp gasp as his entire mind was focus on one thing – to die; to return to his parents and be the boy he always wanted to be._

"Oh god no!" Sirius whispers, his tone almost dead with the sheer pain and terror he must be feeling at hearing this and with that speaks the words probably going through everyone's mind. Since I started this part of the story silence has been ringing through the hall, only to be broken by sobs and cries of pain and shame.  
Everyone seems to feel terrible for what I'm reading; terrible for what they pushed the – then – eleven year old boy to do. The teachers also look down, the females crying and McGonagall having her head in her hands as she must be feeling even worse than others for not noticing this. All of them must be feeling that they failed the boy.  
Then Sirius, who's eyes are almost black with fear for his son turns to Neville and desperately whispers: "Please tell me that gasp came from you and that this is where you stop him from all of this." Neville's nod makes a wave of relief go through the Great Hall and I mentally bless the young boy before reading on.

 _But suddenly, he felt something – or someone – crash into him from the side, making them both land hard on the floor next to his bed. He struggled and cried, but the thing – he now recognized as a person – just held him close; one hand on his head to hold it in his shoulder and the other around his arms to hold him from hitting the other person.  
_ _He cried and tried to get free, but the exertion of all those hits and kicks had tired him out and eventually he just surrendered to the tears and the embrace he was in. He didn't dare grab onto the person holding him, but was grateful for the comforting hug and shushing sounds nonetheless._

Now, while there is barely a dry face in the hall and while all those that have loved ones are consoling each other, does Sirius turn to Neville, standing up and walking over and then hugs him tightly, the Weasleys and Hermione soon joining the man, while Fiana, Remus and Viktor stay close to Harry and all hug him tightly.  
Then Sirius, who's voice is almost choked up with the pride he feels for the boy whispers: "Alice would have been so very, very proud." Neville gasps and Sirius says: "I'll tell you all about her later, alright?" The boy nods, still wide eyed with shock and I smile at the two, continuing to read once everyone has retaken their seats.

 _Finally he felt himself calm enough, hissing in pain as his mind finally registered how badly he had wounded himself and the person hugging him says, "Don't ever do that again, Harry, you mean too much to us. To Ron, to Hermione, to Hagrid, to all of Hogwarts. Don't let those fair-weather fans get to you; they don't deserve that."  
_ _Harry vaguely recognized the voice and when he looked up, he was shocked to see Neville Longbottom looking at him with firmness in his eyes he had never seen before. The boy then looks down at his cloths and says, "The House-elves can fix them. And I have some salves and healing balms for those wounds. Gran knows how clumsy I am, so she taught me all about tending to scrapes and bleeding wounds. But what to do about your bed?"  
_ _Harry grabbed his wand, shocked that it seemed in perfect state and didn't even have a scratch and cast a quick_ _Reparo_ _– a spell he learned from the books he stopped studying after his punishment. Neville nods and while dinner went on in the Great Hall, did Neville tend to him and did he spill his heart to the boy, begging him to keep this quiet.  
_ _Neville understood his need, having had the same with the Malfoy-Leg-locking incident and in return made Harry vow he would always come to him when these needs came back up. He also proved, later that night, that Harry could trust him as he waited for the other boys to sleep and then snuck into Harry's bed, sitting up and stroking Harry's hair as he softly talked him into a slumber that, for once, didn't involve the words of the Dursleys._

This makes everyone smile and Neville says: "He does come to me often, but not often enough that we can openly show a good friendship as people would get suspicious of where that suddenly came from. So, us showing off to be just dorm-mates helped keep this secret." Everyone nods, while the Gryffindors smile at him in pride and I read on.

 _Harry and Neville continued this late night bed thing for a couple more night and then Harry asked for one night not to, to see if his trauma was over. The spells still kept coming and students were still terrible to him, treating him like he wasn't there when they talked about him and insulted him, but with Neville by his side was he able to keep a clear head.  
_ _His nightmares lessened and the words stayed in the back of his head, but Neville still came to his bed to help him sleep twice a week, telling Harry he had grown onto him as a little brother he had to care for – and that while Neville was born only one day before Harry was._

Everyone smiles at this even though no one really laughs at the little bit of humor due to earlier read events and Hermione says: "Harry really does have that affect on people. If you care about him or if you befriend him, he becomes like a little or older brother to you and you just want to stay close and help him wherever you can."  
And all of the Weasleys, Cedric and his parents, the Malfoys, some of the teachers, his dorm-mates and the Quidditch team all nod in agreement, while I smile at the blushing boy, who hides most of his face in Viktor's loving embrace while I personally feel very glad that he turned out this way despite everything and read on.

 _Neville's tender care kept the nightmares and memories of his relatives' comments out of his mind, which allowed him to understand and remember more of what he was studying as the exams drew ever closer. Wood's new training schedule worked along as well as the Fifth year trained his team harder, but during shorter times, believing this to be better for his team as it would allow them to sleep more and better and thus grow a healthier condition.  
_ _Harry knew Oliver didn't like doing this, but he was grateful as he started studying his extra-course books again – the ones he borrowed from Madame Pince – and that too helped him to study along with his friends as his mind grew and thus got more space for more information._

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 264 – PS**_ _Harry sometimes letting Neville work along with them as a return gift for all his kind help_ _ **, PS – Chapter 15, Page 264 – PS**_

"Oh Merlin!" Sirius moans and then I hear Ron mutter: "And this is only the first book. How will he react to the other two?" To which Remus says: "Better not ask, Ron, I don't even feel I want to know right now." The red-head nods and I wonder and fear what more my little Sweetling could have gone through as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 264 & 265 – PS  
**_ _But Harry was against that plan even more than he was against the glint in Ron's eyes. He didn't want to sneak around anymore, if only to stop the risk of getting an even worse treatment – if that was even possible here – and neither did he want to go to any authority figure, seeing what even his Head of House thought of him._ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 265 – PS**_

"Merlin, is he always like that?" Susan Bones asks the two best friends of my sweetling, while others are shocked at the logic the boy came up with – and while the teachers are ashamed that Harry had such little trust in them – and then, while many of the parents are now glaring at said teachers, do Ron and Hermione chorus:  
"You have no idea." And while I can feel a bit of humor returning to the tense atmosphere of the room, does Hermione go on: "And that's not even his best that year. Just wait until after our detention. You'll get to hear something that's still stuck in my mind." And she smiles at her sheepish looking best friend, while I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 266 – PS  
**_ _Ron wanted to open his mouth again, but Harry stopped him and said, "Ron, like I said. It's no secret we hate Snape and his hatred for us will make people think we only picked him because he constantly picks on us. No one will take us seriously. And don't forget what happened last time a teacher didn't want to take us seriously." And finally Ron grumbled and hid himself back in his books.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 266 – PS**_

"You actually allowed them detention at that hour of the night? And that for breaking curfew? What lesson were they supposed to learn?" Remus spats at his Head of House and the woman says: "I heard that Hagrid needed help with something and allowed him to let them help him. He only told me at what time after he told Dumbledore."  
And Sirius mutters: "Why am I not even surprised he's involved in all this?" The woman glares at him, but he holds up a hand and says: "Not angrily aimed at you, so quit it." The woman looks shocked and backs off, while her students and some of her colleagues have trouble holding back snickers and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 266 – PS**_ _and the constant curses he was hit with_ _ **. PS – Chapter 15, Page 266 – PS**_ _And with his mind now no longer on the self-punishment factor, he really believed this was a better way to let him learn his lesson – although he wondered if McGonagall had even noticed that he and his friends had already been drastically punished by their fellow school mates._

The woman hits herself on the head and then Sirius mocks: "You know, Remy love, for a cat Animagus, she sure doesn't use her heightened senses often, does she?" The woman glares half-heartedly, but I know she agrees and I read on, while thinking: "When did extracting punishment become the students' responsibility?"

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 266 – PS  
**_ _Harry trusted Filch as much as he trusted Peeves and he wondered if Filch could perhaps bring the students outside to punish them according to his own beliefs. And his next words didn't relief him of those thoughts._ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 266 & 267 – PS  
**_ _Was the caretaker planning something before setting out the punishment set to him by the other teachers? Did he have ways to make sure they would not talk? Or was this another 'No one'll believe you, you're just students, I'm a staff member' situation?_

At this do I see Harry and Fiana shuddering and do I remember their tales of the Primary School Janitor. "Mr. Filch better hope for himself he didn't. Especially not now that we have these books." Minerva speaks up strongly, obviously on the intent of cleansing her record and showing her students they can rely on her and then she says:  
"Misters Weasley, I know you've been with Filch more often than anyone else. I want a full list of names of those that have files at Filch for causes he believes punishable." The twins salute at the woman, but I know they're only willing to do so for the same reasons as she's doing this. To apologize to Harry for failing him.  
I smile at the three and then at Harry for the way he has wound them all around his little finger. Of course the boy probably doesn't even realize it himself and by looking at his slightly grateful smile, which is probably both for the professor's need to apologize and to help him forget about the janitor do I know I'm right before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 267 – PS  
**_ _At least Filch wouldn't have anything to do with their punishment and wouldn't be around long enough to do something._ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 267 – PS**_

"Minerva, please tell me you didn't know they had to go into the Forest." Andromeda Tonks hisses, shocking some as they must have forgotten she was there in the first place, while others are shocked at hearing her venomous tongue. She has taken place next to the Malfoys and is glaring at the woman, who glares back and says:  
"No, Andromeda, I didn't. Hagrid told me he needed help with some Unicorns and I thought he meant the herd he keeps close to his hut. I didn't know he meant wild Unicorns living in the Forest." The brown-haired woman nods appeased, while the anger she had portrayed earlier had actually shocked me about her and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 267 – PS**_ _Harry looked up and used his arm muscles to make Neville look at him. While Filch spoke, Harry motioned Neville to look up with his eyes and they both saw that the moon was barely half-full and covered by barely transparent clouds. There would be no werewolves about that night.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 268 – PS  
**_ _Harry shook his head and muttered, "Just like you should think of the moon cycle if you talk about werewolves." But only Hermione heard him and she too looked up quickly._ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 268 – PS**_ _This made Harry worry and he wondered what his friend would need those and four First years for. That combination didn't even make sense to him._

"It doesn't make sense to any of us, mate." The twins chorus, sitting closer to the group and holding onto the table tightly. The relief I myself feel at the thought of the boy being out of danger when it comes to werewolves has also vanished and I think: "If Hagrid got Harry in trouble, I'll show him why I was in the army." And with that I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 268 – PS**_

"Punishment has nothing to do with closeness between friends." Luna Lovegood says and then Andromeda's daughter says: "I like your style, girl. You really know when to make a comment and all." The girl smiles and says: "Thank you. I like your hair." The older girl squeals, while Andromeda shakes her head and I snicker as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 268 – PS**_ _, while Harry sent an evil glare at the man for his apparent love to scare and hurt students. To him, the man was no better than his uncle_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 268 – PS**_

"Eh Draco son. Sorry to blow your bubble, but while I think it unethical that you have to go into the Forest after curfew, while your punishment is for being caught after curfew, do I still believe that hard work and a firm punishment is the only way a person can grow into a responsible adult." Lucius tells his son and then goes on:  
"I'm not saying I want you in that Forest – heavens knows I want you as far away from its creatures as possible – but helping someone with something big and responsible will make you realize your wrong behavior and help you change into a responsible adult." The boy nods at his father and I smile at the man's words before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 268 & 269– PS**_

"At least he's making sure they're careful." Susan tells her fellow House mate, Hannah Abbot and the other girl asks: "But if even Hagrid thinks it dangerous, then why is he letting them come along on this?" This worries me even further and Harry mutters: "Never really thought of that." Making me shake my head before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 269– PS**_

"EXCUSE ME!" Almost the entire Hall shouts, those that obviously care for animals the loudest of them all and Fleur Delacour shouts: "But Unicorns are the most amazing, beautiful not to mention fastest creatures on the planet. Their speed is used to improve the speed of racing brooms. What on earth can harm something like that?"  
And Cedric, who seems to grow angrier as he continues where the French girl left off and starts to shout on and off goes on: "More importantly WHAT WAS HAGRID THINKING? Even he would barely be able to defend a hurt or killed Unicorn so what on earth makes him think four ELEVEN YEAR OLDS CAN?"  
No one seems to have an answer for this, but it does increase the worry and fear, mostly in the First to Third years and suddenly I notice that Draco seems to be just as white as Harry was before – when he had his relapse. This further proves my conclusion that something pure evil is in that Forest and with that scaring thought, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 269– PS**_

"EXCUSE ME!" Is shouted, followed by almost all adults shouting: "IS HE BLOODY MAD?" I shake my head, wondering how a man who knows the forest so well can be so irresponsible and Sirius angrily mutters: "The other books better have better, more calming and less dangerous contents or this family immigrates!"  
"WHAT!" Harry shouts and while tears start to leak from his eyes at the very idea, does he grab onto his mother's arm with a trembling as he goes on: "YOU MEAN I'LL HAVE TO LEAVE HOGWARTS? I CAN'T! PLEASE, DON'T TAKE ME AWAY FROM HOGWARTS! Promise we won't immigrate. Please, mum."  
By now the boy has whimpered the last sentence and has tears streaming down his face, obviously terrified of the idea of leaving this school and Remus says: "We won't, cub. We know how much you love Hogwarts. But we will keep you from going back until the safety and security measures have risen up a notch."  
The boy's lips tremble, obviously disliking the thought as much as he did the last and Remus hugs him tightly and says: "We love Hogwarts as much as you do, cub, but it's so different now. There's no more trust between Heads and students, the danger rate has gone sky high and – well – what we're reading now isn't helping."

The boy nods and says: "Just don't make it permanent. I know I'll have to graduate one day, but I want to graduate here. This is where I started my magical education journey and I want to end it here too. Like you and mum and father and mother." The two smile at their son, hugging him together and Sirius says:  
"You will, Harry. James went to too great lengths for us to stop you from graduating here and we know how much you love this place. We won't take it from you." The boy hugs them both tightly, sighing relieved and everyone smiles before I turn their attention back to the book as I continue reading the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 269 – PS**_

Now almost everyone slams his hand on his head, Snape and McGonagall even going so far as to groan in agonizing anger and Remus says: "I don't know what's worse. That Hagrid's showing obvious favoritism, taking his favorite students with himself or that he picked pairs of which one is asking for trouble."  
But then Dean asks: "Which one?" Remus looks at the boy and he says: "What? With Harry's luck, something's bound to go wrong." The man sighs and says: "Good point, but I meant Neville and Draco's group." The boy nods in agreement and while I can feel that some of the anger has been relieved with humor, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 269 & 270 – PS**_

Now Harry and Hermione share a look, making those around them groan and Percy asks: "You got in trouble, didn't you?" But Hermione shakes her head and says: "It's not us getting in trouble that made Harry and I share a look. It's the fact Hagrid didn't keep to his word." And I read on as Percy moans the question: "Do I want to know?"

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 270 – PS  
**_ _The little amount of light was no problem to Harry, who was used to long hours in his old cupboard and his eyes quickly adjusted, making him capable to see everything – from the small leaves on a nearby pine tree to the fact Hermione's shoe lace was missing an aglet.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 270 – PS  
**_ _He already knew it couldn't have been a werewolf, because of the moon cycle, but he wanted to see if Hagrid even had an inkling what they were looking for. It would  
have made him more confident in this dark place that even the teachers seemed to want to avoid.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 270 & 271 – PS**_

"And that's supposed to make us feel better?" Sirius whimpers and Remus says: "No Sirius, and I don't believe this will be a promising chapter. We best just stay close together." Sirius nods and instantly Fiana switches places with Viktor, who then goes to sit between Remus and Sirius, allowing the two men closeness to their son.  
I smile at this picture and the Weasleys also go sit close together, while Ted and Andromeda join their daughter. Draco and Severus are the last to change seating and while Draco sits down in between his parents does Severus sit down next to Lucius, grabbing the man's knee in comfort. I smile at all the families sitting together and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 271 – PS**_

 _He knew it couldn't be a full-grown one, but he had heard rumors of a werewolf, who attacked human and creature alike, especially but not specifically on full-moon nights and he feared the man was in the forest as they spoke._

Remus growls and Harry asks: "Dad?" To which Remus pulls his son close and mutters: "That would be Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf that bit me when I was just 9 years old." Everyone looks at this fact in shock and then Harry shocks them even more and asks: "Then I guess I have to find and thank him, don't I?"  
Everyone looks at the boy as if he's grown an extra head and Sirius shouts: "FIND HIM?" While Remus shouts: "THANK HIM? FOR WHAT?" And Harry answers: "For making you a werewolf. It gave you mum as perfect partner and allowed for you to adopt me as your son. Would that have happened if he hadn't bitten you?"  
The man looks shocked and then, while a shocked silence had actually rung through the entire hall for a few seconds, does Sirius hug his son and does he shout: "YOU'RE A GENIUS!" The boy looks shocked and Remus hisses: "Sirius, I'm getting a headache of all those shouts. I've got sensitive hearing, remember?"

But Sirius smiles too widely and says: "For years have Jamie and I tried to find reasons to make that guy accept that he's a werewolf and that he should be proud of it. And you find it in a single day! I love you, son!" The boy smiles, hugging his mother close and whispers words I always hoped he would be able to say: "Love you too, mum."  
Making Sirius gasp, before he gently takes Harry off of Viktor's lap as he tightens the hug. Everyone smiles at the scene and then Remus says: "Erica, continue reading please. Sirius, stop squashing our son to a pancake." Everyone laughs and Sirius mock-glares at his mate as he helps Harry take back his seat on Viktor's lap, while I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 271 – PS**_ _Harry's mind was almost blank with shock, but still – as he stared at the amazing sight before him – did he try to remember what he learned about Centaurs. Unfortunately – his mind was and stayed blank.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 271 – PS  
**_ _Immediately everything Harry learned came back to him and he blanched as he remembered how to understand centaurs. They were creatures coming from the times of Ancient Greece and were badly misunderstood, because they kept to what held them strong in those times; the foretellings of the stars and the Gods they represented. And Mars represented the God of War.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 272 – PS  
**_ _The urge to hit himself on the head when Hermione inadvertently insulted the Centaur now overrode his need to be respectful to the creature as he could barely believe that Hagrid hadn't understood the clear warning from the Noble creature._ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 272 – PS  
**_ _This was only further fuel to Harry's worry and he really wanted to step up and talk with the Centaur, but he remembered how times were in Ancient Greece and one vital rule was that foals didn't speak unless spoken too. Only if Hagrid would address them would he be able to speak with Ronan.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 272 – PS  
**_ _Harry now also raised his head to the sky, not to look at the stars and hope he could find a comforting sign, but out of sheer agitation that Hagrid didn't know how to handle Centaurs at all. Was there even any creature Hagrid knew how to deal with?  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 272 & 273 – PS  
**_ _Harry shook his head and said, "Go back, Hagrid. Go back and address me. Let me handle this; I read all about Centaurs and their behavior. It comes from Ancient Greece, I know all about that." For once he wasn't afraid to show how much he knew, but it obviously had a shocking effect on Hagrid and Hermione, who stared at him.  
_ _He growled and said, "Just do it, Hagrid. You didn't even heed their warnings." Hagrid bowed his head to the side and Harry moaned, but then the man shrugged and walked back, saying, "Bane, may I introduce you to Harry Potter. He seems aware of your abilities."  
_ _Harry heard the disbelieving tone as well as the Centaurs did and before Hagrid could get them even further in trouble, he stepped forward and made a couple of motions with his legs, a proper ancient greeting between fellow Centaurs.  
_ _The two looked shocked, but made the same movement with their hind legs, before with Harry looking up. Harry easily found Mars – the Astronomy lessons were really doing their job – and he squinted his eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of other, bright planets.  
_ _No such luck.  
_ " _War is coming." He muttered and the Centaurs nod, before Bane said, "Mars was bright in the Seventies and it will grow bright again. The signs don't lie." Hermione and Hagrid didn't seem to understand at all – or even interested as neither of them raised their heads – but Harry ignored it and asked, "Have Venus or Mercury shone anytime soon? And what of Sirius?"  
_ _He heard Hagrid gasp, but paid it no heed as Bane replied, "Mercury shone on the first day of school, but has dimmed ever since. Venus shone brightly during the early beginnings of the Christmas nights – three nights it shone."  
_ _Harry's lips thinned and he knew what the Centaurs were telling him. Mercury stood for the intelligence he was growing at Hogwarts, but the dimming light proved he held back. Venus stood for the love he felt when he saw his parents, those three nights during the Christmas holidays._

Everyone looks shocked and while I don't like hearing about these actual signs, does Hermione mutter with awe in her voice: "I really thought they were just making things up. Trying each other up and seeing if they could form a trust bond. Can't believe the stars have been telling Harry's story." Everyone nods and I read on.

 _Bane then turned to him and said, "You know humans are not welcome in our forest. Only if you wish a star-gaze future will we allow you." Harry felt honored as the last human allowed and accepted by Centaurs was 145 years ago, but Hagrid interfered and said, "Harry won' be needin more studies, thank you. We really nee' to go. C'mon Harry, Hermione."  
_ _Harry could barely believe what was happening. He made the same motion with his legs, if only to appease the furious glare the Centaur was giving Hagrid and then quickly left, feeling words would only aggravate the situation more – but feeling terrible he couldn't learn more of this fascinating subject. It would just have to be another thing he would study without anyone knowing.  
_ _A single tear ran down his face as he left the two Centaurs alone and he thought, "I might have actually been the first in almost a century and a half to be accepted into a Centaur tribe. I could have achieved something no one in my family could have ever done. Why did you say that, Hagrid?" But he kept strong, knowing that now he was in danger, away from the Centaurs and possibly nearing whatever was attacking the Unicorns.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 273 – PS  
**_ _Harry's lips thinned and he sped up his pace, walking a few paces away from the two, not wanting to hear more disrespectful words.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 273 – PS  
**_ _He wanted to know just how much Hagrid knew of Centaurs and how to treat them, so he slowed his pace a little.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 273 – PS**_

"Told you he broke his word." Hermione mutters and Sirius shouts: "IS HE MAD? WHAT THE HELL WAS HE THINKING? WHY ON EARTH LEAVE THEM?" But then he's silenced and Remus says: "Sirius, I love you and I'm just as worried, but you're giving me a major migraine." His partner pouts and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 273 & 274 – PS  
**_ _He constantly let his eyes go from one side to the other, holding Hermione close in case they would be ambushed and trying to see whatever it could be that he was sure was following them.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 274 – PS**_

"DRACO LUCIEN MALFOY! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Narcissa shouts furiously and then Remus, who by now is holding his head between his hands, moans: "Don't let me silence you too. My headache's still not gone." The response from the fiery woman is a glare before she pulls her son into the antechamber.  
Quickly Lucius and Andromeda cast silencing spells and Percy asks: "Like Wood?" And while the former Quidditch captain glares at his Year mate, do the two adults chorus: "Worse." And as muffled shouts come through the door and spell, Lucius ends: "At least when it concerns family. You better just read on, this will take a while."  
I nod at him, yet while my respect for the Malfoys has never been all that high, do I still allow myself a small smile as I do respect people who are determined to be firm and caring for their families and Narcissa Malfoy definitely falls under that category, just like the new parents of my sweetling, making me smile as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 274 – PS  
**_ _Harry really thought it stupid to even split up as he had already seen how the path they were taking was first going all the way left before slowly bending to the right, meaning it would soon meet with the end of the path Malfoy and he were now to take._

This makes me put a hand in front of my eyes, but then a sudden muffled yell shocks me to look at the door through my fingers and Lucius mutters something the spell around the room won't let him share, but by his look can I already tell that he's grateful for something. I shake my head, feeling I don't want to know and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 274 & 275 – PS **_

"It began to WHAT?" Charlie shouts and while one of the teachers is now as white as a candle, does Parvati say: "But drinking Unicorn blood is a crime fouler than murder. Who would do something like that? The punishment would be given even before there could be a trial; the Unicorn blood's magic makes sure of that."  
Then Padma asks: "Do I want to know how you know all that?" And her sister answers: "I wanted to prove Hagrid was a good teacher and that Malfoy was wrong, so I studied all about hoofed Magical Creatures during my Third year." The girl nods, while Hermione, Ron and Harry smile at the tanned girl and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 275 – PS**_

"I can't believe I didn't notice. I thought you were right behind me until I found Hagrid and he shouted where you were. I really would have gone after you had Hagrid not left me with Granger and Longbottom, saying he would save you." Draco says as he walks out of the antechamber with his mother and Harry smiles.  
But then I see Hermione looking down with a hand covering her face as if she's trying to avoid looking at Malfoy – or avoid him looking at her and Ron asks: "What's the matter?" And Hermione mutters: "I thought he wanted to gloat over Harry's fear and see if Harry was badly injured or not." The ginger nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 275 & 276 – PS  
**_ _But Harry didn't. He couldn't. He not only knew Centaur law forbade humans to ride Centaurs, but he also returned his gaze to the killed Unicorn. He knew there was nothing he could do to save it, but he couldn't let it die and leave it to rot. He grabbed his wand and muttered, "_ _Ad fodere_ _." The literal Latin translation to the words_ _to dig_ _. The spell did its work and a perfectly shaped hole appeared just behind the Unicorn.  
_ _Harry put away his wand and walked over to the gentle, terribly-sad looking creature. He felt his heart connect to its stolen purity and felt tears start to softly gather in his eyes. He knelt at the creature's legs and slowly lay them to lie over each other; the left front leg to the front and the right to the back and the same with the hind legs – as an ancient way to show that the creature was riding towards the Other world.  
_ _Just then rustling and soft hooves sounded close, but Firenze didn't raise his fists and when Harry looked up, he was eye to eye with another, stronger and more beautiful Unicorn. The creature looked first at Harry and then at the Unicorn before him and the way his manes wove in the movement made Harry look down and to his shock, the manes on the Unicorn before him seemed to lie on the ground as if they had woven in the same way only recently; this Unicorn was a foal; the foal of the Unicorn before him.  
_ _Harry felt tears fall down his face even quicker than before and he looked back at the Unicorn before him, trying to make the creature understand without words that he knew how it felt; that he had experienced almost the same as he remembered his parents had been murdered. The Unicorn looked straight in Harry's eyes and Harry tried to express his regret, pain and respect all at the same time.  
_ _The Unicorn stepped forward and Firenze made a move, but Harry held up his hand, holding the Centaur back. The Unicorn stood between Harry and his foal and again stared at him straight, Harry meeting the gaze with respect and pride. He saw the movement of the manes change and suddenly the tips seemed to sharpen, before a few cut into the creature's skin. His horn glowed brightly and Harry only squinted his eyes, not covering them or closing them to show his respect.  
_ _When the light dimmed the Unicorn was gone, but the foal, Firenze and the dug hole were still there. Harry was on his knees and he felt something next to his left leg. Looking down, his eyes widened and he almost screamed. His hand was holding a small bottle of clear Unicorn blood – Unicorn blood that the mother bled to thank Harry for trying to protect her foal._

I shake my head and reread the sentence quietly, while everyone stares at me shocked and before any whispering can start to roam through the hall, does Snape say: "So that's how you got it." Everyone looks at him and he says: "Potter gave me that bottle when I handed him his Battle armor. He told me this story, but I forgot."  
I nod, still badly awed as I know another meaning to that given blood and say: "Harry, you do know the meaning behind that gift?" Harry nods and says: "It just said so in the book." But I shake my head and say: "By giving you that blood as a thank you for trying to save the foal, that mere accepted you as her new foal."  
Harry looks shocked and asks: "That Unicorn – considers me – her foal?" I nod and say: "You're now a wizard, but by Creature law are you also a Unicorn foal and thus part of whatever herd you wish to join. Your family is as sacred to them as they are to you." I see the boy about to cry and as he hides his face in his mother's shirt, do I read on.

 _He quickly put the vial away in his inner pocket, mentally blessing the mare for her gift and then – making sure the legs stayed like they were – he lifted the foal into the grave before softly moving fresh grass and dug up earth to cover the creature; the earth as a sign he gave the body to Mother earth and the grass as a sign that the foal's soul will live on through the many forms of Mother Nature. He then stood up and walked back to a stunned Firenze, who had gone back to lowering himself on his front legs. This time he did as the Centaur wanted and climbed on his back.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 276 & 277 – PS **__grave? Do you not see what the Potter boy has done for that_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 277 – PS**_ _, but he did know his chances to learn about star-gazing from the Centaur herd were far from reachable anymore_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 277 – PS  
**_ _Had he forgotten to show Firenze the same respect he showed Bane and Ronan?_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 277 – PS**_ _, inadvertently grabbing the vial in his inner pocket_ _ **. PS – Chapter 15, Page 277 & 278 – PS**_

Parvati nods and Padma asks: "Did you have to know that?" The girl shrugs and says: "Buckbeak was a hoofed Creature too – or partly at least. I wanted to know everything about all hoofed creatures so the teachers could test me and I could prove Hagrid was a fair teacher who taught everything there was to know.  
I hoped it would help as the exams were before the appeal, but I didn't have much hope." Harry too shakes his head and says: "As Dumbledore once said; _**the word of two thirteen year olds will not convince anybody.**_ Let alone the intelligence of one." The girl nods, while Hermione giggles as if she remembers those words and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 278 – PS**_

"Although I feel very proud that you have such a beautiful way of looking at it like that." Sirius tells his son, as Remus must have felt he kept the Silencing spell on long enough, before he goes on: "Do I really not want to hear of my eleven year old boy talking so responsibly and maturely about death." Everyone laughs and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 278 – PS**_

"Wait a minute. Are you telling me innocent, pure creatures were only killed and slaughtered, because some mad man wanted to keep alive long enough to steal the Stone? Who?" Hannah Abbott asks terrified and Harry answers: "You answered your own question when you called him a mad man." The girl looks confused and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 278 – PS**_

"Oh god NO!" Shockingly enough it's not Remus or Sirius shouting this, but McGonagall and she says: "You mean to tell me that You-Know-who was almost on Hogwarts perimeters?" But Hermione cringes in fear and mutters: "Not almost, professor. He was." Everyone looks white with fear as she says this and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 278 – PS**_

"What happened? I thought Hagrid held you back and told you he would go and save Harry himself?" Collin Creevey asks and Hermione answers: "He did, but I wasn't about to let Malfoy scare either of us and get us in danger, so I told Neville to get him out and went after Hagrid myself." The Third year nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 279 – PS**_ _I made sure it was respected._ _ **"  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 279 – PS**_ _or find out what Harry meant_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 279 – PS  
**_ _Harry looked up and said, "At least Mars is no longer as bright as before. Let us hope it will not shine just as bright again." The Centaur looked at him, but then nodded silently. He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry shivering behind him.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 279 – PS**_

I hear a few faint snorts, but I know everyone is tense and waiting for whatever will happen next. I quickly check the book and say: "Don't worry, the chapter's almost over." This seems to relieve everyone and Snape mutters: "One more chapter like this and I'll need to brew new Calming Draughts." Many students nod and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 279 – PS  
**_ _He didn't want to believe Snape was working for Voldemort, but now he at least had the belief he knew where Snape's hatred for him came from and that made him get a whole new theory – one he rather avoided saying. Snape hated him, but would be too big a suspect if he killed Harry himself, which meant he was trying to get to the Stone to resurrect Voldemort and let the man do the job for him – Voldemort wanted to kill him as a baby after all._

"I really hate how easily you think about death and murder, baby." Sirius mutters, this time lifting Harry onto his lap and holding him tightly. Remus joins him this time and mutters: "Those Dursleys are so going to pay. Treating you as badly as they did, making you think so little of yourself." I shake my head in anger and read on.

 _Harry didn't want to believe this fully as it meant Snape was willing to put hundreds of students in the danger of being killed by the mad man as well, but it was the only way he could finally explain the man's hatred for him. And Snape's dislike for other Houses didn't really make him think the man would care as to what would happen to most of the students.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 279 & 280 – PS  
**_ _I guess Snape agreed to do this for Voldemort if in return Voldemort would undo of Quirrell as well._ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 280 – PS**_

McGonagall seems to want to nod at first, but then she stops and says: "Well, I still hate fortune-telling, but this Centaur star-gazing seems to have enough proof to be seen as a real and usable form of magic." And while she says this, does she seem blind to the glares Parvati, Lavender and her colleague shoot at her as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 280 – PS**_

 _Harry had wanted to try and get the others' minds on Quirrell and his apparent role in all this, but Hermione was more interested in all Harry knew of the Centaurs and Ron was more interested in thinking of ways to protect the Stone, would the original protections fail._ _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 280 – PS**_

"Oh Merlin." The adults groan, while some excited students lean forward and Harry mutters: "Small surprise, really. A real small surprise compared to all we've read about. A little like the size of a rat's nose, that big." The adults nod, looking comforted and then Harry sighs relieved too and I realize that in his worry, Sirius had almost strangled his son.  
I shake my head and mutter: "We'll really need more than a few Calming Draughts to get us through these chapters if this is anything to go by." And I quickly try to let Snape know this before I read on, but he seems too interested in the bottle of Unicorn blood he has taken out of his own pocket. I shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 15, Page 280 – PS**_

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, A SET-UP!" Most of the teachers shout and Amelia says: "That's it. Endangering an eleven year old, who is also the last of an Ancient House. Oh, Dumbledore is going to get Life-long Azkaban if it's the last thing I do." And she starts scribbling down furiously on a new piece of parchment.  
Others look at me, their eyes asking me to read on, but I hold the book open to them and say: "It's the last piece of the chapter. We're finally through it." And then Ron let's something slip that makes me want to hit him, while Harry and Hermione hit themselves on the head as he says: "And the worst is yet to come."


	29. Dangers And Fun

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **This chapter is going to be very special. Why? Because this is where I will start adding something to the already existing story. I loved the interlude in Dumbledore's POV as well as that of others – or at least loved writing it – and I loved writing a bit of backstory for Lucius, so I will be doing something similar from now on.  
**_ _ **That's right, as of this chapter, each chapter will have a small bit of backstory from one or another character. Now, don't expect anything big for these people, they are more just to flesh out the entire reading crew, but while some of them will have detailed backstories, will some just be personal observations of the previous chapter.  
**_ _ **Have fun,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **And the translations are back as there will be HPxVK again  
**_ _ **най-скъпа моя любов is Bulgarian for My Dearest love  
**_ _ **красив глас на душата ми is Bulgarian for beautiful voice of my soul  
**_ _ **(Yeah, I know, doesn't make much sense, but it fits the part where I put it)**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 28  
**_ _ **Dangers And Fun**_

 _ **Pomona's POV**_

"I know the upcoming chapter is going to be quite hard to read and yet, I can't help but feel as if the last chapter read was the hardest we have ever gone through and that there will be at least a few more that will be just as hard. Still, I can't believe that my own House turned so disgustingly cruel to an 11 year old or that I didn't even notice."  
I shake my head at this as the last chapter had been an emotional drama as well as an eye opener for at least 60% of those present and while the whole thing with Wood ranting at his team mates feels quite well deserved, can I not help but fear how this kind of reading will commence as I suddenly remember two very similar events.  
The whole fiasco with the Chamber of Secrets in Harry's Second as well as his name coming out of the Goblet of Fire just this year. That last one definitely has me most worried as it put Harry up as supposed competition against my own student and that makes me worried for how my other Badgers may have responded.

I then notice Severus leaving for the Antechamber and coming back with tons of potions vials floating behind him and the man says: "Seeing Mr. Weasley's comment, I believe it prudent we keep calming draughts on hand." At this I nod and wish I could move a few exotic plants here that have calming effects on their environment.  
I then look at all the books that spawned from Harry's spell yesterday and feel determined to be better prepared for when we start the next book in three days as well as make sure to buy whatever will be needed in regards to the Dementors of Third year and with that do I start to make a mental list of possibly required purchases.

 _ **Ron's POV**_

"My turn. I best read this one." I say, already having a strong hunch as to what the chapter will be about. And sharing a look with my two best friends, I can tell they think the same. But apparently do my words of just now, that made my friends hit themselves on the head, and my latest comment make people nervous.  
I shrug it off and think: "If Harry was able to survive those terrible Muggles, it's no wonder he can survive all that we've been through. Or better said, all that Dumbles threw at him, expecting him to survive with no training or anything whatsoever." This makes me grumble and I walk off to the Owl stand to read.

 _ **Through the Trapdoor**_

"OH, FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN!" Sirius shouts with his arms raised up into the air while the other parents now share highly frightened looks with each other and he turns to Harry, but then McGonagall shocks him, Harry and me and says: "Don't blame your son, Sirius. He has no blame here. This is mostly my fault."  
The man looks at her shocked and she lowers her head, ashamed. I then remember how she had not believed us when we told her about the Stone and in a way, I can't give her wrong, but then, just when I want to tell her how this shame of hers is a few years too late, does Harry softly voice my thoughts and says:  
"Not mostly, Professor. Most of the blame stays with Voldemort and Dumbledore and no one else. He should have never gone after the Stone and Dumbledore should have never put the Stone in a location where there was such a large possibility of casualties. They both played with more lives than such an incident required."  
The woman smiles at her student and while many students now look at him shocked that he actually defended her, can I not help but nod at him and then Mr. Diggory says: "I will definitely bring this up with the Board of Governors when time restarts." And other adults, including dad, smile at him before I continue read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 281 – PS**_

Now the teachers look at each other and Flitwick says: "No wonder he was constantly looking at the doors during his theory exams." And Harry nods, having his head low in shame before he says: "I was still learning to read and write, so I wasn't putting too much effort in them. It was the practical exams where I wanted to do my very best."  
Now McGonagall smiles and says: "That you did, Mr. Potter. Better than your father could ever think of performing. At least you did in my exams." And other teachers nod too, Snape slightly reluctantly and the boy gets hugged in pride by both parents, while Hermione and I smile at him before I return everyone's attention back to the book.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 281 – PS  
**_ _The start of the exams also meant one other advantage for Harry; the other students were so busy getting ready for their exams that they forgot to curse Harry and so he again spend every night in his own dorm; a relief for him and Madame Pomfrey._

This makes the students in question lower their heads and then McGonagall stands up and says: "Mss. Corinway, Mr. Creatos, I want a full list of names of all the graduated students that were also in on these despicable actions. I will personally see to it that they realize how much of a disgrace they have been to their Houses with their actions."  
The girl nods and then Harry asks: "Professor, will that –." But Viktor pulls him close and Fred says: "Harry, we behaved terribly and we deserve to realize just how despicable that was." The boy wants to object, but McGonagall says: "No Mr. Potter. We need to take responsibility for our actions." My best friend sighs yet I smile and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 281 – PS**_

"And that wasn't even our work." The twins chorus, making many a student laugh and then Professor McGonagall says: "No, but it's still an achievement done by your family. Your uncles Fabian and Gideon, to be precise, thought it funny to constantly switch papers whenever they didn't know an answer and the other did.  
Since then have we made sure every quill adepts to a single person like a wand and thus doesn't write on a paper it didn't start writing the name on." The twins smile at each other proudly and they say: "Prewetts that pride us Weasleys. Unlike others." And they end with a glare to that disgusting Prewett woman, before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 281 – PS  
**_ _Harry had unfortunately been too focused and thus made his not do a tap-dance, but a real German Waltz. He ran out of the class before his Professor could tell him how badly he had failed._

"Mr. Potter, the tap-dance is only the base of the dancing spell. A Waltz – and one that good – proved just how talented you were in my subject. I was ever so proud, but I only realized you were gone when the pineapple was done." Professor Flitwick squeaks and Harry is again hugged by his parents, Erica and Mss. Crenson as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 281 – PS  
**_ _Harry had barely changed his and the professor exclaimed he had full-points, clapped him on the shoulder with a rare smile and started gloating about how this would show her colleagues she had the most talented student of the year. Harry had left the room with a head that would make a tomato look ashamed._

This makes many students look at their Head of House in clear shock. "Was it that good? I mean, even James didn't get that kind of reaction out of you." Sirius asks McGonagall, who seems to remember what she had seen back then and she nods with the same smile on her face as she must have had all those years ago.  
Then, when she notices how many students are looking at her in need for more info, does she suddenly pull the button holding her cloak together off her garment and transfigures the item into a snuffbox of 15 inches high and 34 inches wide, but when I look at the snuffbox itself I feel my mouth fall open in shock and my eyes widen.

The material itself is made of the finest of oaken wood and has obviously been taken good care of over the years. Alongside that is the wood of the snuffbox amazingly decorated and engraved and the decorations on and in the wood are even more beautiful than the shininess and smoothness of the Oak wood the snuffbox is made off.  
There are red and white roses and pink and purple ambrosias carved into the wood on the sides of the wood and on top is a beautiful auburn red and onyx black hair entwined with each other from the left to the right, with in the midst a beautiful emerald green gemstone, the hairs actually made of onyx stones and rubies.  
The button holding the lid closed is small, but amazingly delicate looking, with the outer ring decorated with small brown and green gemstones. All in all the snuffbox looks absolutely amazing and I can perfectly understand why McGonagall called Harry the most talented student of the year as I keep looking at it.

Even Harry looks shocked and while others start to whisper in awe, do they turn silent and turn to him as he almost whispers and says: "I know I was thinking of my parents and what Olivander had told me of them when I cast that spell, but for my magic to carve their hair and eye colors into the snuffbox – I had no idea."  
Everyone smiles at him and McGonagall says: "I've kept it with me ever since. Always use it as a cloak-holder, except for when I miss Lily or James too much. Then I transfigure it back and look at it for hours." Everyone smiles at the woman as she proudly sets the snuffbox down on the table and then I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 281 – PS  
**_ _Harry found this ironic and was glad of his actual fear for what Voldemort could do as it made his nervousness for the man less and thus made him capable to focus on the Potion at hand. He had practiced the Potion in his bed quite a couple of times and was sure he had made it as well as Snape would have said one of his Slytherins had made it. He had no doubt the man would sooner drink one of his own poisons than admit Harry had done well on a Potion, but at least he himself knew he had passed this exam._

This has a doubled effect, depending on who you looked at. The Snakes look shocked that Harry had made his Potion as well as they could have made and that he had actually passed; Snape looks down in shame as he must have known Harry was right and the Lions glare at the man for his bullying. Yet I ignore this all and just read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 282 – PS**_

This makes many students look at Harry in either sympathy or worry and Viktor, who still has Harry on his lap, hugs the boy close as Neville mutters: "At least the exam worries and nightmares didn't make him have a recap." This causes the sympathy and worry to turn into relief and I smile at the boy before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 282 – PS  
**_ _That Quirrell was also still looking scared and stuttering, but alive and kicking also made Harry wonder how much his theories were right, but the fact the man was heavily avoiding Snape and thus making quite a few detours to the Third floor corridor made Harry suspicious of the man – mostly because that corridor wasn't anywhere near any routes passing the Great Hall, the Dungeons or other locations Snape was often seen.  
_ _So what was Quirrell doing constantly going back there?_

This makes the students look at each other confused and I think: "Wonder how they'll react when they hear about his true nature." But then I look at Harry worried, as the boy never said a thing about the Dursleys and thus probably also kept quite a few things quiet about his adventure with the man. I sigh and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 282 – PS**_

"We really would have pulled you into the Hospital Wing if you hadn't, buddy." Seamus tells the boy with a playful grin and Harry blushes and says: "It was mostly relief I had lived long enough to pass them. I did after all believe Voldemort would come back and –." But then Seamus says: "Mate, don't ruin the good mood."  
Everyone laughs as Harry turns deep red as Viktor hugs the black-haired lad tightly and Sirius ruffles his hair. To this Harry shouts out and says: "Mum, come on. How am I supposed to style it like your hair if you keep messing it up." And tears rush to the man's eyes as he gives his son a quick hug, to which I smile and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 282 & 283 – PS **_

"You have a giant squid here?" Erica asks and Fred says: "Yeah, Jolton's really a great and kind brute. Never harms a single person and if you fall in the lake while crossing it, you can be assured he'll put you back in." To which young Dennis shouts: "TRUE! THAT HAPPENED TO ME!" Everyone laughs at the First year and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 283 – PS**_

Viktor hugs Harry and mutters: "Something that will never more have to happen, най-скъпа моя любов Voldemort is gone and you are forever rid of him and any influence he wants to have on your life." The two happily cuddle and I sigh as the fact that Harry will never be attacked again in his life hits me yet again before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 283 – PS  
**_ _Harry could barely believe his friend was this easy-going and envied him for it, but at least Ron had some words of comfort for him.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 283 – PS**_

And before I can get torn into, does Neville say: "Very true." But then he sees Hermione, Harry and my worried looks and I mutter: "Unless you know his weak points." Making the other boy's conviction falter and making many of the teachers share worried looks, while the students look curiously worried as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 283 & 284 – PS **_

"What's so important about an owl delivering a message? That happens all the time." Parkinson asks with a sneer and I say: "Trust me, Parkinson; Harry can get the most amazing theories about the simplest of things. And they always tend to be true as well." The girl sneers at me and I say: "Just wait and listen." Before I continue the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 284 – PS**_

"Told you." I tell the girl, while fighting the urge to shake my head, but she says: "So he came up with something. Doesn't say he knows what's going on." But then one of her House mates says: "At least he knows more about what's going on than you do, Parkinson." The two girls sneer at each other and I quickly read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 284 – PS**_

"As quick as ever, aren't you?" Erica smiles as she looks at Harry adoringly and the boy, while still in Viktor's lap and with his head now resting on Viktor's shoulder, shrugs, before Collin says: "It did mention that Harry was amazingly quick and he is the Youngest Seeker in a century. And to be Seeker you really have to be quick."  
The woman nods and then says: "That's true." Before Mss. Crenson goes on: "And while he was always picked last for his class activities, he was also always the best in gymnastics; especially in fitness and dodge ball." The two woman smile at my best friend, who smiles slightly and shrugs, making me roll my eyes as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 284 – PS**_

Now most Sixth and Seventh years, along with our Dorm mates and all the teachers gasp and McGonagall mutters: "And just by seeing an owl." But Parkinson doesn't seem to understand and I shake my head, wondering how dense that Snake really is before I turn my attention away from her – and her constant glaring – and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 284 & 285 – PS **_

"What would that even matter?" Parkinson asks, but her glaring opponent gasps and mutters: "Of course. The dragon dealer." The girl looks at her opponent and asks: "What on earth are you on about, Greengrass?" To which the girl snaps: "How dense are you?" And before they can start shouting – or even worse, dueling – do I quickly read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 285 – PS**_

Greengrass also sinks down a little in fear and shock and Parkinson shouts: "Greengrass, tell me what you are on about already." And the girl asks: "And why should I do that?" Parkinson looks at the girl shocked, but then Zabini mutters: "And the Ice Queen strikes again." Making the Greengrass girl smile and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 285 – PS**_

This makes everyone who knows that is one of Hagrid's greatest weaknesses – under which my brothers, Sirius, Remus and most of the teachers – hit themselves on the head and I lie the book down, before following their example and while Parkinson is now trying to get the answer out of the teachers with a demanding glare, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 285 – PS**_

"Even around Hogwarts?" Sirius asks and Fleur seems to realize the same as he does and asks: "Does that mean Fluffy wasn't the first Cerberus he had?" But neither McGonagall nor any of the teachers seem capable of answering that and Flitwick says: "The Heads of Houses will surely look into this matter, you can be assured."  
The girl nods, but I suddenly look at my friends, all of us remembering the Basilisk and Harry and I remembering the Accromantulas. All three of us understand Hagrid's words better than the rest as they really say that Cerberuses aren't the only life-threatening creatures you can find in and around the school.  
Not that Hagrid himself must have realized the meaning behind his own words – or the fact that some creatures are manageable to him, but not to people like Harry and me. I shudder as I remember the Accromantulas and think: "Can't wait to see Hagrid's reaction to his _**pet's**_ words." And with another shudder I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 285 & 286 – PS **_

Here I stop to let the words sink into everyone and Zabini says: "You're kidding, right?" But I shake my head and one of the twins asks: "A dangerous, man-eating Cerberus." And the other continues: "Falls asleep by the use of." And together they chorus: "MUSIC?" I nod and Percy mutters: "Hagrid's lost it."  
But then Greengrass gasps and says: "But if Hagrid told Potter, Granger and Weasley that, then drunk." And her sister continues, just as shocked: "He must have told the same to that fake Dragon dealer." And they chorus: "And that is what Harry must have realized when he saw that owl flutter towards the school."  
Everyone looks shocked, while Harry lowers his head in embarrassment and I say: "Like I said, my buddy gets the most amazing theories, out of the simplest of things." And everyone nods, many students looking at the red-faced boy impressed, while Parkinson looks angry at being proven wrong as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 286 – PS  
**_ _He was highly against Authority figures after the whole debacle with McGonagall and the fact none of the teachers noticed what other students were doing to him, but he knew this was the point where they needed help._

This makes many students smile and Narcissa says: "That he can still trust in adults after being abused by his family and the accusations of his Head of House." She then turns to her cousin and says: "You truly have a remarkable boy there, Sirius, and you better be very proud of him." Sirius nods at her and he softly says:  
"I am, Cissy, I certainly am." And he hugs Harry close to him, my buddy's eyes sparkling and looking like dew-filled grass as he slowly, gently moves himself to sit on his mum's lap and slowly, carefully wraps his arms around the man – which I can only assume is because of his still injured legs. I shake my head at this before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 286 – PS**_

Now every one of the students and even Snape and McGonagall turn to the twins, which kind of makes me want to snicker, but they hold up their arms and the left of them says: "Hey, we've only been sent to the Headmaster's office three times and none of them were because of our pranks." To which the other goes on and says:  
"Yeah, we always kept to the rules Percy playfully pushed into our minds at young age or that we tried learning to keep to the law. We were only called at the beginning of their Second, Third and this year and that was with the request –." But then both whiten and their white faces looking at each other worries me and I ask:  
"What? What request?" The two look down with great shame, their entire happy and playful demeanor vanishing in a sudden flash and they say: "The request to keep an eye out for you as he feared something like the year previous would happen and to always report to him whatever we found out about from the three of you."

Then suddenly, while my older brothers gasp as they realize what the twins did and while dad turns furious, do they come rushing at me and to my shock, do they shout apologies in my ear and speak words like _**had no idea**_ and _**used us as spies**_. I realize what must have made them whiten, but my lips thin in anger and I say:  
"You cannot be blamed for that." The two look at me and I say: "Dumbledore even got McGonagall and Snape to believe Harry was well-treated and arrogant. That man could have made everyone – maybe even You-Know-Who – I mean, Tom – believe he was the finest wizard there was and that he knew the best.  
You can't be blamed for falling for his tricks." The two smile and hug me again, a clear sign they still care about me deeply and that they want to regrow the bond broken by that blasted woman so long ago. I return the hug with the same intentions and ideas and when they have sat back down, do I grant them one last smile before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 286 – PS**_

"I am a Gryffindor, you know." The girl kids around, shocking many, except for Harry and me as we are used to it, but then Harry says: "Sorry professor, but I think the book means bravely as in bravely enough to still trust her after she insulted you and your values so badly." The woman looks down, Hermione nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 286 & 287 – PS  
**_ _Harry cringed, expecting a hit by the books – or at least another terrible insult to him not caring about something important._ _ **  
PS – Chapter 16, Page 287 – PS**_

"And you saw no problems in that, Minerva?" Flitwick asks, the man's voice sharp with the shock he must be feeling at hearing this and instantly Harry, Hermione and I are on sharp, our ears open and our eyes looking somewhere else – which is for me and Hermione each other and for Harry Viktor – before the man goes on:  
"You know as well as I do Fudge always used the floo if he or other Department Heads needed Albus for help. Only for advice would a letter be send." But then, while the Minister nods at this and while McGonagall turns red in evidence that she forgot about this, do I think of something and growl: "That rotten bastard."  
Everyone looks at me and I say: "If Professor Flitwick has known that all along, then Dumbledore must have known that too. Especially when he received and read the letter. He left, knowing it was a fake. He went along with the plans of evil." Everyone growls as they realize I'm right and with anger strong in the room, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 287 – PS**_

"At the moment, it would have been, Minerva." Fudge says and Professor McGonagall mutters: "I realize that now, Cornelius." And the woman again lies her head in her hands, while she mutters: "And I don't want to think what effects this conversation will have on Mr. Potter." The Minister agrees with her and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 287 – PS  
**_ _Harry had a feeling she had caught onto his slip and hoped that would not inspire her not to believe him. Again he was disappointed.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 287 – PS  
**_ _Especially by us teachers._ _ **"**_ _That last made it perfectly clear to Harry that McGonagall trusted her opposite Head of House and his hopes that Snape wasn't the culprit rose a little – but not enough that he didn't think something bad wouldn't soon happen.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 287 & 288 – PS  
**_ _The fact she didn't take three First years serious about something even Seventh years obviously hadn't been able to find out made him lose the last bit of trust he had in her – concerning valuable information at the least._ _ **  
PS – Chapter 16, Page 288 – PS**_

"We sure did. Still, Dumbledore knew he had fallen – or rather yet willingly walked into – a trap and still he insisted on checking with all Departments that usually ask for his aid." To which I grumble: "More like wanted to waste time he could spend on protecting my buddy. He was purposely stalling for time, the bastard."  
Everyone growls and I know Dumbledore will get the cursing of a lifetime when time runs again – not to mention a hard meeting with the stone ground, seeing he must still be suspended in time. This makes me snicker as I imagine Dumbledore trying to think of ways to avoid the ground without being able to move a muscle.  
But then I realize what I'm thinking and shake my head, realizing that outside the hall everything – except the kitchens – is frozen in time, meaning Dumbledore doesn't even have the time to think – and won't have any time to think of a way to avoid the ground when he lands. I snicker softly, trying not to draw attention and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 288 – PS**_ _Harry avoided eye-contact because of his suspicions, but was at the same time trying to read the man's posture and look – to see if he meant harm or help.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 288 – PS**_ _Harry spared a quick glance in his black eyes, but while the same twisted look wasn't in there, was there nothing indicating the opposite either. This only slightly appeased Harry as it meant Snape could very well be a Neutral case in all this – not that all he discovered spoke of the same.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 288 – PS  
**_ _The words, he knew, had a hidden meaning, but all he could pick out from it was that he either should or shouldn't be out that night – something that strengthened his belief about that trap and the Stone.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 289 – PS**_ _She turned and as she did, Harry noticed her lips rising in fondness. He shook his head and put it back on focus._

"I really wish you could keep it focused on such simple matters." Sirius moans, hugging his son and then suddenly I see that Snape seems to be bent over his armchair's armrest. I raise my head a little and see two ears, of which the bat-like shape make me know he's talking to a House Elf. He then turns back and I read on quickly.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 289 – PS**_

"MINERVA!" This time, before Sirius or other family members could shout, the teachers round on the woman and while this seems to appease the angry parents, does Flitwick ask: "Since when do you hand out such harsh treatments? What the hell is wrong with you to treat the son of your favorite ex-students like that?"  
To which the woman says: "That's just it." The others look at her confused, but Sirius seems angered even more at this and he spats: "Trying to keep Harry from being an insufferable prankster like his dad is no excuse of taking 50 points for being at any corridor or out after curfew. Especially not if you don't even have plan to explain it to him."  
The woman lowers her head further and Professor Snape says: "My House might lack proper behavior towards other students, but it seems Gryffindor House lacks a severe amount of communication between Head of House and students. You really have to work on that, Minerva." The woman nods and I angrily read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 289 & 290 – PS  
**_ _He still hoped Snape had a neutral role in all this and still wondered what Quirrell's role was in the entire situation as he seemed to keep coming up as often as Snape had done, but he knew the time to think and wonder about that was over.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 290 – PS**_

"Now they're going to get it." Hermione smiles at me and while trying to fight the goosebumbs that I can feel rising up from underneath my skin, do I say: "They won't believe he can say things like that." But then I think on and ask: "But first I think Harry will be the one who gets it – from his mother, I mean." The girl nods at me and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 290 – PS**_

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Sirius shouts, his voice sounding as mad as it did the day we found out about Pettigrew being the real traitor, while Remus shouts: "NO WAY IN HELL WILL YOU DO THAT, HARRY JAMES POTTER!" But then Narcissa Malfoy actually shouts: "IT WAS NOT HIS FAULT!"  
Everyone looks at her and before either parent can object to her words, does she say: "We already know the culprit – and I don't mean you, Severus. I mean that idiot Dumbledore. He left, knowing it was a trap and purposely stalled his visit, just to let Harry think he had to take the man's place and protect the Stone.  
Had Dumbledore stayed, then the real thief would have never made a move and Harry would have gone back outside to enjoy the week with his friends, knowing Dumbledore would keep the Stone safe." Everyone nods, Sirius and Remus now having calmed down from where they were halfway out of their seats and Harry mutters:  
"A few weeks ago I remember going to bed – it was right after that Divination thing where I took a look in Dumbledore's pensive – and I remember thinking how it all started with Voldemort – but I guess at this point, it all starts with Dumbledore." Everyone nods, while only a few shudder at the name and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 290 – PS**_

"Ron, stop." Hermione smiles at me, her gentle tone of voice confusing me and making many turn to look at her as do I with a confused look, but then she says: "You did a nice try there, but that was nothing like how Harry said it. Harry, would you mind quoting what you said that day? You can use the book if you like."  
I see my mate turning red and then, while many students now share excited and curious glances with each other, does Viktor pull him close and says: "I would love to hear what makes your friends so proud of you, красив глас на душата ми. Please let us hear it." The boy nods, albeit reluctantly and I hand him the book.  
He lies it on his lap and closes his eyes, before opening them with the same dreamy look I sometimes noticed on the Lovegood girl's face. I realize he's trying to put himself back in the situation he was in back then and then, while everyone looks shocked at seeing this look on his face, does he suddenly speak just like he did then.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 290 – PS**_

I shake my head, almost feeling myself falling into a flashback of all those years ago and when I feel as if I am back to being in the present smile at my best friend, the goosebumps of so long ago back on my skin, while even the teachers and Remus have their mouths wide open as they look at their student and son in pure shock.  
Harry's words were really just like they were all those years ago – down to the tone – and I can tell he seems just as into what he just said as everyone else as that same determined and angered look is on his face. Then Luna Lovegood is the first to start clapping and I quickly follow her lead – before everyone else follows mine.  
Harry seems to get broken out of his memory by this and then, realizing what he did, hides his face in Viktor's shirt, but the Bulgarian Seeker and Champion just hugs him close, a large proud grin on his face and kisses his hair lovingly, while Sirius and Remus smile in pure ecstatic pride of what their son said all those years ago.

Then, when everyone has calmed down and students start whispering with each other in awe, does Sirius say: "I don't like the fact you had to use this amazing talent to convince your friends you had to go and save the Stone, but damn – even James couldn't make such speeches. And Merlin, did he practice when he was Head Boy."  
Remus nods and Harry moves his head to the man to show him a small smile, making his mother gently run a hand down his son's face. I then take back the book that now lies on the boy's lap and when everyone has stopped talking once more – and when Viktor has helped Harry to just sit on his lap again – do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 290 & 291 – PS  
**_ _Harry could barely believe the two would do this for him. Hermione, who was always aiming to please the teachers and prove she was part of the Magical world; willing to go behind teachers' backs for Harry's sake. And Ron, who wanted to stay at Hogwarts, perform and outdo his brothers so badly; risking his future career as a student just for him – Harry. A strong part of him doubted the idea of him even being worth it, but it also fueled his determination to do everything he could to keep these two miracles in his life.  
_ _They really were the blessing he had been waiting for, for so long._

Hermione slightly has tears in her eyes as she and I smile at our best friend, who seems really into the book as he smiles back with small signs of tears in his eyes – tears that prove he believes what is written. I wink at my best friend, to show him we're always there for him and his answering nod inspires me to read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 291 – PS  
**_ _Harry had noticed that the boy had been around a lot more since the points loss and for some reason he just didn't believe it was because Fred and George were keeping their distance from Harry, but trying to stay close to Ron. Maybe it was the fact that Lee often stayed in the common room when Fred and George had already gone to bed, but Harry and Ron, Harry and Hermione or all three of them hadn't._

Lee smiles, while I can barely believe that my best friend noticed this and the twins hang their heads, one of them muttering: "Our best friend doing what we should do for our little brother." And the other says: "Just because we disapprove of one stunt his best friend supposedly pulled." And they hang their heads even further as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 291 – PS**_ _On the staircase he saw Lee lounging against the wall opposite of the door to the Third years boys dorm. The elder boy looked at him, then motioned for the door with his eyes, before rolling them. He then walked into the dorm and winked at Harry, as if trying to tell the boy something.  
_ _Harry stood still at the doorway to the First years dorm. He could barely believe what had just happened. Lee had shown him he didn't approve of his best friends' behavior and silently told Harry to hang in there. He actually still had a friend – other than Neville, Ron and Hermione – in Gryffindor House._ _ **  
PS – Chapter 16, Page 291 – PS**_

At this do my year mates and the Gryffindor Quidditch Team moan in disappointment. "Too bad, mate. That might have kept that dog asleep for hours instead of for how long the music played." I mutter at my best friend and he shrugs, making me shake my head, before I say: "As a make-up, I ask of you to sing at the next Sorting."  
The boy looks shocked, but then I see his eyes flashing towards the books and with a grin I could have easily put on the twins' faces, he says: "Deal." I smile, glad my mate is willing to finally start showing his actual talents and then read on, not understanding why Hermione seems to have trouble holding back laughter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 291 & 292 – PS  
**_ _He really hoped Neville would understand this could lead to something like what happened weeks ago. That he would let them go. He was safe with Ron and Hermione and wouldn't try anything that could really get him killed. Not intentionally, at least. But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 292 – PS**_ _Suddenly Harry saw that the boy was looking at him desperately and he understood. Neville didn't mind them going out. He just didn't want them caught or on even worse grounds with the other students – he was just protecting Harry from anything that could get him a relapse._ _ **Harry**_ _smiled at his friend and_ _ **took a step forward**_ _, ready to explain the situation._

This makes me cringe as I had missed the entire episode in my need to aid my friend in this adventure and make sure he wouldn't harm himself. I hadn't wanted to give You-Know-Who any chances of reviving and that had nothing to do with fear of what he would do to Hogwarts would he indeed come back to life.  
I had feared for the life of my best friend, who had been targeted as an infant and would surely be targeted again. Wanting to avoid that happening at any costs I had been furious at Neville, believing him to want to thwart my plans to protect my best buddy and I had lashed out at the poor boy – while his intentions were the same as mine.  
I look at Neville in apology, but the boy's too busy being stared at to notice and I shake my head, realizing that he and Harry – not to mention me and Hermione – would always be stared at, no matter what we do or don't do. I sigh, knowing with this will cause for a lot of happiness and trouble for us four and continue the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 292 & 293 – PS**_ _, who didn't want Neville to think he didn't appreciate the effort,_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 293 – PS  
**_ _Harry tried not to regret his decision.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 293 – PS  
**_ _Harry vowed he would explain. He would stop Snape – or whoever was behind all of this – and then explain Neville everything they discovered, so that he would understand. He still owed him an explanation about Norbert after all.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 293 – PS**_ _or even acceptable after what the boy had tried to do for Harry. So he stalled just a little bit longer – to the complaints of Ron – and Levitated Neville onto the Gryffindor couch. Ron stopped complaining at once and they left – Harry still feeling bad_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 293 & 294 – PS**_

"Is this that Baron thing you keep talking about?" The twins chorus and I nod, happily smiling widely and Remus says: "You know, for such a dangerous chapter, are there still quite some fun parts too." Everyone nods and Harry asks: "Want me?" And I almost throw the book at him. My best friend laughs and starts to read.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 294 – PS**_

I shake my head, quickly looking around for the poltergiest along with several of the other students around me, but then Sprout says: "Very good imitation of Peeves, Mr. Potter." This makes me smile and I ask: "Did you study how to speak Ghost or something?" My best friend laughs again, but doesn't answer and instead reads on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 294 – PS**_

I then notice the situation that has transpired around my best friend and quickly slap a hand on his mouth to keep him from reading further and when he looks at me with his big green eyes of confusion, I motion for his side. He looks the other way and sees his parents looking at him with eyes that almost fall out of their sockets.  
The rest of the students are just as quiet, just like when Harry did his speech, and I smile, saying: "Peeves still has to figure out that it was Harry and not the Baron. He does know Harry has a Cloak and thinks Harry put the Baron on him, so that he could sneak past. Peeves has been terrified of Harry ever since."  
Everyone laughs and I see Remus opening his mouth. I quickly cast a Silencing spell at the twins and the man says: "An action worthy of the Marauders. And Ron, already ahead of you." And as I take the book back, I see his wand lying on his lap with his hand on the handle. I smile at him, return to the Owl stand and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 294 – PS**_

"Harry?" I ask and the boy speaks:

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 294 – PS**_

Everyone looks around, all of their eyes scanning the walls for a sign of the menacing Ghost of Slytherin House, but then the twins jump at Harry and bow to his feet, praying: "Teach us! Teach us, please! Oh Great one, teach us your methods! Teach us your holy methods of even tricking the untrickable Peeves!"  
But Harry smiles at me and then at his parents, before he slaps his front pocket and says: "Sorry boys, I can't teach you what's in my genes." The two look up and confused and Harry says: "It will all be explained in the Third book." The two nod, eagerly looking at the book in question and when they have sat back down do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 295 – PS  
**_ _Harry pushed the door open if only to turn back and hide his tears of gratitude.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 295 – PS**_

This has everyone on the edge of their seats and I know they all eagerly want to know how we passed that amazing, gigantic mutt, not to mention the other protections we had to face to get to the Stone. Wondering how the First years will react to the dangers we faced – not to mention our parents – I gulp and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 295 – PS**_ _, while he sincerely doubted Snape would play the harp_ _ **.**_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 295 & 296 – PS**_

"Ron, there's always a time to be a gentleman and let the lady go first." One of the twins tells me and then the other goes on: "But that wasn't it." I nod at them and say: "I know. It would have been better had I proposed to go first and find out what was down there." The two nod, but then I share a glance with Harry and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 296 – PS**_

"And the reason you didn't do that in the first place?" Sirius asks his son and Harry says: "Fury at Dumbledore for falling for a trap and the lingering feeling of betrayal caused by McGonagall. Adults, by that time, were to me a final choice opportunity; something I only do when there's nothing else I could do." The man sighs and nods as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 297 – PS**_

"Is that good?" A timid first year asks and Professor Sprout answers worriedly: "No! No, it's definitely not." Now the adults look at each other and Remus says: "If the strict, but ever kind and calm Pomona Sprout is this worried, what on earth could be happening in there?" And I read on, not wanting them to worry further.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 297 – PS  
**_ _In his eyes this was a good thing as it meant he was healing off all the things the Dursleys had done to him, including the long days to weeks in the pitch-black cupboard – but he knew he couldn't focus on that. He'd silently celebrate once the culprit was stopped – or once Dumbledore got his head back on his neck and realized he was needed here. Harry shook his head to focus and let his hands glide over the surface._ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 297 – PS**_

Now all of the 4th year Badgers, Ravens and Lions turn to Neville and Susan asks: "Neville, what kind of plant could be deadly enough it would worry Professor Sprout?" But the boy looks just as worried and says: "Loads of them, really. I need a few more details on it to know which one. But it's magical, that's for sure." Susan nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 297 – PS**_

"DEVIL'S SNARE!" Neville shouts, jumping up from his single sitter and Harry and I look at each other, while everyone looks at him shocked. I nod and he says: "And all it took was a description of the actions. He didn't even hear what it looked like." This makes the boy sit down embarrassed and we both smile at him, before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 297 & 298 – PS**_

"Around his WHERE?" The twins chorus and dad shouts: "RON GET OVER HERE **NOW!"** I blush in slight embarrassment, but obey his command and as I sit next to him on the half-circular couch he and my brothers are on, does he hug me tightly while all my other brothers either grab each other or onto my legs.  
I smile at them – glad they seem to care for me so much they worry about something that had happened years ago and send each of them a comforting smile, before Sirius asks: "Please tell me it didn't try that with you." But Harry shakes his head and says: "Never got that far." The man moans and hugs him close as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 298 – PS  
**_ _The pressure wasn't even the worst of the current situation to Harry, the strength of the grip was more of a problem as it made his still fragile bones hurt and he felt one was about to crack – again._

This makes Hermione whimper and because I know what happens next, do I say: "Don't worry, you probably acted long before that could happen." The girl nods and smiles at me as she, Neville and Luna also take a seat at the couch, that Bill charms to be almost completely circular, with only one entrance in the southwest.  
She then quickly sits with Ginny next to Percy, who holds his youngest sibling as he sits too far away from Ron to hold him and while the teachers scaredly look at my best friend, the students vividly change their views from Harry to me and Sirius whimpers as he pulls his son gently on his lap, is the entire hall utterly silent as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 298 – PS  
**_ _A motion Erica had taught him had made him capable of moving his arms so that his back and chest were protected from being instantly squished, but the pressure on his arms was starting to become unbearable.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 298 – PS**_

Now Hermione cringes and before anyone can stand up – before McGonagall can even make a single sound or move, do I shout: "How would you feel if your friends are covered in dead-gripping vines and all you have witnessed was First year lessons, Quidditch and a Mountain Troll?" Everyone sits down and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 298 – PS**_

Now many students look at me and because the tension is about to suffocate me, do I say: "Hey, best friend rights. And I was about to choke." Everyone either shakes their head or snickers at the easy way I say it, but the action also causes dad to hug me tighter and I sigh, not wanting to worry him further and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 298 & 299 – PS**_ _and swinging his arms a little to get life back into them_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 299 – PS**_ _, his quick reaction mostly due to the fact he didn't want them arguing down where they were so he spoke before Hermione could even get angry at Ron_ _ **.**_

Everyone snickers and Hermione asks: "We don't argue that much, do we?" To which Ginny lies a hand on her shoulder and says: "Hermione, I wouldn't be surprised if one day you two would argue about whether or not you're arguing right then." The girl turns red and sends her a mocking glare while I read on – equally red.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 299 – PS**_

Charlie turns to our eldest brother and Bill holds up his hands and says: "Charlie, all I can do is see if I can get you an employee's tour throughout the bank to see how the Dragons are doing and if there is anything you can do to improve their living conditions and work at the bank. That's all. I'm not even supposed to confirm that they're there."  
Charlie nods, but still glares and Bill says: "Look, I'll try to find out if the Goblins use Dragons and see what families use them. Then maybe I can convince those families to use other creatures or forms of protections, but I can't promise a thing. Even with my job, I don't get much of a say in there." Now Charlie smiles a little and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 299 – PS  
**_ _The soft tone and the fact it sounded like they were with many comforted Harry that it couldn't be a Dragon; no way would anyone put a herd of Dragons this deep under the school.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 299 – PS**_

I shake my head, remembering how amazed I had been when I saw him study the environment as quick as he had and say: "And all he did was –." And I shortly look up – for perhaps a minute or one and a half – and then move my head down to Hermione, looking at her for the same amount of time, before looking behind me.  
I then shake my head and say: "And he already saw that the things were bird-like, that they were bright and that the door was made of heavy-wood. Honestly, that kid's got to be some kind of cat-like Animagus, because his senses are just amazing." Everyone nods, while Sirius smiles in pride at his son and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 299 & 300 – PS  
**_ _Hermione wanted to protest, but he had already turned back and looked up, watching the spectacle above him close enough to see how high they were flying – he wanted to make sure they had a large distance to cross to reach him before he would actually try anything.  
_ _He saw that they were about the height of the Quidditch hoops and felt it was safe to run.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 300 – PS  
**_ _He looked back at Ron and Hermione's relieved faces and then looked up and saw that while the swarm was flying a little lower, it was still flying around harmlessly. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 300 – PS  
**_ _Harry looked at her after that and she told him, "Many complicated spells are broken by simple basic spells, because witches and wizards overlook these, not thinking them important enough, and thus forget to put up the right protections."_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 300 – PS**_

"And you've got the youngest Seeker in a century in the same room!" The twins shout in pleasure, but this turns the Malfoy elders and Harry's parents grim and when one of the twins asks: "What's wrong? It's good they have Harry there, isn't it? It means they'll be out of all that trouble quicker, because he'll have the right key in a jiffy."  
But then Lucius says: "Which is exactly what Dumbledore wants. He over-obviously decorated these traps to be breached by no one but the teachers, the – _Him_ – and those three. Young Harry's clear head and Granger's good attention saved them the last time and now it's Harry's flying abilities that will get them further.  
He's just clearing the path for them, while making it look like he was really trying to keep a thief from stealing the Stone. It was all planned – from Hagrid taking Harry shopping to the protections he must have insisted being used." Now the twins look grim, along with the rest of the hall – mostly Harry's parents and my family – and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 300 & 301 – PS**_

I cringe as that had hurt, but then the twins shock me and instead of mocking me, do they pull me in between them and hug me closely, their expressions showing that they see no need in lightening the atmosphere as they are much too worried about me. I smile at my elder siblings, showing them my gratitude and then read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 301 – PS**_

The same happens in the Great Hall and the twins finally let me go enough for me to breath normally as I read on, but don't let go of me completely and still hold their arms linked behind my back with their hands on my shoulders. They obviously won't let go until the chapter's over and smile at their love and worry before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 301 & 302 – PS**_

This makes everyone who was at school back then and who had been at the End of The Year Feast gasp and Percy said: "Dumbledore spoke of that. He said Ron won points because he played the best-played game of chess in many years. I thought it meant he had to play against some transfigured copy of McGonagall or something."  
The woman looks down and says: "I was the only one Dumbledore couldn't fully convince to change my protection to his wishes, Mr. Weasley. He did convince me to use my talent as a Chess Master, but he couldn't get me to do exactly that. Then again, he didn't try all that long either." This makes Percy look as if he wonders who to be angry at and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 302 – PS  
**_ _He really wasn't, but then again the only one he ever played against was Ron and be honest, who could beat him?_

This makes a small smile appear on my face, while many of the students who had seen me play actually nod in agreement with my friend and then Remus looks up and asks: "Minerva, would you and Ron mind teaching Harry about chess and other mind-trick games? It would really help him with his under-achieving problem."  
I instantly nod, wanting to get my mate off that ridiculous problem yesterday if I could and the woman says: "Anything to make of Mr. Potter the student he deserves to be." And all other teachers nod, while Harry turns red and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 303 – PS**_

Immediately upon hearing this does Percy whiten as he looks at me with wide eyes and one of the twins asks: "Is something wrong, Perce?" Before the asks: "Yeah, what's with the white face?" And the boy says: "I've been watching all of Ron's games – or at least the ones where I was present – since he started Hogwarts. He – he always –."  
My elder brother gulps, while I'm surprised Percy kept such a close eye on me that he knew what I did with what pieces, yet also wonder how he didn't know of this before if he did and the others also turn white as they realize it must be something bad and then Percy says: "He always sacrifices his knight. Always the left one."  
All my brothers look at me and the strength of the grip the twins have on me strengthens again, while Hermione and Luna go sit with Percy to comfort him while Ginny goes to sit in between Bill and Charlie for both their comfort as well as her own. We all hold onto each other and as dad lies a hand on my arm, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 303 – PS**_

"Are you saying this is like real WIZARD'S CHESS?" Dad asks, shouting at the end and then, after my nod makes him whiten in pure fear and hold me even tighter, does suddenly Luna ask: "Why isn't Mss. Prewett reacting?" Everyone looks around and Bill says: "I saw she wanted to go over to Harry this morning.  
I tied her up, gagged her and put her on one of the plates above the hall, while putting a day-long invisibility and silencing spell on her. We won't be hearing a word from her and personally, I think it a blessing." Everyone nods, some of the younger students looking at the plates hanging around the hall and Terry says:  
"And the fact a Ravenclaw who doesn't even know her noticed her absence first really proves her importance to us all, doesn't it?" To which we snicker and Mrs. Malfoy says: "As far as we're concerned is she disowned from the Weasley and the Black Houses, seeing as her mother is Cedrella Black by birth."  
Sirius then shakes his head and says: "I was always proud to be one of the people who Mother burned off the Family tapestry, but I really believe Cedrella and Septimus made a big mistake when they had – or at least raised – Molly." Everyone nods, me not feeling a single hint of sympathy towards my ex-mother and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 303 & 304 – PS**_

"Oh Merlin, that's your favorite victory strategy. You're actually playing with your winner's strategy, aren't you?" Percy asks me, while Hermione and Luna holding him seems to keep him slightly calm despite his anxious face and I can only nod as I'm shocked that Percy actually knows my favorite victory strategy.  
Then Charlie asks: "Is that bad, Perce?" And Percy nods and says: "It's the strategy he used to beat Grandpa Septimus. It's the one he's been using since he first learned the game. And it always ends the same. Just listen." Everyone nods, all of the Fourth years now white with worry and awe and I read on, not wanting Percy to worry more.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 304 – PS**_

Percy lowers his head and he mutters: "The Knight is taken by the queen and then the Bishop checkmates the King. It's the same strategy he used – all those years ago. He plays and loses so many of his own pieces that his Bishop and Knight can easily move as they play." I shake my head, barely believing how well he knows me and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 304 – PS**_

Now McGonagall lowers her head, while the twins grips are almost choking me and she mutters: "I never wanted that sacrifice to hurt my students. I never thought any students would get that far." And then she shocks the entire hall and spats: "Curse you, Dumblefuck!" We all look at her shocked and then I shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 304 – PS  
**_ _Harry cursed himself inwardly. Percy had constantly – even when he was the most hated student around – taught him about Ron's playing strategies so he could develop strategies against it and he had been too late to notice it. Now there were just not enough pieces of their side left for Ron to switch strategies and he and Harry knew it. There was no alternative.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 304 – PS  
**_ _He had tears in his eyes – tears for how his actions of going down here had hurt his friends and shook his head as he moved on. He had to move quickly – get all this over quickly – because he faster he moved, the sooner Ron would be at the Hospital wing. He just hoped Hermione wouldn't be there with his friend.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 304 – PS**_ _, mostly with his own analyze_ _ **.**_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 304 & 305 – PS**_

"A troll?" Bill asks, his face showing he's fully into his role as Curse Breaker and he goes on: "Quirrell actually puts up something even he's terrified of as a defense? How is he supposed to check up on his defenses if he doesn't even dare get near them?" But I see Harry scowling furiously, as if he remembers something and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 305 – PS**_

"Better be careful there, Potter." Moody says, suddenly talking while all we heard of him during the book were grunts and him moving his wooden leg, thus his voice causing us all to jump up in shock as we have all completely forgotten about him, which in turn makes him glare at the adults that had been startled as well.  
He then goes on and says: "It's the least harmful looking ones that are always the most dangerous ones. If you really want to be careful, then suspect those the rest would least suspect." To which Harry asks: "Let me guess, sir. You know the name of the culprit?" The man smirks at him, while Harry shakes his head with a smile and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 305 – PS**_

Now Sirius turns to Snape and while clearly behaving on pure fear and instinct, does he ask: "Was that really necessary?" The man snorts and says: "I was never thinking about students when I put those enchantments up, Black. Never the less, did I make sure that those testing the enchantments could leave the room unscratched."  
"How?" Harry asks and the man asks: "You didn't check the downside of the table for clues, did you Potter?" Harry shakes his head and Snape says: "Bad move. I had several bottles of the antidote for the flames behind you stored there." This makes Harry look sheepish, but Sirius smiles at the man in gratitude and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 305 & 306 – PS**_

I shake my head, completely buzzed by what I just read and Parvati whispers to Lavender: "Did you know Professor Snape was a poet?" But, while the boys around her snicker and Snape turns red as the whisper didn't go unheard, does Harry say: "It's not a poem; it's a riddle, like with the Sphinx." The girls nod and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 307 – PS**_

"Did it really take her only that minute?" Snape asks, his voice filled with his own pride being on the verge of being shattered and Harry shakes his head, making the man look slightly relieved, but then Harry ruins that as he actually says: "Three, maybe three and a half, give or take." The man groans and Harry says:  
"Hey, it's like she said. The greatest of our kind don't have an ounce of logic. They just use their magic and think it will solve everything, without thinking things through and making mistakes by underestimating others and whatnot." The man nods while some of the purebloods look a little affronted and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 307 & 308 – PS**_

"You've got a good head on you, lad." Moody tells my friend, his voice holding a hint of pride I hadn't really expected and he says: "Doing what's right when it's right, knowing just who to take along and who to leave behind and no underestimating your enemies, no matter who they are. You'd make a fine Auror, you would."  
My best friend first cringes, but then smiles widely and the man groans, before asking: "Let me guess. That duplicating dumbass – "Alastor!" McGonagall shouts _ **–**_ told you the same." Harry nods and while the scarred man sits back and mutters all kinds of curses – completely ignoring McGonagall's angry glare – do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 308 – PS**_

"And there you screwed up, lad." Moody speaks up, shooting out of his leaned-back sitting position and staring down hard at my best friend, who gets hugged by the two women and three men around him, while Moody says: "Never count on luck. It's too much based on time and convenient moments. Too unreliable." Harry nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 308 – PS  
**_ _That was true, after all. She had all right and access to show her full potential, while he held back at exactly the wrong points and in the wrong way, thus screwing up the rest of his student career plans.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 308 – PS**_

"And that coming from the smartest, most book-craziest witch Hogwarts has ever known." Pansy Parkinson sneers, but I spat: "At least it didn't come from the most insulting and fashion-degrading student Hogwarts has ever known." The girl looks shocked, but while she reddens in furious anger, do I ignore her and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 308 & 309 – PS**_

Now everyone is holding onto someone – Sirius, Remus and Viktor onto Harry, Erica and Mss. Crenson onto each other, the twins onto me, Hermione and Luna onto Percy, Bill onto Ginny, Charlie onto dad, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy onto their son, Mr. and Mrs. Tonks onto their daughter, Mss. Bones onto her niece – and so on and so forth.  
The tension is all around and I wonder if the last two sentences will break it or make it worse. I look around – knowing I am intentionally drawing extra time but not caring – and see that every eye is on me. Feeling quite open and almost x-rayed I realize how Harry must feel every day and feel bad for my buddy as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 16, Page 309 – PS**_

Everyone looks shocked though I'm sure if Harry hadn't defended him the shock would have been greater and Luna says: "It does make sense that it's not Professor Snape. Even Dumbledore wouldn't keep him hired if he was a thief." Everyone looks at her as if she's grown an extra head, but I smile at her, getting her strategy.  
She distracted them from the real danger up ahead. She eased their worry with her seemingly mindless talking. She really has the role as true Ravenclaw down to her very core. And while I wonder why none of the other Ravens – especially those in her year – can understand that, do I feel my respect for the unusual girl growing.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **I had a lot of fun re-editing this chapter and I am very happy with how it turned out. A few parts needed some text added to it, others needed some characters and their emotions getting fleshed out, yet overall I am very happy with this chapter, especially as it proves that the characters still know about Harry's injury.  
**_ _ **Also, yes, Harry will be out of the wheelchair very soon, just not yet. The stupid thing is that I had forgotten about this by the end of the first book and the chapters describing things happening between the first and second book were with Harry walking and strolling around – which shouldn't be possible because of his leg.  
**_ _ **Oops, silly me,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	30. Perception Of Magic

_**And here are the translations as I will try to increase the Bulgarian flirting.  
**_ _ **срамежлив, но красива роза is Bulgarian for Shy but beautiful rose**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 29  
**_ _ **Perception Of Magic**_

 _ **Viktor's POV**_

"This is it. In this chapter, my beloved will prove himself like he did in the Maze and in the Graveyard. This may be the final chapter of the book, but it will also be the setting stone for Merlin knows what other adventures my sweet gorgeous boyfriend has had to go through. Morgana, I hate that Albus Dumbledore."  
Goes through my head as I look at the book that is in Ron Weasley's lap. The same Ron Weasley who has been admiring me from a distance all year, yet who got angry with Hermione when I invited her as my date to the ball. The same Ron Weasley, who apparently would have asked for my autograph at the end of this very year.  
I then look around at the others that are sharing space with me and I feel like I am back at Durmstrang, in my own dorm with my own friends. With Valkov, Drisec, Dimitri and Gustav, who are currently all seated at several couches and chairs of their own in the far left front corner of the Great Hall, yet whose postures make them stand out.

These four have been besides me since the year before I started Durmstrang and they are closer to me than even my own Quidditch Team, yet that is because of a very important and also secret reason. No one outside Bulgaria really knows it, but the only thing keeping a player on the team is their talent. If it fails, they are off the team.  
Now normally, that would be hard to pull off for an international Quidditch team, yet the Bulgarian have managed it by enchanting the very titles of their position. If another person becomes known as the _Bulgarian Seeker_ , the previous one's name gets hit with a Notice-Me-Not spell, which makes him an international nobody.  
This had been something that had shocked me when I found out and it had been the reason I had made my image of someone who only cared about score results. It had also been the reason I had been so desperate to end the Quidditch Finals on more even scores; I had been sure that a failure of greater points would ruin all of our careers.  
And while this had made it hard for me to really bond with my team members, had we always trained hard enough to stand out and to work like a well-oiled machine. Yet at Durmstrang I had real friends and now, I feel as if I have more. And looking around at the people sitting here, I don't feel like I have friends, I feel like I have family.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

"I'll read." I tell the Great Hall, shocking most of them out of the stupor they had gotten into after Luna's little explanation as they must have not expected me to want to volunteer. But hearing about the Graveyard scene was bad enough as it was and I know this was one of my lesser dangerous adventures against Voldemort.  
But then mum grabs onto me and says: "Oh no, you're not. You're staying right here where I can keep you safe an close." To which I say: "I wasn't planning to move seeing my legs, but I'm still reading. I can't take to just listen as something like this is read. I have to read it myself." The man sighs and nods as Ron hands me the book.

My buddy, who has been through so much with me and who is still so supportive of me regardless of everything read, smiles at me and I smile back, knowing how proud he is of me wanting to do this. But in my mind, facing my Uncle or possibly the disappointment of my friends and family is ten times worse than facing that mad man.  
I then cuddle closer against my parents, not for me but for them as I know they'll need it more and more as the story will progress and bless the spell for the two days off we'll have and that my worst battles are always at the end of the story, so that people here will have quite some time to get over the fear they must have felt during it.  
I then shake my head to clear it, wanting my full focus on this story and look up at everyone, as I have already read the first sentence and know it will cause a major shock to go through those of them who had not a single clue – although I wonder if that is even possible seeing my read suspicions. I then shrug and decide to read.

 _ **The Man With Two Faces**_

That alone causes a shiver to go through my parents and I see Viktor helping Mss. Crenson and Erica hold themselves together as they must be worried sick for me – having cared for me as well as they have for when they could. I smile at them to show them my care and gratitude and they smile back at me before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 310 – PS**_

"It was WHO?" About ¼th of the Great Hall shouts and I ask: "Are you really surprised with how much he came up throughout the story?" The students look a little sheepish and Luna says: "It's always the weakest that are the most dangerous. Those you suspect the least are the ones that can turn on you the easiest."  
Now mum, dad and I share a glance, all of us thinking of Pettigrew and all people thought of him and what he had been actually capable of. Mum then looks up and says: "Young lady, you have no idea how right you are." The girl smiles and while many of those that had looked at her shocked now look at mum confused, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 310 – PS**_

"What?" Almost all of the students who had Quirrell shout and while anger starts to become part of the atmosphere around us, does Hannah asks: "You mean he faked the whole damn thing?" To which a Slytherin girl in my year, who I know is named Daphne continues and shouts: "But that was so frustrating and distracting."  
Then Percy, who is now holding onto Hermione and Luna spats: "Unbelievable that we learned nothing all year and my school year and I had to depend on our Independent studies to pass our O.W.L.s." And then finally Sprout mutters: "And Dumbledore of course allowed him to continue, no repercussions whatsoever."  
Everyone growls at this idea and even the French and Bulgarian seem insulted, but then I say: "And he wasn't even the worst we had. Next year was even worse than that ridiculous stutter." Now some girls look confused, but I think back with disgust and hatred to the time of Lockheart teaching us and with a shake of my head I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 310 – PS  
**_ _He knew Quirrell played some part in all this, but for him to have faked his fear and for him to have ruined an entire school year of Defense lessons just to keep a low profile? What was wrong with this man?  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 310 – PS  
**_ _Harry shouted, not really believing it, but wanting to know the full truth now that he was sure things were like he first started to believe.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 310 – PS**_

"I knew that part of the story wasn't there just for added comment." Remus growls, while some of the students now share a shocked look with each other and then Hermione gasps and whitens. Everyone looks at her and she says: "If I hadn't done that – if-if I had just stopped Professor Snape – Quirrell would – would have –."  
But she doesn't have to go any further as everyone realizes the truth. Had Hermione not knocked Quirrell over in her way to get to Professor Snape and had she only stopped the Potions Teacher, there would have been no one capable of stopping Quirrell's attempts on cursing my broom. Everyone whitens and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 310 & 311 – PS  
**_ _This made Harry feel relieved that the man, who obviously hated his father, was not grudge-holding enough to try and harm the man's son – his student. Snape would obviously just keep it to insults and House points and those were things Harry could easily take.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 311 – PS**_

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Mum and dad shout, dad apparently too angry to remember how shouting gave him a headache earlier on, holding me all the tighter since Hermione's revelation and I say: "Don't worry, he tried but I was well-protected.""But you were all alone there." A Hufflepuff notes, but I shrug and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 311 – PS  
**_ _It actually made some of the wounds from the episode and an old wound, coming from a spell a Seventh year Ravenclaw shot at him three weeks before the exams, ache against his skin, but he kept quiet, forcing the pain back so he could focus.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 311 – PS**_

"So he knows how to threaten and kill Trolls. Is that really all he's good at?" The same Hufflepuff snorts derisively and I comment: "Before that year I'm sure he was good at multiple things, but by that time, he was nothing more than a thief and a murderous lackey." The Hufflepuff looks as confused as during my last comment and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 311 – PS**_

"Mirror?" Goes through the entire hall the confusion I caused earlier increasing as I read this and then mum shouts: "HE DIDN'T!" Everyone looks at him and he rants: "That's his protection? Is he crazy? It will only distract Harry. It will give that bastard all the chance he needs to kill my son. THAT BASTARD!"  
"What on earth are you on about?" The same Hufflepuff, which I now recognize as Zacharias Smith, asks and all mum does is huff, lean back with his arms firm around me and mutters: "Christmas. That's all I'm saying." The room looks confused, Smith looking at my mum as if he's grown an extra head and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 311 – PS**_

"WHAT?" Most of the hall shouts and then, while the teachers start to glare at the book in pure anger as they share my mum's anger, does Hermione says: "Of course, Sirius must have thought Harry would see his parents again. And that would distract him enough to allow Quirrell to kill him." Everyone whitens and mum asks:  
"Wait, I thought?" Before he turns to me and while many are shocked that I won't see my parents a second time, does he ask: "You didn't?" I shake my head and say: "I guess my mind was too focused on the situation at hand to want to see them that much. You'll see." The man nods and hugs me tightly as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 312 – PS**_

"Are you crazy?" Erica asks with fear ringing through her voice and she goes on: "If Quirrell stops concentrating on the Mirror he'll focus on you. He might even kill you." But I pat her on her hand and say: "Don't worry, as I said, I was well-protected and successful." The woman seems slightly appeased and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 312 – PS**_

Now Snape blanches and I ask: "Dumbledore never told you he was working for Voldemort, did he?" Snape shakes his head and I shake mine, hating Dumbledore for setting Snape onto the man, while knowing how his actions that year can be seen as betrayal to Voldemort, which would have probably meant Snape's death. I shake my head and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 312 – PS  
**_ _The mirror held the Stone and if Quirrell got the Stone he would give it to Voldemort. Harry knew his luck could give him a fighting chance against Quirrell, but he was no match against Voldemort. He had to keep the man from coming back or he – and all of Hogwarts – would be history.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 312 – PS  
**_ _Harry blurted out, just to keep Quirrell distracted. The words he said mattered no more to him, he could find out why himself later – as long as he kept Quirrell from the Stone he had a chance of survival.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 312 & 313 – PS**_

This makes all of Hogwarts whiten and while parents start to pull their kids – or in the case of Madam Bones her niece – closer to themselves, does Percy ask: "You-Know-Who? Here? At Hogwarts? With my siblings?" And he stares at his younger siblings with great worry, making Ron and the twins smile at him gratefully.  
Then Smith says: "Yeah right, as if Dumbledore wouldn't build wards to keep that mad man out." But I sigh and say: "If only that were true. Don't forget that this was all planned by Dumbledore to see if I could fight against said mad man." Now Smith whitens, realizing that I'm right and several students whimper as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 313 – PS**_

"You know." I mutter softly, my eyes distant as my own reading makes it easy for me to remember this event and then I go on and say: "I kind of agree with that theory." Everyone looks at me with wide eyes, believing me to have lost my head and I say: "Not that there is only power and people too weak to seek it, but the whole good and evil crap."  
This turns the shock into intrigue and Malfoy asks: "Explain, cousin." I nod, glad for a chance to distract everyone from their fright and worries and calmly say: "Spells can't really be defined under Light spells or Dark Spells; it's more the caster that defines them as such, depending on how he uses the spells."

Now I definitely have a lot of attention, especially from those working for the Ministry and a few of the teachers and I say: "An example. If your best friend or true love stands at the top of the Astronomy Tower and wants to kill himself, which of these three spells would you use. 1. Imperio. 2. Wingardium Leviosa. Or 3. Petrificus Totalus."  
Everyone looks shocked and Flitwick says: "Petrificus Totalus of course." But I shake my head, mostly at the fact that he ended with the _of course_ part and gently say: "Most of the time when you use that spell, the force of it allows the victim to fall backwards, so your friend would fall off the tower if you did."  
The man nods, while some of the younger years turn white at hearing that this could happen and Collin carefully asks: "Wingardium Leviosa?" But I shake my head again and say: "That spell only moves your friend up. If you cancel the spell and he falls back down, he could lose his footing and fall down either way."  
Then Luna says: "That's why you should use Imperio. It will calm the person down and force him to tell you why he wants to jump. That can give you the advantage of helping him, so he won't have to feel as if he has to kill himself." I nod at the girl, while many students look at each other shocked, before I go on:

"Onto another theory. Say you're standing in the snow, trees all around you covered in snow and ice and you have a threatening enemy in front of you. If you then use the Accio Spell, you can easily summon one of the sharper pieces of ice to you and it will go straight through the enemy, often enough killing it.  
Or you could use it to summon that enemy's heart or lunges or other vital functions and it would have the same effect, while the summoning charm is known as a Light spell." The students look at each other intrigued, while Moody is actually nodding at me with pride and agreement and I decide to finish all of this and say:

"And then there's the killing curse." This makes people shudder and I say: "Say one of you has – I don't know – Dragon Pox or cancer and they discovered this too late, making you die a suffering and painful death. Would you then want your friends to give you a Dreamless Sleep, put you under Sleeping spell or cast the Killing curse?"  
Everyone looks at each other and I say: "Admit it, with the first two, your body would still suffer the disease, but with the Killing Curse it only takes another few seconds. It would come as a heavenly sweet relief if you see that Green Light and know you don't have to suffer any longer, wouldn't it?" Everyone nods and I say:  
"I know that putting spells under certain criteria makes it easier to bring out judgement, but we can't do so as there are just too many ways in which we can use something. Magic was given to the world to make our lives wide and exciting. Putting names to something might make us feel better, it also stops us from broadening our horizons."  
Everyone nods, while many of the elder students are now muttering with each other, something I take as a good sign as they often send me appraising and highly interested looks, while Madam Bones has a smile on her face that is almost as radiant with pride as those on the faces of my friends and family before I finally decide to read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 313 – PS**_

"As if any of us could have known from the first meeting if someone was evil or good." Mum snorts and he goes on: "It wasn't your fault, pup. Dumbledore organized the entire damn thing and he'll pay for it." I smile at my mum and at those nodding in agreement before I read on, ignoring Mss. Prewett's pitiful attempts to get free.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 313 & 314 – PS **_

"Not good! Not GOOD!" The twins chorus, the intrigue I had caused before completely gone and the worry for the read event back in full force and Mum asks: "Were you hurt?" I shake my head and say: "Lying there actually made the ropes loosen a little and press less against those wounds." The man sighs relieved and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 314 – PS**_

"OH NO, YOU DON'T!" Mum shouts and dad goes on: "IF YOU DARE TO USE MY CUB, I SWEAR YOU–!" But then I shout: "Mum, dad, they're both dead. Quirrell died that day and Voldemort died yesterday, remember?" The two men calm down, but dad growls: "No one touches my cub. No one!"  
And to my shock do many of those around us, especially my friends and even most of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff House nod in agreement, something I had not expected seeing the events of the past year. Still I can't help but smile at him, deciding that his care for me is more important to me, hug him tightly and then read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 314 – PS**_

This makes mum hold onto me all the stronger, but with one arm as he uses the hand of the other to softly, comfortingly stroke through my hair. I smile at the man and his care for me as he obviously wants to comfort me from the fear I must have felt back then, while I have no doubt that the man must be terrified to hear all of this.  
I cuddle closer, feeling the need to make him realize all the more that I am safe and sound, while at the same time slightly reluctant as years of being raised loveless make me doubt whether or not this will last and part of me only wants to enjoy this as much as possible in fear it will be over once another one of my secrets comes out.  
Trying not to think of this and trying to remember that these two men took me in and adopted me before they even really got a chance to get to know me, I simply move myself to sit sideways on my mum's lap and with my head on his shoulder, the man sending me a grateful and relieved smile as I do this, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 314 – PS**_

"How the bloody hell did he do that?" One of Cedric's year mates asks in angered shock while others are too shocked to speak, but dad seems to understand and growls: "Filthy bastard, he had the whole thing planned. That's why he put the Mirror on a place so easy to find." This seems to confuse the others even more and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 314 & 315 – PS **_

"Good move. Nice lie." The twins chorus and mum mutters: "Thank Merlin you can lie to save your life." But then dad growls: "Only because of that blasted abusive Muggle. He forced Harry to learn it, only to survive." This turns mum's relief to anger and I quickly read on, wanting this chapter over with and wanting to calm them down.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 315 – PS**_

Now quite a couple of students look at me shocked and while I try not to feel like I did back then or during the actual events in the graveyard, do I say: "I might easily have a clear head when it comes to danger, but my emotions don't differ from yours if you're face to face with such a maniac." The students nod and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 315 – PS**_

"Wait, that description." One of Luna's year mates mutters and when almost all of the school turns to the boy, mostly because of how utterly terrified he sounded does he say: "It's – it's the same as in the graveyard. That- that's – that's You-Know-Who." Everyone blanches, some students yelp and then the twins mutter: "Oh, oh."  
While looking at each other, both of them white as chalk. Everyone looks at them and Charlie says: "If the twins say _**oh, oh**_ you know something's wrong." Then suddenly does Prewett scream, as if terrified of something and we all look at her as she looks at the twins with a look as if she sees them dead or dying.  
Everyone looks confused and Ron says: "Remember the first part of the Christmas chapter. Of the twins throwing Snowballs at the back of Quirrell's head?" Everyone nods and then, one by one, the students and teachers start to whiten and Lee whispers: "You – you threw snowballs – at – at – at You-Know-Who."  
The twins nod slowly and Percy mutters: "Thank Bloody Merlin he's dead." Before pulling away from Hermione and Luna who start hugging each other and he quickly goes to hug his twin siblings in obvious relief. The two cling to their elder brother and all siblings join them as I read on, Bill recasting the Silencing spell on Prewett.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 315 & 316 – PS  
**_ _He stumbled backward, his hand not reaching for his jeans pocket, but his robe pocket, wondering if he could distract Voldemort with the Unicorn Blood long enough to make a dash for it._

"Good theory." Snape mumbles, while his face proves that he is remembering what Voldemort could be like and then Smith asks: "How can you even form plans of escape when face to face with your parents' killer?" I shrug and say: "For one reason or another, I always have a really clear mind when in the face of danger.  
I guess I just learned to push my emotions to the back when such a thing happens as they will only distract me and all I want in a dangerous situation is to live, but for that you have to think reasonably. I guess it's just part of me." The boy nods, while mum whines at this and pulls me close, obviously not comforted at all by my words, as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 316 – PS**_

But then I lower my head, something I do only because the memories of Halloween are becoming hard to fight off and mum says: "No way. They would never beg. Not James and not Lily." But then while glad to hear his voice, do I say: "They didn't beg for mercy, That's true. But mum did beg him." Mum and dad look shocked and Erica asks:  
"How do you know that, Harry dear?" But I shake my head, not just as a sign I don't want to talk about it, but also to clear my mind of my mum's dying words of all those years ago. I then quickly motion for the Third book and while many curious glances are shot its way, do Erica and my mum nod before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 316 – PS  
**_ _Harry was hoping the man would blink, if only once, so he could draw his wand and cast a spell – any spell – that could make the man trip. He was even willing to spill a little of the blood, just to make the man slip and fall. It would distract Quirrell, who would not know what caused him to fall and those seconds might be exactly what Harry would need to get out.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 316 – PS**_

"Bravery? The last book spoke different." Daphne spats and Bill says: "And besides, our uncles, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, were the bravest of their year. But he send five Death Eaters out at them just to kill them. What kind of value of bravery is that?" Everyone nods, all of them angered at the lies of that mad man and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 316 – PS**_

This shocks everyone, mostly those that had gone to war against the monster and while held by both his parents, is Draco the one who asks: "Wait, he was more than willing to kill a Pureblood, but he was willing to let a Muggleborn – the race he despises – live?" I nod and say: "It will all be explained in the Third book."  
The boy looks confused, but I have to shake my head again to rid it of the memory of my mother, begging that bastard not to kill me which tries to become stronger every time I even mention it. The words she said to keep that bastard from shooting that fatal curse at me are pushed to the back of my head as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 316 – PS  
**_ _Harry was absolutely furious. Malfoy insulting his parents after he refused his hand in friendship was one thing, but this mad man was using his parents' death as a threat? To make him bow to his wish? Harry had only one answer._ _ **  
PS – Chapter 17, Page 316 – PS**_

Everyone is now silent; soft gasps the only sound in the room as faces all around me show either shock, fear, amazement or confusion, the amazement mostly on the faces of those who fought him. I can barely understand these emotions currently as the book is lively enough to make me reach for my scar as if I feel it hurting like that again.  
But then the memory of Voldemort's dead body shows through my mind, pushing the memory of my mum begging him away and I again lower my hand, grabbing the part of the book I was holding before, but my move did not go unnoticed as mum pulls me closer to his body and softly massages the places where he holds me.  
I smile at the man, glad to have his comfort and support during this chapter, while I know how hard it must be for him to hear how I was in danger without him being able to help or even knowing about it. Wanting to show my appreciation, I cuddle as close into his embrace and under his armpit as possible as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 316 & 317 – PS **_

"I told you I was well-protected." I mutter to my mum, yet the man seems too deeply into the events I read about as his voice is still tense while he retorts: "I'll believe that when I hear of you being away from that man and save in someone's care." I smile at him as he softly kisses my forehead in concern before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 317 – PS**_

"No!" Is both screamed as well as whispered throughout the entire Hall as barely anyone can believe that I am reading about this. About how Voldemort ordered a maniac to kill me. And then about the fact that I am still here, reading it. Yet while trying to offer comfort to my family, do I also try not to lose myself to my own reading.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 317 – PS**_

"But why do that if you could flee?" Parvati asks, while her voice is small with the worry she must be feeling and I answer: "I didn't get the chance to hit Quirrell in the eyes. He would have been able to see me and that would have killed me. I had to believe Hermione had been able to get Dumbledore or someone else for help."  
The girl looks shocked and tearful and then, while Padma and Lavender hug her, do I send an apologetic look at my parents and say: "Besides, you heard what happened a few chapters ago. I wasn't afraid of death in the slightest. Didn't want it either, but if it had to be over my body that Voldemort would get the Stone."  
I shrug, feeling bad for what I am about to say, yet knowing it to be the truth either way and say: "I guess I was still – even back then – not confident enough in the idea that people would really care for me or miss me if I died. And the thought that I would die like my father and then meet him was, at that point, very addictive."

This shocks the girl and then dad shocks me and asks: "And you still have trouble believing that, don't you?" I look at him and he says: "I can tell, son. You still flinch if others try to initiate the hug or something else affectionate and you still tense up when you feel those you care for and are around do the same.  
You're still not completely of the belief that we're here with you forever. You still think something is going to happen that will make us want to do away with you. I can tell, Harry, I know how that feels so I can tell." I lower my head and slowly move over to him. Dad gently embraces me and takes me on his lap as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 317 & 318 – PS **_

Now Madame Pomfrey moans and I ask: "Was it really that bad?" The woman looks down and Hermione says: "Harry, you have no idea. Dumbledore came out of that corridor and you – you were unconscious and still your breathing seemed to become more ragged and shallow by the minute while your scar was heavily bleeding.  
You looked so weak, lying limp in his arms like you did and you were out for days, but Madame Pomfrey barely slept those days, because her monitoring spells kept informing her of your system giving up, whether it was your magic getting another overdose and being unable to process it, or your bloodstream going dangerously slow.  
She told us it wasn't until the last night before you woke that she had done what she needed to keep you stable. That's why you were so weak and had such a headache when you woke." I look shocked, having never known the situation had run out of hand that badly. I look at the girl in apology and the Matron in gratitude before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 318 – PS**_

Now everyone raises their eyes skyward and Ron says: "Only awake for a few seconds and already back on that Quirrell and Stone track. You really worry too much, pall." I shrug and say: "As far as I knew I had failed and I didn't want Voldemort back. I feared for all of you, so I had to make sure someone had stopped them."  
Again the boy shakes his head and mutters: "Perfect hero behavior, alright." Before mum says: "That may be, but if there is one thing I'm going to teach Harry this summer, it's that he can and should trust adults to handle adult cases and to rely on the adults that he does trust." I smile at him gratefullly and then read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 318 – PS**_

"Would you really, Madam?" I ask the Matron humored and she says: "Mr. Potter, I would have thrown even your new parents out of my Hospital Wing if I believed they could have caused a repeat of your illness." I smile, while some students snicker at the idea of the firm Matron throwing the Headmaster out of the Wing and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 318 – PS**_

"I wish. We didn't even know half, seeing what you actually went through for all this." Neville says and Snape grumbles: "And all because some bastard manipulator wanted to test an 11 year old out against a mad murdering bastard." Everyone nods, some of the Slytherins shocked at how Snape calls Voldemort and I say:  
"But you got to admit that if you had known the truth at that time, you wouldn't have been able to handle it. So in a way, rumors are good, because they protect the students from painful, dangerous truths." Neville shrugs, while he and some others nodded in agreement at the start of my words and I continue reading.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 318 & 319 – PS **_

"Told you we had a damn good reason?" Fred asks his younger sister and George goes on: "Yeah, we had to apologize to Harry for being such bloody prats." And Fred continues: "And thank him for trying to protect us, while we were such bloody prats." And then they chorus: "Still don't understand how he could have forgiven us."  
The Great Hall laughs, I shake my head at them and then Ginny playfully huffs and says: "Fine, but since you didn't really make it up back then, you can do so for my next birthday. And I expect something big and handmade, got it?" And as an answer do the twins mock-salute their sister, making me laugh as I continue reading.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 319 – PS**_

"Seeing all you just told us of Harry's state, we can imagine." Dad says, while having a near death-grip on me and others nod, many of those around me looking just as pained at the very thought of the description previously given. But then his hand moves and pinches some skin on my back, making me unable to hold back a yelp of pain.  
The man instantly lets go, yet this would have made me fall had it not been for the hold mum has on me and I shake my head swiftly, trying to push the memory of that terrible scar to the back as best as I can. Feeling the disgusting taste of gore and puke enter my mouth, I gulp, trying not to vomit as it brings back the memory all the stronger.  
Mum then quickly takes over and whispers: "I'm here, honey. I'm here. He won't hurt you anymore. He'll never get such a chance again. I swear it, baby." And I cuddle with him, as I realize he must have understood what memory I was trying to push back. I smile at him and he softly kisses my forehead, before I take a deep breath and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 319 – PS**_

"Filthy liar." Fudge spats and he says: "He spent at least another two to two and a half hours at the Ministry, constantly claiming he had to check up to make sure people wouldn't need his help during the last week of school and that he wanted to catch up with old friends." Everyone growls at the filthy lies and stalling of the man and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 319 – PS**_

"Harry!" All Weasleys and most of Gryffindor moan, but then I realize mum and dad didn't as mum turns my head to him, with his hands on my cheeks and he says: "We will make you realize you are important enough to worry about." And this makes me turn red as I try to let him know with my gaze that I am indeed learning.  
Yet I seem to fail in this attempt as dad then chuckles as he softly strokes my hair, carefully moving me back onto his lap as he says: "Oh little cub, there is so much we have to teach you. So much you should start taking for granted." I smile and shrug, knowing my parents have their work cut out for them and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 319 – PS**_

"You know, I really doubt one thievery attempt would make Mr. Flamel willing to destroy an item he has kept sacred for all these years." I mutter as I reread this sentence and Hermione asks: "Then what do you think happened to the Stone, Harry?"  
And I answer: "I think Flamel knew it was really Dumbledore who set everything up and therefore took and endangered the Stone and to punish him, I get the feeling Flamel must have faked to destroy the thing and must have actually kept it to himself, wherever he lives."  
The girl nods and says: "That would be something Flamel would do, if he hears his old friend and colleague in Alchemy endangered his most priced creation." Everyone else nods as well and I smile at the Hall, before raising my glass and say: "To Nicholas Flamel, the first man to trick a trickster." And the hall choruses my cry as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 319 – PS**_

"All thanks to you and your bloody meddling and misuse of those that truly trust you." Snape spats, obviously completely done with the man and his terrible ways. To this I say: "Hang on to that anger a little longer, Professor. The book is almost over and then you can curse Dumbledore to your heart's delight." The man smirks and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 320 – PS**_

"Nicely said, unfortunately –." Dad sighs and goes on: "To the wrong person." And I know he has yet to get over my tale of last night or the part of me trying to kill myself a few chapters ago. Cuddling close with him and mum, I try to prove that I'm here and alive, making the two men smile as I continue to read.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 320 – PS**_

"Humph, words of wisdom to the wrong person." Snape spats, but I see Fudge looking thoughtful and wonder if the man ever thought of this. Seeing his reactions written in the book concerning my current year I have a feeling that Fudge is seeing things differently and feel glad he is not the Fudge here with us. And with that happy thought I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 320 – PS**_

"He has now." Ron smiles and continues: "All thanks to our buddy." Making me blush and I mutter: "I – I never – I never would have –." But then Viktor kisses my forehead and says: "Excuses, excuses, excuses. You should really stop making them and take a compliment when it's given, срамежлив, но красива роза."  
I smile at him and then mum says: "Oh yeah, with Viktor by our side we will surely get you to be the top of the person you are born to be. We will get everything out that's hidden inside that precious little heart of yours." I smile at him too, not entirely sure if I will reveal all that I am, but not daring to speak this out loud and then read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 320 & 321 – PS **_

"And still he's determined to let only one person – a teenager no less – be the only person for this job, no matter what the costs to the child and his youth." Mum grumbles and I mutter: "Things sure would have been a whole lot different if we had known all this years ago." All of the teachers, my friends and parents all nod in agreement and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 321 – PS**_

Now, for some reason, both Snape and mum sigh defeated and mum mutters: "That you actually had to carry that burden for all those years. I really wish –." But then I interrupt him – as I can tell that whatever the reason is it isn't something good – by reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 321 – PS**_

"He didn't tell you?" Mum asks and I shake my head, even though I feel highly curious about what he is talking about and what could make him and Snape feel the same defeat. The man then sighs and says: "Well, seeing that he is gone, I guess it won't be too hard to tell you now, not that I know the full reason behind it myself anyway, but."  
The man sighs again, but then Snape says: "Black, let me, please." And it's the please that makes my mum nod at the man as Snape says: "Your parents were, when your mother was two months pregnant of you, informed by that old Coot that one of his applicants had made a prophesy concerning one of two children born at the end of July.  
He told them that the prophesy stated that one of these kids would have the power to defeat the Dark Lord and that Voldemort knew of this, even if he only knew half of the actual prophesy. He told them to hide and go down under, so you could have a youth until it would be time for you to train in case it would be you.  
Your parents did as he said and – well, you know the rest of the story." I nod, shocked at what I just heard and then Snape mutters something that shocks me even more: "Basing an attack on incomplete knowledge, just ridiculous." I look at the man quickly, but then leave him be as the guilt on his face worries me and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 321 – PS**_

"Will he answer this question?" Cho asks and I nod, making Smith spat: "Great, so we finally get to hear what you meant with _**well-protected**_." But Ron, obviously angry for how demeaning Smith is, spats back: "Not if you don't keep your big mouth shut." The Hufflepuff glares at my friend, but I smile at Ron and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 321 & 322 – PS **_

Everyone looks shocked and shares shocked and touched glances and then McGonagall makes up for all the trust-breaking things she did this book as she stands up and says: "Let us from now on raise our glass to Lily Potter and her amazing loving heart. As that, together with her willingness to die for her only child, saved the child in question and all of us here."  
Everyone instantly gets a glass of their favorite drinks, from hot cocoa to orange juice and from Butter Beer to Pumpkin juice and they all raise their glass: "To Lily Potter. To family. To love." Toasting together three times before taking a sip. All chairs and couches are then provided with a small side table with people putting down their glasses, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 322 – PS**_

Now mum and dad share an amused glance at each other and mum whispers: "That's what he thinks." And dad retorts: "That it actually lasted until our boy's third year that he believed that." Both snicker and I hold one back myself, sparing a quick glance at the twins, who are looking curious, yet confused before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 322 – PS**_

Now mum lowers his head, while many Gryffindors and Slytherins look at each other shocked, but then Snape stands up and says: "There is no need to speak of this. The incident has been spoken about and laid to rest. You have all been witness of it. Mr. Potter, read on." I feel shocked that he calls me by that title, but do as he requests.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 322 & 323 – PS **_

Suddenly Snape turns his angry glare on me and mum hugs me as if to protect me from the man, but the Potions Master shocks him bad enough to make his mouth drop as he says: "Your words of our conversation in Third year are forgiven, Mr. Potter. Seeing how you were never told the full truth of the situation."  
This makes me think for a short while he means all the things I said to his face during the Shrieking Shack accident, but then realize he means the time I got caught by Malfoy in Hogsmeade. I nod at the man gratefully while some of the Gryffindors and other students in my year have their jaws dropped at hearing this and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 323 – PS**_

"By sheer manipulation of an old, manipulative goat and a heart of gold." Snape sneers, smirking at the end and it takes a minute to sink in with everyone around me that Professor Snape just gave me a compliment. Everyone's mouths almost hit the ground or the chairs they are sitting on and I see the man's lip twitch a little further as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 323 – PS**_

"First full, detailed and truthful answer he gave all conversation. And that one is actually filled with him bragging his ass off." Snape mutters, to the snickers of both Slytherins – who generally despise Dumbledore – and Gryffindors – who probably hate Dumbledore for his manipulations. I smile at the growing House Unity and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 323 – PS**_

Now I smile, feeling as if some great force helped me start to get revenge on the bastard and say: "I wonder if there is a curse to only taste and pick the fowl tasting Beans. Because if that's so, I want to shake the hand of whoever put that spell on Old Goat Face." Everyone looks either shocked or confused and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 323 – PS**_

Now snickers are heard all around and Ron through his snickering says: "Mate, you might just be onto something there." I shrug and say: "And if not, we could always ask the twins to make that spell and then change it so that all that Dumbledore eats will taste like sour or rotten Lemon drops. Will he be bummed then."  
Everyone, realizing that I remember how Dumbledore told us in the first chapter of this book that Lemon Drops are a candy he's growing quite fond off – either look shocked I would think of an idea that devious or snicker at the idea in itself. My parents both hit me on the back in pride and I smile at them widely before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 323 & 324 – PS **_

"You actually let him have visitors?" Dad asks Madame Pomfrey shocked and then he goes on: "You never let me have any visitors, not even if I used puppy-dog eyes and common sense together." To this, while my friends all share shocked and confused looks over how such a combo could even work, does the woman say:  
"The difference between you and your son is, Mr. Lupin, that your son's friends were people I could trust to leave my Hospital Wing unscratched and not like some exploded minefield." My dad looks sheepish at this and we all laugh at his red face, even as mum tries to playfully glare at the matron and I shake my head as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 324 – PS**_

"And you really showed that you were sore, mate. You looked like you were felled by the worst case of flue or fever to have ever reached Hogwarts school." Ron tells me and I huff, muttering: "No way did I look like that." But the boy laughs and says: "Yeah, you did." Making me mock-glare at him before I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 324 – PS**_

"You know you didn't tell us what really happened, don't you?" Ron asks and I nod and say: "It was still causing me a headache just thinking of it, not to mention shivers every time I thought of seeing Voldemort come out of the back of that head. I just didn't want to burden you with those terrible images so close to the Holidays."  
The two sigh and Sirius says: "Lessons Harry James Potter has to learn. 1. He is just as important to people as valuable objects. 2. His life is worth way more than he thinks it is. 3. Burdens are to be shared with those close to your heart, no matter how hard the burden may be." At this I look down embarrassed and read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 324 – PS  
**_ _ **Harry told them**_ _as much of_ _ **everything**_ _as he dared, not wanting to burden them after the amazing shot they took just to help him_ _ **: PS – Chapter 17, Page 324 – PS**_

"Like hell he's still my hero. If I never see that bastard again it will still be too soon." Ron grumbles, but then, as everything that we discovered during the reading settles in, do I mutter: "I still can't believe we were right about this.""About what, kiddo?" Mum asks as he hugs me due to hearing my pained voice and as answer I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 324 & 325 – PS**_ _, but then Hermione intervened and said, "Harry, even if that's true, we have to tell McGonagall. She's our Head of House, she has to make sure we aren't pushed into such dangerous situations again. You almost died, Harry."  
_ _But Harry had his lips thin and said, "We are not telling McGonagall anything. She wasn't willing to believe us when it came to the Stone and regarding Norbert she didn't even let us explain. No Hermione – the girl had wanted to interrupt, but Harry didn't let her –  
_ _She failed us there were it mattered the most this year and she actually believed your lie, while our faces and stances and everything else showed you were lying. She is too deep into Dumbledore's pocket and I bet she'll take every point we have gained in the last few weeks off of Gryffindor if we accuse the man. She doesn't trust me and while I don't know why, do I see no reason to trust her either. This stays between us all – between you, Ron, Dumbledore and me."  
_ _Hermione looked shocked at his words, but Harry was determined not to ever speak to McGonagall about anything dangerous and serious like this again.  
_ _Then Ron went on with whatever he wanted to say_ _ **, PS – Chapter 17, Page 325 – PS**_ _that was for some reason not pestered or interrupted by nightmares,_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 325 & 326 – PS**_

"Unbelievable." Dad groans and he goes on: "Allowing him a visitor once is still fair, but twice?" The woman shrugs and says: "If my patients seem well enough I let as many visitors in as I please, but I only started this after you and your friends graduated." Dad moans again and we all laugh before I continue the chapter.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 326 – PS**_

"I wish it was." Malfoy senior sneers, but then – as I look at him and see him getting silently scolded to be quiet by his wife – I remember something. I spare a quick glance at the second book, which makes me look over the top of our couch and then mutter: "That unbelievable bastard." Everyone looks at me and I say:  
"We all know now that Hagrid was as much manipulated by Dumbledore as I was, right?" The students nod, Malfoy senior following my glance as he nods and I say: "Well, just wait for the next book and you will see that, in that respect, he is no better than Voldemort himself." Everyone looks shocked and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 326 – PS**_

"Okay, even I think that going overboard." Malfoy senior comments and he looks at the Great Hall doors as he goes on: "Promising not to drink unless under supervision, I believe, will be a better punishment, seeing he didn't know until it was too late that what he did was wrong." Everyone nods and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 326 & 327 – PS **_

Now I choke up as this is about one of my most precious belongings – an item for which I studied the indestructible protection spell – and I take a deep breath, before gulping to get the lump out my throat. My friends smile at me, obviously realizing the same and with all of them sending me their silent support, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 327 – PS**_

Now all of the female students, teachers and guests gasp, while all of the males get wide eyes and while some of them go over to offer some comfort to their female counterparts, do I mutter: "I learned the indestructible protection spell just to make sure they wouldn't destroy the pictures. They were the only ones I had of them."  
To this some of the older years look shocked that I learned such magic as McGonagall says: "Mr. Potter, the Heads of Houses and I will go back to that room we talked about and make a copy of all the pictures there for in your book." I smile at the woman, the pain over what she did back then easing up and nod before reading on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 327 – PS**_

Now everyone in Fourth year and higher look down ashamed and mum mutters: "Disgusting fair-weather fans. How the hell is he supposed to find out who is and deserves to be if you constantly criticize his actions and way of life one way or the other?" The bowed heads lower even further at the angry tone and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 327 & 328 – PS **__as for a simple First year, he looked as if he alone was the reason they won_ _ **.**_

Draco looks down ashamed and muttered: "Kind of felt that way, seeing I believed I kept Gryffindor from winning with that stunt with the Dragon." His fellow Snakes shake their heads, while his mother sniffs disapprovingly and while I again try to repress the memories of how I felt when I made my second attempt at suicide do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 328 – PS**_

"Wait, he isn't, is he?" Mum asks and Snape nods, now again looking furious, but then I say: "And totally unfair too." Everyone looks at me, most of the Slytherins looking shocked and I say: "He had known the full story since I woke up and still waited 3 days, until after the winners announcement to award those extra points.  
He really showed Slytherin there and then he wasn't to be trusted. He proved all the rumors about him favoring the Lions over the Snakes true and didn't even care. No wonder all the Snakes were against him since. That was a true and clear sign of favoring the Lions and caring less than nothing for the Snakes. And it wasn't even the first sign that year."

Now everyone looks confused and while I hate how I didn't see any of this before due to my own anger at the House of the Snakes, do I say: "First we have the flying lesson. Malfoy made quite a few excellent moves before I followed him and yet Dumbledore only allowed me on the team? What the hell is that about?"  
Now my cousin smiles and then I say: "And then we have Halloween. According to Quirrell there was a Troll in the Dungeons and where does Dumbledore send them? Their dormitories – in the Dungeons. He didn't even tell the prefect to take them somewhere safe, he just send them there and you can't tell me he forget about it, because of the troll."  
Everyone looks shocked and then Daphne smiles and says: "Good thing our Prefect realized that. He escorted us through a secret passageway back to the Great Hall where Professor Snape came to pick us up later." I smile at the girl in relief, before I remember this being told during the Halloween chapter and continue the story.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 328 – PS**_

Now we all look at the man and Hermione asks: "I thought you didn't know." The man smiles a little guiltily and say: "I did, I just thought it was one of those rumors gone wild. Thought it could be used to give Ron some self-esteem." The two brothers smile at each other – Percy with love and Ron with happiness – and I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 328 & 329 – PS**_ _; he was only awarded with praises and compliments by Professor Sprout during Herbology, but never a single point_ _ **. PS – Chapter 17, Page 329 & 330 – PS **_

"It really would have been fairer of him if he had started the feast with those colors and then explained to us why he picked that House instead of Slytherin. Then at least the Snakes would have been spared a little." I mutter angrily and before anyone can even nod in agreement or make a comment either good or bad, do I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 330 – PS**_

"I was thinking about all of my Snakes that I would have surely needed to aid and comfort later that night. I just knew loads of them would feel this as a betrayal to them and their pride and belief in the Headmaster." Snape explains and the Snakes he must be talking about lower their heads in renewed hurt as I read on.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 330 – PS**_

"And I still don't." I happily mutter and Neville says: "Very true, I sometimes even use the happiness he felt that night to make sure he won't – well, you know." The students nod, their moods slightly lessened by the reminder of how I sometimes actually try to kill myself and I sigh before I continue the story.

 _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 330 – PS**_ _, but Harry's mark in Transfigurations, shockingly enough, almost beat hers as did his Charms score – he really had no idea how he had done that_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 330 – PS  
**_ _Harry was now, after a year, absolutely sure that the boy would have done loads and loads better had Snape not spend half the exam time near or at Neville's cauldron as it was pretty clear to Harry that Neville feared his Potions teacher and he couldn't blame him with how Snape was becoming known for talking down on the poor boy and thus causing him to become more insecure and clumsy than the boy already was.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 330 – PS**_ _Harry had learned and cast an indestructible protection charm on all his valuable possessions,_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 330 & 331 – PS**_ _, which kind of caused Harry's fear for how his Uncle would treat him over the summer grow_ _ **. PS – Chapter 17, Page 331 – PS  
**_ _And seeing the garden work, the Harry Hunting and the shouts and insults he would surely get to endure once he came back to Privet Drive, he knew he was understating how badly he was going to need his friends this summer.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 331 – PS  
**_ _It was the last and only attempt he dared make to let his friends help him escape his uncle, but while he said it he was already trying to think of a sneaky way to avoid any kind of punishment that could – or mostly probably would – be awaiting him on the other side of the gateway.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 331 & 332 – PS  
**_ _The voice alone almost made Harry flinch, but he pulled confidence out of the fact he had his friends on both his sides and turned to look.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 332 – PS  
**_ _This gave Harry an idea – an idea he knew could save his health – maybe even his life.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 332 – PS  
**_ _Harry could barely believe the woman actually spoke to Uncle Vernon – as if she wasn't even seeing how he was glaring at them all with a glare close to one that could almost kill – if such a thing was even possible.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 332 – PS**_ _obviously feeling disgusted by just the words alone_ _ **. PS – Chapter 17, Page 332 – PS**_ _, hoping with all he had that they realized this behavior was something he was used to and that he needed help to get away from it_ _ **.  
**_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 332 – PS  
**_ _He used his casual tone, but lengthened the words a little as if to make it a plead.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 332 – PS  
**_ _But Harry could tell that they were both leaving the whole thing to Mrs. Weasley, who was obviously not going to do anything, seeing how she was currently fussing over Percy and his Prefect Badge.  
_ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 332 – PS  
**_ _He was sure his plan would keep him safe, unless something unexpected would happen._ _ **PS – Chapter 17, Page 332 – PS**_

Now everyone smiles, the whole Great Hall wondering what my plan could be and all of them angered that I actually feared to go with my family and that I had actually plead with my friends to keep me from doing so, yet some of them seem to also be furious at Prewett for not noticing how a child in her presence needed her to protect them.  
Then the twins seem to decide to cheer everyone up from how worried, fearful and later angry and hurt the chapter has probably made them feel and Fred says: "Harry, we insist you go pulling pranks with us." And George goes on: "Yeah, it's not fair that you only reserve your jokes to your rotten, imagination-hating family."  
Now I smile at the two and say: "Sorry guys, but seeing what I have to do during summer and all the lessons I will surely get, not to mention my O.W.L.s next year, I don't think I'll have the time to go pulling pranks with you guys. Besides." I then look at my parents and say: "Me pulling pranks? It's already part of me. It runs in the family."


	31. Trying And Taking Action

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So this chapter won't be just edited, it has been deleted and completely rewritten. The reason for this is because I wasn't too happy with the way that the chapter looked the first time around and I felt that it could be better. Not to mention that, in this part of the story, I had completely forgotten that Harry was in a wheelchair.  
**_ _ **Now this chapter will be quite a lot of characterization as well as the entrance of the KH crew and I just want to say this before I start rewriting the chapter: I am very, very sorry that the arrival of the KH crew took this long. To be honest, bringing in the KH crew had been on a whim, yet I am still very happy that I brought them in.  
**_ _ **Okay, have fun,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 30  
**_ _ **Trying And Taking Action**_

 _ **Harry's POV**_

This story had been much harder than I had expected when I decided on performing this spell for the sake of a safe third task, yet now that we have finished both this story as well as the Tri-Wizard Tournament, part of me feels sure that others are wondering if it would still be necessary for us to read the rest of the books.  
Yet as I feel the magic of the spell cause for time to start flowing outside the Great Hall, kitchens and Antechamber, I also feel a bit of energy being drawn from practically everything magical in Magical England and this makes me feel quite a bit better and makes me hope that I will be able to make it through the rest of the books.

I then look around and send a look at my parents holding me, yet they send me looks back that clearly silently ask: "You don't think we're letting you go now, do you?" Yet I whisper: "Just for a minute, I need to address the others before they leave." And the two sigh before dad slowly, carefully helps me back into my wheelchair.  
Yet while he does this, do I still feel healing magic surge through me and feel them strengthening the power of the Skele-Gro as well as the part of the potion that makes sure I barely feel the pain of my leg healing and this makes me, as we arrive at the stand, push up from my arms and to the shock of my dad, do I try standing up.  
Yet as I take a stand at the Owl Stand, do I feel as if all of the energy that had been given me has been drained out of me already and instantly, again with dad's help, do I sack back down into my chair with a groan as I say: "I hate being this weak." To which my dad glares at me and asks: "You really don't know your own limits, do you?"

"I thought they were wider than they currently are." I retort and the man sighs before Professor Sprout asks: "Mr. Potter, why did you even try that?" And I sigh as I lean back and say: "I hate being weak and I wanted to get their attention so I could remind them of being back at – at the latest – a quarter to ten in three days from now."  
The woman nods and says: "I am sure the Heads and the Headmaster and Mistress of Durmstrang and Beauxbattons can keep their eye on that, Mr. Potter. You just use the next three days to rest and recover." And I smile at her as she again reminds me of why, even with certain circumstances, she is my favorite of the four Heads.  
Yet then, as the others start to realize that we have finished a book, that time has again started outside the Great Hall and that they can leave and go do their own thing, does Moody jump up and say: "Amelia, Tonks, Shacklebolt and all those who have high scores for their last Defense essay, come with me and keep your wands ready."  
And instantly I realize what is about to happen and so do my friends as they all come to surround me, yet at the same time do I send a desperate look at mum and Erica, both of who quicly come to stand closer to me, making me feel a little more sure that Dumbledore won't be able to do anything to hurt me or mine as I focus on the doors.

 _ **Moody's POV**_

I never thought I would be in a situation like this, where I would actually be needed to arrest my dearest and oldest friend, yet at the same time has this book done me a lot of good. For one, because barely anyone expected me to respond, giving me a good chance to heal and for another because of everything we discovered.  
And it is the last discovery we made before the book finished is what I use as motivation for this upcoming course of action. Albus and I have never really seen eye to eye when it comes to House Slytherin, yet I have always been led to believe that the man would respect my love for the House that I was Sorted into myself.  
However, to know that the man actually made the House of Snakes believe that they had won the House Cup, only to then give it to the House he knows they have been rivaling and battling against for centuries without caring for how they would feel about this had made me lose the last bit of the respect I could have for him.  
And while the whole book has definitely been filled with other events where I saw proof of Albus' actual hatred for my graduated House, has it been this sense of disregard for their pride as well as the disregard for their safety that the bastard had shown them that year's Halloween that have made it easier for me to focus on my new task.

I approach the Great Hall doors while the older students sitting closest to the door make sure that the younger ones move further into the Hall and while some of the Sixth and Seventh years started casting spells to keep from spellfire to reach into the Hall in case of battle, do I take a deep breath and gaze at the others with my fake eye.  
Each of them seems ready, yet I can also see that some of them are insecure, which I can only assume is because of Albus' reputation, yet I snarl at them and say: "He will still be falling. Keep that in mind and move the minute he is on the ground. The element of surprise has always been his, yet this time – it will be in our favor."  
The Aurors and others nod and I swish my wand, causing for the Great Hall doors to slam open and for Hagrid to make the step he had wanted to make a few chapters ago, yet the gentle giant seems completely obvious to the fact that he had been stuck in time for some time as he just sulks away into the Grand Staircase.

Yet I barely pay attention to this, deciding to push it to the back of my mind until later, and instead of that do I quickly start casting restraining curses, mine joined with several others and some that are similar to my own and this makes me smirk as it will definitely make sure that my spells get a boost and become even stronger.  
Dumbledore gets hits with all of the spells in his back even before he fully falls down, yet while there have barely ever been scenarios where I felt it was just dishonorable to curse someone where they can't see you or fight back, do I not feel like that in this case at all as the restraining spells are only the beginning of what I want to cast at him.

Yet then Albus proves me yet again that, even with the element of surprise being on our side, he has truly earned his title as the strongest wizard of this century as he actually jumps up, breaking several spells that were supposed to keep him pressed against the crowd and he turns around, sending us highly disappointed looks.  
"I truly thought you were above such dishonorable acts like that, Alastor, cursing one when their back is turned." Yet while the man tries to sound like a grandfather being disappointed, does it just anger me and I snarl: "I could say the same of you, Albus, sending innocent souls to where a troll is supposed to be at."  
The man looks shocked and says: "That was no more –." Yet I interrupt him by aiming my wand at him in utter fury and snarl: "No words can excuse a Headmaster endangering his own students, Albus. So don't try. Now, let's see who –." Yet before I can finish my challenge, does a voice from behind me shock me as it screams:

"EXPELLIARMUS!" And the power behind the spell makes the little hair I still have left whoosh wildly and hits Albus before he can do more than blink, yet my good eye widens as I see the man being forced to make several twirls in the air before he lands on his back, causing for the oxygen to leave his body forcefully.  
I look at the gasping wizard in shock and then Harry growls: "That bastard. He was trying to kepe you focused on his face instead of his hands. He slipped his wand in his hand while turning on his axis, that's why he turned to the right, he put his wand in his left hand, so you didn't see it." And I look at the boy shocked.

He then actually catches the wand that had been arching through the air of the Great Hall, yet even his eyes widen as suddenly the wand starts to glow, while Harry himself seems to glow with an amazing aura of power and while he looks at the wand in shock for it bonding with him like that, does he then shrug and put it away.  
I decide to do the same and turn back to my enemy, only for my eye to widen yet again as, instead of lying on the ground all winded, Dumbledore is stuck between Hagrid's massive arms and his huge form and Hagrid says: "I have been listening to you long enough. Now I am only going to listen to justice and my conscience."  
And this makes me smirk at the huge man before Amelia says: "Good work, Hagrid. Would you be against it if we take you and our newest suspect to the Ministry through the Knightbus?""I'd be honored, Ma'am. Could Madam Maxime come along? For extra power?" Yet the woman herself smiles and says:

"Sorry Hagrid, but I'd rather stay here and see to my girls." Hagrid nods and then Amelia, Kingsley, Tonks and I move along with the gentle half-giant through the castle and over to the Ministry, yet just before we step onto the Knightbus, do we get shocked by Lady Erika coming after us and smiling as she says:  
"I told Harry I plan to gather some extra help from my years training to make sure this bastard doesn't try anything. Harry did make me swear an oath of not taking any risks unless I know they will benefit me, but he felt assured to let me go once I made it. Shall we go?" And while I admire the woman's spirit, do I nod and get on.

Then we arrive at the Ministry, where Fudge is already moving about and as he meets with us, does he tell us the good news that he has already talked the Unspeakables into providing us with a special cell to make sure Albus wouldn't be able to pull any escape stunts, the fact that it is the Unspeakables actually making the man widen.  
We make our way there, a few spells from Amelia and Cornelius making sure that no one important or loose-lipped sees who we are escorting to the cells and yet, when we get there, does Erika smile as she sees that the cell is actually within the Department of Mysteries and the smile on her face makes me assured of her plans.  
We enter the strange, crazy department and while one of the Unspeakables, dressed in such a way I can't see whether or not I am dealing with a man or woman or anything else that could be considered a personal description, motions for one of the doors, does Erika shake her head and say: "Sorry, but I need another door here."  
And while this seems to actually shock the Unspeakable or I like to believe that it shocks them as it shocks me, does she move over to one of the other doors and while I wonder how she knows which door to have, does she smile as she stands in front of it, knock and ask: "Sora, Riku, are you guys there? Can you here me?"

And to my shock – and this time the clear shock of the Unspeakable – does the door open and do a young man of around 18 maybe 19 years old with brown hair, a boy that looks a year old and has silver-hair and a girl that looks to be the same age as the first and who has vibrant red hair leave the door way, all of them smiling.  
"Hi guys, good to see you." Erika smiles and the first boy says: "Great to see you too, Erika. Is this your world?""Yeah, this is my home world. And I could really use your guys' help right now." The three look curious and Erika aims for Albus as she says: "This man is about to be locked away for crimes he committed, you see.  
However, he is also known to be one of the most powerful wizards of this time and, even though we are in the most inescapable, most misunderstood, most mysterious department of my country's Ministry –." And here the silver haired boy says: "You just want to play things safe with help of a little Keyblade goodness, right?"

And Erika nods at him with a smile before the girl asks: "So what did the guy do?" And while Albus wants to open his mouth, does Hagrid move one of his massive arms in front of the man's mouth and neck and I say: "Well, one of his crimes was endangering his own students by purposely sending them into dangerous areas."  
The three look shocked and I grunt: "And that is just one of his more widespread crimes. He has a whole washlist of crimes against a single person and those have been going on for the last five years if not longer. Trust me, this bastard deserves anything you can give him – and that's coming from his former best friend, you got that?"  
And the three look shocked before the silver-haired turns serious and says: "Throw him in his cell, we'll do the rest." And Hagrid happily throws the man up before catching him by the back of his long robe and the Unspeakable opens the door he had directed us to before, Hagrid throwing the ancient man through it a second later.

And before the man can properly get up from his fall or before Kingsley, Tonks, Amelia or I can cast any spells, does a beam of light cause for the door to close before the whole door gets light up like a keyhole and another beam connects the alighted door with an amazing weapon that is held by the brunette and his friends.  
The other two then also aim their key-shaped weapons at the door and two more beams hit the light before several locking sounds are heard through the entire rotund room and with that do the three smirk and the silver-haired boy says: "There, now only someone with a Keyblade can open that door. Let him try and break that magic."  
And Erika smiles, while Amelia, Tonks and I share a shocked look, yet then we all smirk at the two teen boys and the girl and I think: "I don't know what a Keyblade is, but those kids wouldn't sound so confident and that lady wouldn't call them here if they weren't truly confident of their case. Albus is definitely not getting out anytime soon."

And with that do we all leave the Department of Mysteries, Amelia taking Kingsley and Tonks with her and promising Erika that they will be back in three days before Erika, Hagrid and I take the three kids back to Hogwarts, the three of them seeming intrigued and amazed at all that they see from the Ministry to the castle itself.  
At the Hogwarts gates, while the kids seem to take in the amazing sight of the ancient structure, does Hagrid tell us he will just go back to taking care of his plants and pets until the reading restarts and I myself turn to Erika and say: "You go and take care of those kids. I'm going to give Hogwarts a thorough sweep for safety."  
And Erika nods before she says: "If you need any help, Sora, Riku and Kairi are as great at fighting unexpected evil beings as Dragon Tamers and Aurors." And while I am shocked at hearing how good the three of them might be, do I decide to just observe them and then decide if I agree with the woman and with that, I leave.

 _ **Erika's POV**_

I am so glad that I got Harry's more or less permission to go with Alastor Moody and the others as I had been sure that, like he did the first time the Aurors tried restraining him, he would try and take down all the forms of captive magic that the Aurors might try and cast on him, yet unknown magic would be a differnet story.  
Harry had definitely not been happy with the idea that I would be close to someone who could do something similar to what Dudley tried so many years ago, yet I felt very confident in my case and decided to give the boy some confidence that I would not risk my life and so made the oath of self-protection before I left.

By now I am just so happy with seeing the three teens that actually saved my life only a few years ago once again after all these years, yet I just gave them a sign to just go with it when we left the Ministry and now I say: "Sorry, I didn't tell you more about where you were, but I wanted to return to where I am currently staying first."  
"You're staying in this castle? That is so awesome!" Sora tells me, his eighteen year old face alight with still childish excitement and while I am super happy with seeing that he can still be so young and innocent even after all these years, do I smile at him and say: "To be honest, this isn't just a castle, it's also a school.  
You see, where your worlds have fire, ice, time and other forms of magic that can be cast through the Keyblade or wands like Donald's, do people here use more wooden wands and do they actually have more wide-varried magic. They learn that here, yet this is also the school that bastard you just locked away was Headmaster over.

And to make matters even worse, did my favorite surrogate little baby boy go to school here for four years now – and now he is stuck in a wheelchair because of injuries caused by others who did it on orders of that same bastard. And that's just the start of the whole story, really." By now the three are shocked and then Kairi asks:  
"Where is this boy? Is he okay?" And I smile as I say: "He's probably up in one of the towers right now as that is his House's Dormitory. Don't worry, the wheelchair is also enchanted to levitate when needed and is made by the school's matron or so I got told." The girl nods and asks: "Do you think Curaga could help him?"  
And instantly I beam at her as I say: "I really do and I have no doubt you will become his favorite instantly if you do that. He tried standing earlier today, yet his physical reserves and healing muscles just weren't strong enough for him to get it done and he looked really agitated when he had to drop himself back into his wheelchair."  
"Then let's go!" Sora says and he dashes away, yet then Riku shouts: "SORA WAIT!" And the brunette almost trips as he stops in his tracks and Riku sounds dead-panned as he asks: "Do you even know where to go?" And Sora gets shocked before he sends his best friend a guilty smile, making all of us shake our heads while smiling.

* * *

 _ **And that is that!  
**_ _ **Okay, I loved this chapter! I felt a little unsure of what to put into it and for most part I was just winging it, yet I feel this chapter looks much, much better now that is has been deleted and rewritten. Now this doesn't mean that I don't love the part where I wrote of Harry singing, yet there was one major thing wrong there.  
**_ _ **HARRY WAS STANDING AND WALKING! The whole chapter utterly ignored that Harry had been stuck to his wheelchair and at the mercy of those who held him thanks to his leg and I just felt that it ruined the entire chapter. Therefore, I rewrote it and now I feel that the flow of many things is much, much more natural.  
**_ _ **Now I don't know what next chapter will be about, but I do know that, starting the second book, I am going to try and throw in a few more interludes, some of them about the thoughts and beliefs of some key-characters, others describing small groups doing off-topic activities as they listen to the reading while doing stuff.  
**_ _ **Hope you enjoy,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	32. The First Night Passes

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Well, here it is. The second chapter that has been completely deleted and rewritten. And to be honest, I am kind of glad that I deleted this one as there were a few things that, while I may have been proud of them at first, now I just feel as if they could have been put together much better and that is what I will try with the rewrite.  
**_ _ **Okay, enjoy,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 31  
**_ _ **The First Night Passes**_

 _ **27**_ _ **th**_ _ **of June 1995  
**_ _ **Hogwarts School  
**_ _ **Harry's POV**_

Getting Erica back has felt like some kind of blessing of the Founders or something. For Erica to come back from taking Dumbledore into custody with three new teens that, just by looking at her, I can tell she has more or less adopted in the same way that she unofficially did me all those years ago makes me feel even happier.  
And then the cherry on the ice-cream shows itself as Sora tells us that he knows a form of magic that can speed up my healing process if not completely heal me from all the injuries that Madam Pomfrey discovered when she put me through the Full-Physical and the weapon he summons to use this magic is just utterly incredible.  
It looks like a key-shaped blade and is made of gold and silver metal, yet at the same time I can sense a whole lot of power coming off of the blade that proves that the boy himself – named Sora – has been using the blade for an extended period which makes me feel even more sure that the boy can indeed speed up my healing process.

Sora then takes another look at my parents like a silent request and dad nods with a happy smile on his face before Sora aims his blade my way and says: "Curaga." And a gorgeous cloud of leafs and flowers gets blown my way, yet when the leafs and flower petals hit me, do they vanish as they merge with my skin and cloths.  
And as this happens, do I actually feel an incredible power going through my blood and seeping into my bones and muscles and as the power does this, do I sigh in utter relief as I can feel everything that has been hurting since the Full-Physical relax and feel the pain fade away as my muscles and bones strengthen and my blood clears up.  
I feel a boost coming to my body and feel my heart beating a little easier and even feel as if some strange form of magic gets released from my mind, making it easier for me to think and feel and when the feeling vanishes, do I let out another sigh of relief before Ron asks: "Think you can try again, mate? Standing up, I mean?"

And while the others – especially my parents – look at me worriedly, do I breath in with the intention of gathering some of my renewed strength before I strongly grip the armrests of my wheelchair, yet unlike with how it went earlier, does it now actually take less effort for my legs to move themselves into a standing position.  
Still I make sure to push myself up slowly and when I am standing and sure that I am standing, do I take one hand off of my wheelchair, yet use the other to take hold of the control stick and use it to move my wheelchair away from behind me and move it over to my side for extra support and when this is done, do I move further.  
Taking another deep breath, not because I don't feel confident, but because I am unsure of the magic Sora used and how long it could possibly last, do I then slowly start to move my legs into a walking motion, yet it seems that Sora didn't replenish all of my energy as I feel myself panting in strangely draining effort after a few steps.

Instantly dad is by my side and while mum is on my other side helping me stay on my feet, does dad take over my wheelchair and does he move it back behind me, allowing me to sink back into its comforting hold with a sigh of relief as Sora hums and says: "That's odd. Curaga usually cures everything on a person."  
Yet dad smiles at him and says: "It must be because Hogwarts is practically drowning in her own form of magic; both intent and excess magic. Excess magic is something that leaves one witch or wizard when they cast a spell and then – sometimes – enters another as a way to help them get a boost in their growing core and magic."  
Sora looks shocked and intrigued and dad says: "Intent magic is usually found within the walls and other parts of Hogwarts, which already makes it quite potentially powerful. Excess magic is even stronger as it exists out of different levels of teenage and adult magic mixed together and gathers itslef in the air itself."

Here Sora nods and then asks: "So, where usually my magic would heal Harry, those forms of magic is now trying to – undo my magic?" And dad smiles at him as he says: "I think so, though not on purpose. She isn't used to your kind and so considers it a threat to her inhabitants. You just need to train here a while, get her used to you."  
"Wait, this magic is sentient?" Riku asks shocked, but dad shakes his head and says: "No, the magic itself isn't. Hogwarts is. It's just something that happens when a castle like this becomes the core location for hundreds different forms of intent and excess magic for over a period of more than a thousand years. It's only natural."  
Sora and the others had definitely been shocked to hear how long Hogwarts had been around and then I laugh and say: "That's it. I'm going to let a petition go around Hogwarts and when the results are in, I am sending it to the Board and the Minister." This confuses everyone and I look at dad with great determination as I say:  
"You are getting your job back. _You_ are going to be our Defense teacher again next year. Ah, no discussion." And the man had looked shocked at the fact that I had interrupted his objection before I turn to the others that had been in the Gryffindor common room with me and asks: "Am I wrong?" And everyone shakes their head.

The man had been shocked by this, but had then smiled at me and I had happily smiled back before the Weasleys had approached mum and Mr. Weasley had asked: "Sorry to ask this, Sirius, but do you know what we can do with Molly? I know she's part of the reading team, it's just – I no longer feel I can trust her while here.  
There are just too many students, not to mention that Harry is still in his state of health and, well, even though she ruined her reputation with everyone already, I – I just don't want to take any risks." Mum had nodded and said: "I'll just have her taken to Grimmauld Place and then let Narcissa write the other Blacks with the info.  
Then she will be off our hands and she can become someone else's problem." Mr. Weasley had smiled at this and the rest of the night had been spent between the Weasleys, Fiana, Erica, her friends and my parents sitting around the fireplace of Gryffindor common room, laughing, talking and all out getting to know each other.

"Harry, now that the tournament is over and all, are the other books still necessary?" Hermione actually asks me just before we all head for bed and while I am amazed that my book-loving friend is contemplating the ending of a reading, do I sigh as I had hoped that no one would ask me personally before I say:  
"Hermione, if there is one thing this whole thing has taught me it's that all forms of magic have a cost and this one is very, very dependent on how we treat its gifts that it presents to us. The better we respond to the good parts of the reading, the better magic will allow us to deal with the – lesser parts of the books' contents."  
The girl nods and asks: "And if we stop?" And I cringe before I whisper: "I die." Causing for so much shock to run through everyone that the room turns silent with shock and I say: "I know that's painful to hear – but just remember; when I came up with this plan, I had a prophesy in mind, had no parents and had my inner mental struggles to booth."

The girl looks horrified and heartbroken, but nods and I turn to Erika as I ask: "Would – would you be up to some bedtime talk?" And the woman smiles at me, making me turn slightly teary-eyed as her smile really reminds me of times of old, when I would visit her office near the school to talk out all that was on my heart and mind.  
And tonight everything feels just like all those years ago, yet at the same time it feels so much better. We are now four days past a very changed Third task and that what should have ruined the whole Tournament has been halted in its tracks and to make things even better have the books solved most of my heart's deepest issues.  
Yet even with all that can I not help but mutter: "I can't help it, you know? That constant fear that just keeps nagging at the back of my mind. That small voice that constantly tells me that I am unworthy of all this; that my efforts are for naught and that karma will come back to punish me when I least expect it. That it will take me all I love."

Yet Erika asks: "And where do you think that fear could lead you to?" And I sigh as I lie on my back and say: "That it will make me push everyone away. That it will make me do something that will permanently end the reading. That – that I will disappoint mum or dad. That they – they will read something – _they won't accept of me_."  
The woman looks at me worried and I turn to her with tear-filled eyes, only unlike last time are they tears of fear and longing as I ask her: "You'll stop them, won't you? You'll make sure I never lose them, right?" And when the woman asks: "Do you want me to?" Do I rush into her arms and, at the top of my lungs, scream:  
"YES!" Before I rant: "Please Erika! I – there is – there is just _so much_ wrong with me! There are _so many_ things I did wrong over the years! And – and – and the – the third book! I – I'm just – _so scared_ that book – will break us apart. And – and – and Viktor! He – he – he's so amazingly nice to me and – and I – I feel _so unworthy_."  
The woman hugs me close at hearing me plead like this and holds me closely against her own form, not saying another word or asking another question, but just calmly allowing me to shed my tears and as this tires me out, is the way she holds me and the touch of her hand through my hair the last thing I sense before falling asleep.

 _ **Sirius' POV  
**_

"You sensed that too, didn't you?" I ask my mate as we slip ourselves into a sleeping bag that had been given to us by the House Elves and that, when I suddenly sensed something happening to my pup, we had moved to lie just to the side of the small stone staircase that leads up to the two doors leading to the doors.  
Remus nods and says: "Yes, but I can smell it too. Our pup's not really in danger – he just seems to be letting go of some pent up emotions, just like he did last night when he told us of Erika." Here I nod, but then cuddle with the man and whisper: "I just can't believe it, Remy. Our baby boy, our little pup had to face death at age eight."  
At this the man pulls me close and I say: "Not even my mum ever sunk that low. Remus, those Muggles – _are worse than_ my parents. I – I never thought I'd find someone worse than my mum, let alone that someone who is worse – could be a Muggle. With – with Lily, I – I always thougth Muggles were better than us, you know?"

Here the man nods and says: "And in many wayst they are, Pads. I can say that with utmost security." Here I look at him and he says: "After everything that happened on Halloween and after seeing more and more things happen in the magical world that pushed or would have pushed me further and further away from pup, I left.  
I just left, moved to the Magical world, used what little inheritance my parents and grandfather had left me and bought myself a library worth of _Books for Dummies_ as Muggles have started calling them. I studied their history, their most present state, their most common subjects of conversation, everything I could.  
The transfer from Magical to Muggle was definitely hard – but the transfer back before Harry's third felt so much harder." At this I look at him and ask: "Wait, if you lived in the Muggle world, why didn't you use Muggle means to contact Harry before his third?" Yet the man shakes his head in sheer pain and mutters:  
"I didn't just live _in_ the Muggle world, Sirius, I lived _as_ a Muggle. And while Muggles may be ages ahead of us in lots of ways; when it comes to finding people we magicals are still superior. And with how strongly the Dursleys were trying to keep their reputation as normal as possible –." At which I nod and softly mutter:

"Finding pup would have been impossible." Yet then Remus looks up for a few seconds before he smiles and then moves us so that I am lying with my head near his shoulder and with his arm around my upper back as he whispers: "Pup's calm now. Erika got him to sleep." This makes me smile too and then Remus says:  
"Siri, I may have been unable to find pup thanks to the magical world forcing me to leave until it needed me again, but we have him now and he needs us. Muggles and Magicals tried keeping him from us and us from him, but no more. I am done running away, Sirius Black, from my pup, my partner and from my true life."  
And this makes me happily cuddle into the strong man that has so often seemed weaker than a newborn puppy to me, but that now seems to be the epitome of what Harry meant when he said we could reap rewards from our good responses to good parts and while slighlty worried, do I still whisper: "So am I, my Remus."

 _ **Riku's POV**_

This castle has a lot of what seems to be everything and with that I don't just mean appliances or incredible interior and exterior designs. It also seems to have an incredible amount of people living both within its walls and outside them, yet it's the ones that Erika introduced me to today that have me greatly, greatly worried.  
There was no doubt in my mind when I gazed upon Erika's prisoner that she was in the right with wanting him firmly locked away and part of me didn't even really need the explanation behind his crimes, yet where the man seemed to revel in his own Darkness, can I sense alarming levels of the same power with others.

"And all these people seem obvious to it?" Sora asks as we had chosen a bit of a secluded corner in the common room and I mutter back: "Not really obvious, they just seem to worry more for the emotions, especially those of others, than they do for the fact that these emotions carry a Darkness of their own." To which Kairi asks:  
"Could they – _not know_?" And we both look at her as she says: "Think about it, Roxas was a Nobody, he had a heart of gold, yet he had no idea he was helping those pining for the Darkness. Not to mention we are in a world far outside our own Universe. What if magic doesn't work here like it does back home?"  
Here Sora nods and he says: "We have definitely seen evidence of that already. Moving staircases, talking portraits, food that appears out of nowhere. And everyone uses those wands in much more varied ways than we ever used our Keyblades. You know, they actually remind me of the Master. Does seem like similar magic."

And while even I can tell that Sora still believes that the Master is way above all these people here in level and experience, do I still agree with him and ask: "You know what I think might help? With that whole _Hogwarts thinks our magic a threat_ problem we have?" And when Sora and Kairi look my way, do I say:  
"Help Harry – get a Keyblade." And instantly the two are smiling at each other, their eyes gleaming with ideas of what could happen if we were to do this and I say: "After all, if one of her own uses our magic, surely Hogwarts will see we mean no harm. So, tomorrow?" The others nod and I nod back before calling it a night.  
Yet just like so many nights before does he haunt my dreams in ways that make all of my emotions for him stronger and that even wake me two times, making me gaze at him in utter longing before sleep once again claims me and plays the same evil trick; giving me the one brunette I love with all that I am, but that I can never have.

* * *

 _ **And that is that!  
**_ _ **Okay, so I skipped the whole Blaise, Hermione thing, but that will probably come up next chapter. In fact, I think I already gave myself a nice little way of getting those two to – at the very least – meet a little more properly than just through some joined class or another dispute taking place between both of their friends.  
**_ _ **Also, I am really glad that this chapter got a total rewrite. It makes Harry's injuries seem more real, it plays a little more in on his own personal issues such as his suicidal urges, it creates some nice backstory for both Remus and Erika's relationship with Harry and it even makes a nice beginning of the SoRiku pairing that will develop over time.  
**_ _ **Yep, much better rewrite,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	33. Ancient Protocols And Safety

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So this chapter was supposed to be the December chapter, but instead of that has this become part of my Christmas gift to all of you, my loyal readers. However, because of that Preventing Trouble won't be getting an update at the end of this month, but considering the fact that I am uploading 19 chapters, I don't think that really matters.  
**_ _ **Okay, on with the show,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 32  
**_ _ **Ancient Protocols And Safety**_

 _ **28**_ _ **th**_ _ **of June 1995  
**_ _ **Sirius' POV  
**_ _ **Hogwarts Great Hall**_

Harry and Erika are the first of their dorm to come down today and instantly I can tell that whatever happened last night definitely did my little boy both a lot of good and a lot of bad, yet I don't comment on this and Harry says: "I'd like to spend today training on walking again, maybe out on the grounds or something?"  
Remus and I nod, but then I say: "Sounds good, but not before you've had your breakfast. Also, I want to meet with Andromeda and see if she wants to set some appointments in regards to the mental trauma Azkaban caused me. And don't forget you have to set appointments with Narcissa about your Heirship classes."  
Harry nods, but seems a little hesitant about the last bit and I softly touch his shoulder as I say: "I will be there the entire time, pup, and even if Lucius will be there, which he probably won't be as I just don't trust him right now, he will be wandless the entire time. These lessons are to help you, they are not to cause you harm."

And this seems to calm the boy down before Sora and the others come over and ask: "Sir, we've thought over what you said about Hogwarts and her sentient control over the magic around us and – well, Riku here came up with a way we can make sure our magic works when he cast the Curaga on your son to help his healing."  
"You did, did you?" Remus asks and Riku nods as he says: "Harry definitely has a lot on his mind and heart, I can almost see that like one can see the color of the sea, but he also has a lot of character traits, which I picked up on last night, that would make him a perfectly fine candidate for the Keyblade – the weapons we use for magic casting."  
Here my family and I share glances and Sora says: "I know it's new magic and that you know nothing more about us other than that we know Erica, but we really want to help and if Harry uses the Keyblade, Hogwarts will recognize it as a safe form of magic and then the Curaga should work perfectly fine."

"I like it." Harry says and Remus and I share a smile before I say: "Alright boys, why don't we head down for breakfast and then over to the grounds. Harry wants to do some excercises and after that we could try whatever you guys need to do to get Harry get a Keyblade." The two nod and the seven of us leave the common room.  
The amazement that the three newcomers show as they follow us down the Grand staircase – Harry using the levitation function of his wheelchair – is definitely great to see and then Remus says: "You know, these three coming here might just make it so that others – like Molly – can be made exempt from the reading."  
At this I nod and then say: "I'm sure the Weasleys will greatly appreciate that." Before Riku asks: "What reading are you guys doing anyway?" And Erika answers: "We're reading of Harry's past, present and future and as we do so in the Great Hall, does the spell that allows this freeze time all across the rest of the world."

This shocks the trio and Kairi asks: "So you guys are stuck in one single room while the rest of the world is just stuck between one minute and the next?" I nod and Harry sighs and says: "And if we don't read all of the books, the magic of the spell will drain my own magic to the point where it could take my life."  
"Why would you do that?" Sora asks shocked and Harry answers: "I've never really feared death and I was part of an International Tournament, yet I also knew of a prophesy that would be coming true and I feared its contents would ruin the event or even cause something I had been trying to prevent for the three years before now."  
"What was that?" Kairi asks and I lie my hand on Harry's shoulder as his whole demeanor turns horridly depressed as he mutters: "The return of my parents' murderer. My birth parents to be exact." The three look shocked and then Riku says: "Yeah, I can get why you would take a risk like that to prevent such a thing."

And Harry smiles at him before we leave the Grand staircase and as he rolls his wheelchair over to the Great Hall, does he say: "Thanks and now, welcome to our dining hall and the room where we will continue the reading in two days' time." And the way that the eyes of the three teens widen seems to cheer my son right up.  
Harry smiles widely and then makes sure that each of them have one hand on his wheelchair before he rolls it over to the Gryffindor table, the way that the three follow him while also trying to take in the splendor of the sights around them actually looking quite amusing and making Remus and me share a smile before we follow them.

And as we sit down, do Narcissa and Andromeda and her family join us and instantly the blonde woman asks: "Good morning Harry dear, feeling better, I hope?" And Harry nods as he says: "Yeah, I do. Sora here tried using special magic to speed up my process, but Hogwarts didn't recognize it, so she negated some of the effects."  
The woman nods and then asks the question I had been hoping she would: "Have you thought about my offer yet, dear?" And Harry swallows down a glass of milk before he says: "I really want to use today to learn Sora, Riku and Kairi's magic as it might speed up my healing process and I want to do some other exercises too.  
But – maybe tomorrow?" Narcissa nods and smiles as she says: "I'm looking forward to it, dear." Before Andy asks: "Sirius, would you be opposed to some small sessions while you look over Harry and his exercises? If you'd rather have them privately –." But I shake my head and say: "I don't think doing that alone would be wise, Andy."

The woman nods in understanding, something I always adored and admired about her and then Harry asks: "Mrs. Tonks? I – I spoke with Erika last night and – I was wondering if you could speak with her as well. I – I think she could use your help with – _some stuff_." The boy almost whispers as he too receives an understanding nod.  
Yet while Andy nods in understanding, does Harry's request confuse me until Remus whispers: "He's asking Andy to work alongside Erika on his healing as he trusts Erika like you trust Andy." And this makes me smile at my son in utter pride, feeling relieved beyond words that he is willing to seek out such help by himself.

Then I look around the hall and see that Harry's friends are actually entering the Great Hall at the same time as Draco and his friends and while I can sense a strong sense of tension going back and forth between Draco and Ron, do they seem to calmly walk over to us, Hermione hugging Harry and Draco kissing Narcissa's cheek.  
And as Draco comes back up, do I raise my eyebrow as the tanned and tall boy besides him gives him a push in the side with his elbow, making Draco glare at him as if silently telling him: "Wait your turn." Before he takes a deep breath and turns to Hermione, causing Ron to be on guard instantly, yet he shocks them both.

"Hermione Jeane Granger, in name of the Alliance between House Malfoy and House Zabini and because House Zabini is currently with Heir, but without Lord due to it being a Patriachal line, do I hereby speak on behalf of my partner and friend and reach out to you with an invitation of truce and collaboration for the future."

This shocks the whole group and Hermione wants to open her mouth, but I lie a hand on her own, recognizing this for the official Pureblood business that it is and then ask: "Hermione, are you willing to accept this Noble Pureblood as your spokesperson and Magical Guardian, if only for the sake of your future and wellfare?"  
And Hermione looks from me to Malfoy, the boy having a small, but accepting smile on his face before she asks: "I –." But I give her a raised eyebrow and she calmly says: "I accept your offer, Lord Black." And I nod at her before I turn to Draco and ask: "Does an alliance of House and guardians sound acceptable, Heir Malfoy?"  
The blonde nods and I then turn to the boy besides him and ask: "And why exactly is it that House Zabini needed this alliance in place before it could approach the new Daughter of House Black?" And while this name shocks both Harry and Hermione, does the tall, dark skinned boy amuse me as he smirks and says:

"Because I wished to be sure of her alliance to those I cared for and because I desired for there to be as little animosity between her and my partners of House." And while Hermione seems confused as to this, do I calmly ask: "And your reason for wanting something like this assured?" And the boy happily shocks me as he says:  
"Because I had hoped that she would be magically adopted or at least recognized as a protégé by a Lord or Lady of an Ancient House. Through that, I could then make the following request – as is tradition since 1726. Lord Black, would you be of acceptance to my person and my request for a 30 day Courting trial?"  
"A –?" Hermione wants to ask, but I still have my hand on hers and give it a quick squeeze that says: "Keep quiet and trust me." And while the girl looks slightly shocked and angered that I am doing this in her name, do I take a deep breath and say: "I am amused – and flattered – but I would prefer a 3 day test to observe your character first."  
And the tanned boy nods as he says: "I understand. Thank you for your understanding, Lord Black." I nod and the boy leaves, Draco again kissing his mother on the cheek before he follows his friends and while the tanned kid tries to hide it, do I feel like snickering as he has a very subtle hint of a spring now added to his step.

"Why did you do that?" Hermione asks and Narcissa answers: "Because as brilliant as you are, you are Muggleborn and thus without true guardians that can help guide you into a safe and prosper future. It's not so much an issue of trust as more a lack of knowledge. And no, that is not your fault, but that of those who have educated you.  
Perhaps it could benefit you to join in on Harry's classes. Not so much because you are now in line for a real Pureblood inheritance, but definitely so you can learn to understand where we Purebloods come from when we do what we do." Yet even the idea of more studies don't seem to entice the now cross- looking girl and she says:

"But – but - but that was so – so medieval." Yet I stop her and say: "Hermione, allow me to explain. Yes, there is a great difference between the Muggle World and the Magical one, but we here take our comfort and protection out of those medieval ways. Not for ourselves, but for kids like yourself and Lavender Brown and Harry."  
The girl looks shocked at this and I say: "The fact that Draco, even after four years, is willing to forgive and forget everything that happened in the time he knew Harry and give Pureblood Harry a chance is definitely a great thing and very commendable of him as a character, yet Blaise Zabini is very much an unknown.  
I haven't met him before this and I doubt he has ever spoken more than two words to you. Because of that, his intentions are ones I sincerely doubt and I want to make sure that, through your Muggle upraising, he doesn't take advantage of you not knowing how things come and go in the ways and world of the Pureblood.  
Also, I know of a Muggle saying that actually holds more ground in our world than theirs: _Behind every great man is a greater woman_. I just don't want that great woman to be taken advantage of to make the man greater, so I took over this procedure. So while it may be up to me to start the courting, it is up to you to go through it.  
Just make sure he does most of the courting in front of me so I can make sure he really does adept the courting to what you like, want and – most importantly – deserve and let me know if you want the courting to end. And no, it won't cause a scandal or anything if your first courting ends in a break-up, it never does."

By now the girl looks a mix between understanding and cross and asks: "Why can't I just pick for myself who I want to court or who courts me?" But then Narcissa says: "We never said that you couldn't, we just accepted this one, because it concerned more than just your courting; it also included an alliance between Ancient Houses."  
"But that's so disgusting! Using a –.""Hermione, the Alliance might still stand after the three day trial, it may fall during the three day trial, it may fall thanks to Blaise mucking up during the thirty day courting period. The Alliance, like the courting, was offered. It's nothing permanent, just more like a gift to the family of the approached."  
I gently tell her and the girl seems a little more calmed down and asks: "So, if this doesn't work out, I can pick someone of my own choice?" To which I smile and says: "Yes, but it is still tradition that they make the first move. You can make a move that can indicate you want them to do so, but the approach must come from them."

And the girl seems to have gone back to feeling cross to which Harry says: "Feminism is a real thing in the Muggle world." Shocking me before I say: "Wow, wow, wow, wow! That's not the reason why your partner should be the approacher." And when the girl looks at me, do I smile at her, loving her curiosity and say:  
"It's important that the approacher is your partner, because you and your future can be so much better off if – by chance – you chose someone from a powerful family. Say you like Cedric Diggory. If he becomes the Approacher, you instantly become known for being liked by that House and such a reputation can help you prosper.  
But if it happens the other way, it won't because you're Muggleborn. And before you say anything, Hermione, the Stature of Secrecy – which we both know is very, very vital to our survival – makes it so that your family's reputation just can't hold ground in our world. If it could, you aproaching Cedric would have been fine.

It's all about the bigger picture, you get it?" The girl sighs and says: "I guess so. It – it just sounds – so demeaning." At this I smile at her and say: "Trust me, girlie, I felt the same way when I was your age. But now, I bless these rules and ways of procedure.""You do? Why?" The girl asks and I hug Harry close as I say:  
"Cause they ensure me the confident assurance that I can protect and help guide my son into a safe, well-cared for and prosperous future. And with everything my pup's been through – well, I think I should stop lacking in my duties and put that Krum boy through a 30 day courting trial himself. Excuse me a minute."  
And with that do I leave the table and over to where the Durmstrang students have yet again joined Slytherin table, Krum having taken a seat next to Draco, who is the first to notice me, making him laugh before he says: "Sorry Krum, but it looks like I just screwed you over." Making me smirk before I speak up and say:

"Viktor Krum, you are an international Quidditch player, but you seem to – like myself – have forgotten a few bits of standard protocol when it comes to creating bonds between one House and another. What is your answer to this problem?" And the boy looks at me shocked before he clears his throat and says:  
"I can only offer a word of apology, Lord Black, as you are indeed correct. Would a three day sabatical sustain?" Yet while I feel impressed by the fact that the guy is willing to punish himself by staying away from my little boy, do I also know that this will be counter-productive to his healing process and say:  
"I think I'd prefer a 30 day courting trial with the rules that no contact is done between you and my son without my presence and with the promise from you that each of the 30 days will be marked with one gift brought forth through magic, one brought forth through personal creation and one through a purchase of items. Is that clear, Heir Krum?"

And the boy bows as he says: "I am deeply honored that, after making my mistake, you are still welcoming me into your family like this, Lord Black, and humbly accept your premises for my 30 day courting period of your son. I will contact my father so he may discuss an official alliance between Houses Krum and Black."  
At which I nod and say: "I will expect the first gift no later than lunch, Heir Krum." And with that I walk away and when I return to Harry, he asks: "Did it go okay?" And I answer: "There will be no contact between you unless in my presence, but else the whole deal was set just fine. Krum really is a good aspect for your future."  
And Harry happily turns to Hermione as he says: "Told you so." Making the girl smile at him and when I look around, Remus says: "Hermione wondered why Harry was so easily accepting that you arrange this for him and Harry said it's because he knows you are doing this because you only want what's best for him."  
Making me smile warmly at my young boy and I again hug him close as I say: "You bet your messy black hair I do. Now eat up, already. Even with all that Poppy is helping you cope, I can still feel your ribs, you know." And we all laugh as Harry quickly grabs an extra apple to put on his plate and we all start eating our breakfast.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **I know what you're thinking, this chapter misses a lot of stuff. There is no Tonks teaching the others Auror stuff, there is no House Elf history class, there is no Keyblade classes. Well, that is because I felt this chapter was just fine as it was and because I will be putting stuff like that in the following chapter.  
**_ _ **Now I know that I am working with a story that has been prewritten for quite some time, but the whole purpose behind this reposting was to repost an even better version, so to add a chapter or two to the already existing stuff. I won't mind the idea and I doubt you will too, seeing that it will give you even more enjoyable content.  
**_ _ **Hope you agree,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	34. Lessons And Staff

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Well, here it is. The chapter that wasn't part of the original. It just isn't the first as that was the intervention that came up after the end of the fourth book and things like that will definitely be popping up more and more as the chapters progress. After all, we are talking about a Great Hall full of different people.  
**_ _ **So this chapter will give Hermione a bit more history of the Pureblood club lessons – yes, House Elves will be the topic – it will probably contain both Viktor giving Harry his first gift and Blaise doing the same to Sirius to prove his worth as a courting candidate and it will concern the local and foreign school staff.  
**_ _ **Have fun,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 33  
**_ _ **Lessons And Staff**_

 _ **28**_ _ **th**_ _ **of June 1995  
**_ _ **Hogwarts Grounds  
**_ _ **Hermione's POV**_

I joined Harry and his family as they left the Great Hall for the grounds as Narcissa had invited me to learn a bit more about things that – in her words – should have been taught to me in the very first week of my classes and while I hate how some of these things sound so medieval, do I hate the fact that I don't know them even more.  
And the fact that me not knowing it could make me make a mistake that could cost me my future or that someone else could use the knowledge I don't have against me is a prospect I don't like to imagine, so in that case, I do understand and appreciate how all these things were created and upheld just for the protection of youth.  
Sure, the Muggles are becoming more and more independent at younger age and even everything I have done with Harry has made me quite independent myself, but it's like Harry said: "There's nothing wrong with someone older wanting to look out for you and your future." And Sirius obviously enjoys doing exactly that.

Yet now that I am here, sitting with the woman who's husband first introduced me to the concept of House Elves and who actually actively abused his own, I can't help but see my chance and take it and so, while Mrs. Tonks, Mrs. Malfoy, Remus and I are all seated on an uphill rock on the grounds, do I turn from Harry and say:  
"Mrs. Malfoy, there is one thing about Pureblood ways of life that I – well, I find them absolutely atrocious and – and I've been working all year to get it reversed." The woman looks at me intrigued and asks: "Have you, dearie? And what would that be?" And while I wonder if I'm not making a mistake right now, do I say:  
"House Elves. To be exact, the slavery under which they suffer." The woman looks shocked and I ask: "Did you know that your husband abused his? Dobby had to actually hurt himself to the point he could have a concussion if he even said that your husband was a bad man. And even now that he's a free elf, he's still suffering from that.

It's just not right. And then I'm not even talking about –." But then the woman shocks me as she says: "Hermione, why do you think Dobby is a free Elf? There is no such thing. It's magically impossible." This shocks me and I ask: "What do you mean? Harry freed Dobby in his second." To which the woman smiles and says:  
"After which Dobby saved Harry's life and created an incomplete bond between them; one based on a life-debt that can evolve into a full bond between wizard and House Elf whenever Harry so desires it." "But Harry would never want to own a slave!" I snap and the woman looks shocked and asks: "That's what you think it is? Slavery?"  
And her honest shock and confusion startle me out of my fury over the entire situation and I weakly say: "Yes. Yes, of course. I – I mean, what – what else could you call it?" And Mrs. Tonks shocks me as she says: "A safety net for beings that are stronger than their own forms can handle?" And I look at her as I ask: "Wait, what?"

"Hermione, you know how humans and animals have blood running through the veins in their bodies and how, according to legend, gods used to have what is known as Ichor?" I nod and Mrs. Malfoy says: "The same counts for House-elves, only with them it's pure magic that runs through them. No blood, no blood cells, just magic.  
And many centuries ago, a Dark Lord managed to harness that pure magic to not just increase his own magical strength, but also overpower and overrun the entire European continent before, to make sure his most loyal subjects could never turn on him, he cursed them so that their bodies would never grow enough to sustain that power.  
So, these days, witches and wizards bind House Elves to them, so that House Elves can have another being's core – that of their master – to ground their own overpowered magic on and to keep their bodies well-sustained. It's all about keeping House Elves alive and keeping them safe; something they themselves can no longer do."

This shocks me and I ask: "So then why did your husband abuse Dobby so? And – and if this is all true, why not just search out that spell and counter it?" But here the woman shakes her head and says: "The wizard was very clever, Hermione, and he saw such a possibility coming so he used Fiendfyre on all the notes of his creation.  
The research had been done in secret and had been destroyed and just before his death, the wizard cast an overpowered Obliviation on himself to keep the victorious wizards from ever finding the information of the spell and possible countercurse through him. So you see, the information is truly, utterly lost in time."

This utterly shocks and devastates me and then the woman pulls a warm arm around my shoulder as she says: "As for why my husband abused Dobby the way he did. Heh, there are good and bad witches and wizards, Hermione. And some bad ones just think so high of themselves, they see anything potentially stronger as a threat.  
And Lucius definitely falls under that category. He knew this tale, he knew the truth behind it and so he did the only thing he ever knew he could; he dominated Dobby. Was it the right thing to do? No, not ever. Did it make him a better man that he did it? No. Should you hate him for doing it? Absolutely, you definitely should.  
Will I hate you for hating my husband for the horrible mistake he made? Absolutely not. Is there an even more important lesson you can take out of this? Absolutely." Here I look at her, feeling confused that she is so calm about this and she says: "Instead of going against the slavery you think you see, you should fight the abuse.  
The abuse Dobby suffered, the abuse other House Elves suffered, the abuse of witches and wizards who know of this tale and thus see it and House Elves as a threat. There is just one other thing you need to know before you start this new campaign of yours." Here I look at her and she calmly smiles as she tells me:

"The magic that courses through House Elf bodies – enforces, increases and empowers the beliefs and kind of character that they have. So even if you see a House Elf being abused, but their behavior is worse than the abuse – then you're better off just leaving that House Elves be. Like wise snakes always say: _Know your battles_."  
And while I don't like the idea of leaving any creatures to being abused and while part of me also has some trouble accepting the statements of the House that has done nothing but hurt me, do I then shake my head at this last part and think: "Everything I just learned came from a snake, so surely a single statement isn't that bad."  
And this makes me sigh as I lean back against the rock formation we are sitting on, looking out over the small field below us where Harry, Sora, Riku, Kairi and Sirius are and where Harry is doing some exercises to get Harry back some of his energy and help him learn to walk again and think: "He sure is ambitious." Which makes me smile.

 _ **Riku's POV  
**_

"Harry wants too much." Goes through my mind as I see Harry trying exercises that I am not sure his body is ready for just yet, not as closely after he starting going through the healing period like he did, yet there just doesn't seem to be anything capable of stopping the boy as he seems determined to heal as quickly as possible.  
"He reminds me of you." Sora then suddenly says and I look at him as he says: "You wanted to get rid of the Darkness inside of you much faster than you could possibly manage, but in the end, you did manage it." And I sigh as I have to give the sweet and caring brunette right before I ask: "Any ideas on how to stop him?"  
"Yeah, I do." Sora shocks me as he says before he moves over and says: "Hey Harry, enough of that." And before the boy can do more than say: "No, I –." Does Sora stop him and say: "It's time you get your own Keyblade, you know? You ready?" And the boy looks shocked before he smiles and says: "Give me a minute."  
And while I sigh and shake my head at how it obviously tires the boy out to get on his feet and walk over to his wheelchair, do I still feel glad that Sora managed that so flawlessly and think: "In that aspect, Harry is just like Sora. The best way to make him stop is by making him focus on something that is better and healthier."

Sora then turns his blade around and says: "In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around or below or above. So long as you champion the ones you love."  
And while part of me can't help but feel nine years old again, standing on the beach of Destiny Island with Terra in front of me instead of this scene here, do I focus as Harry takes the Keyblade from Sora, the light in his eyes shining just a hint brighter for no more than a second, yet long enough for me to smile as I spot it happening.  
"Go on then. Focus on the power within your heart. It will make this Keyblade disappear and your own Keyblade appear." Sora says, tapping his heart with his fist as he speaks and Harry nods before he turns his face back to the blade in his hand, his eyes turning hard with the focus he seems to wield and with positive results.

The Keyblade in his hand starts to shine before it vanishes in a burst of light and stars, yet the light and stars turn even brighter before another burst of light creates a new blade. Yet unlike Sora's Harry's blade resembles a sword way more, with a dark grey hilt, a roaring lion at the tip and a fleur-de-lis as the teeth of the blade.  
"The Sleeping Lion. A powerful blade, but definitely one belonging to someone with a troubled past." I can't help but mutter, but while this makes Harry look down, do I then see Erika move over and say: "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get access to more positive blades after a few sessions with me and Andromeda, you'll see."  
And the boy smiles at her, while the way that she has a hold on his shoulders proves her care for him and then Harry aims his blade at his own legs, but then Sora says: "The basic form is just Cure." And Harry nods before he says: "Cure." And just like with Sora, do small leafs and flower petals leave the lion's head of the blade.

The leafs and petals get soaked up by Harry's legs and when the spell finishes, does Harry take another deep breath before he opens his hand, making his blade vanish before he grips the arms of his wheelchair with both hands and while Erika keeps the chair in place does Harry yet again try to stand up on his own two feet.  
And while I can tell that it comes much easier to the boy this time and while that makes me feel slightly better as it proves that my theory of Hogwarts accepting our method of magic, do I still try to hide my great concern for the boy as he slowly walks around the ground and think: "He still wants too much too quickly."

 _ **The teachers' Lounge  
**_ _ **Minerva's POV**_

"This is most certainly not the ending to the Tri-Wizard Tournament that we were expecting." I can't help but say and those around me, both the Hogwarts teachers as well as the heads of Durmstrang and Beauxbattons nod in agreement before Igor Karkaroff says: "I studied the spell that Potter used on the 24th a little more."  
We all nod at him as that had been what we asked him to do last night after the reading ended and he sighs as he says: "It doesn't seem as if either Olympe or I or even our students will be able to return home anytime in the next fortnight to longer. If we don't stay for the next 18 days, the boy will suffer the consequences."  
This makes me cringe in concern and then the man goes on: "To make things worse, ending the reading is definitely not an option as it will actually drain the caster of his magic, just like the Goblet of Fire does to any Champion that doesn't compete. And as powerful as Potter is, even he would not survive that."

"So what can we do?" Olympe asks and Igor says: "I read the texts I could find – including the book Potter apparently used – to the best of my ability and I found a few loopholes. So far, Filch, Dumbledore and Bagman have been taken out of the reading, yet Mss. Fiana, Erika and that Wood boy have replaced them.  
Next to that are there no rules of where everyone should be in the three days between each reading, they just need to be back in the room in question preferably one half an hour before the reading restarts. However, if someone gets taken out, someone close to the caster needs to instantly call on someone to replace them.  
If the spell itself is supposed to do that, it will take an extra bit of magic from the caster at the end of a book; not much luckily, just the same amount as a small sip of water. And finally, constant contact with at least one loved one through at least three quarter of each reading improves the magical chances of the caster in regards to health."

"And what of those two boys and that young girl that came with Mss. Erika yesterday? They are apparently not even of this world and I am sure they will want to return there at some time. What can we do about them?" Pomona asks and I sigh before I say: "I'm more curious if there is a way we can travel to their world or not."  
Here everyone looks at me and I say: "You are right with what you said, Pomona, but there is one issue with this whole reading plan. We are dealing with teenagers. Beings that have short attention spam and often have their interest taken away by their own interests or hormones. How do we keep all those entertained with reading?"

"You think traveling to that other world is the solution?" Filius asks, but I shake my head and say: "No, I don't think it's anymore than a possibility. However, I do have another idea that might work. Olympe, Igor, if you two could please confer with my coworkers on how you teach their subjects at your schools.  
I don't mean to steal your topics from you, but if you could set up a schedule with them all, we could, perhaps, between chapters hold small demonstrations of different forms of magic. It won't just teach the new guests something about our world, it will help first and second years with their electives and keep all students entertained."  
At this everyone nods and I say: "Also Filius, if possible try and forge some time-based Port Keys together with Batsheda and Septima. Preferably for just Igor and Olympe so they can keep their countries and the parents of our foreign guests comforted, but if you could make enough for all students, that'd be great."  
Here Filius looks thoughtful and then says: "I think I can make the first two before this break is over, but for the rest of them I will definitely need all the time the next book will give me. Should be a good first example of those demonstrations though." At which I nod and turn to the staff as I say: "Alright, we have a plan."

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Okay, so there wasn't any Tonks in this, but I personally think I am just going to leave it with this first day. Part of me does want to do the whole gifts between Harry and Krum thing, but I feel like that is better of just sumarized in the next chapter where everyone gets back to the Great Hall and where the reading restarts.  
**_ _ **Now I know that the explanation behind the House Elves history has been changed, but to be honest, I find this explanation a bit better as it teaches Hermione an important lesson; one that will definitely give her food for thought as we go through the second, fourth and – most importantly – the fifth book in the series.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	35. Different Worlds, Different Evils

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **This will be the first CR chapter and I decided on a new way to put down the CR parts. I know many of you have complained about how my previous method didn't make much sense as not everyone had the same versions of the book and I got to admit, the method has started annoying me as well, so I decided to change it up.  
**_ _ **HOWEVER! Do know that I am taking a risk with this new method and that, if the story gets taken down, I will revert it all back to the old method, as annoying as it is. I do believe that this new method is already cutting it close, yet I once told a loyal reader I might implement this new method for CoS, so here it is.  
**_ _ **Pray with me,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 34  
**_ _ **Different Worlds, Different Evils**_

 _ **30**_ _ **th**_ _ **of June 1995  
**_ _ **Great Hall  
**_ _ **Riku's POV**_

The last two days before the reading restarts – or starts for the sake of my friends and I – have been very intriguing, even if they were also filled with moments where I worry for Harry and his friends as they are all very easy to get along with, even if they have the same protective streak to Harry as that I do to my beloved Sora.  
The one person I have grown closest with, shockingly enough, is Ginny as she recognized my secret crush for what it was and even confronted me on it, yet at the end of the conversation had she confused me as she had just smiled and said: "Don't let him get away now." Before she walked away to speak to a friend of hers.  
Part of me wonders why she thinks I have a chance with my longtime best friend, yet another part of me really feels respect for her as it's obvious that she is still slightly crushing after Harry and that she is struggling with the acceptance that another – Viktor Krum – has been accepted by Harry's mother to go through a 30 day courting course.

And Viktor has definitely come through when it comes to one of the requirements Sirius had set for him as, at every meal, Harry had found a small wrapped gift standing next to his plate, to which Sirius had smiled at the boy in question, who had kept his distance even though, according to Sirius, this was in no way required.  
The gifts had definitely been special as there had been three that had proven the boy's talent with Charms and Transfigurations, three that had proven that the boy was quite well off and willing to spend good money on proper gifts and three that had clearly been made with the boy's own two hands and nothing else.  
Harry had been touched by all three and I know that the boy is just dying to thank his courting partner for all the gifts, yet his own schedule had kept him plenty busy and Krum had been constantly catching up with his own friends over the last few days, yet I have no doubt that they will be meeting at the reading today.

Harry's lessons in Pureblood ways of life had definitely captivated the boy, yet after the first meeting, he actually needed Erika to join in on them as there are apparently aspects of coming from a Pureblood line that Harry didn't believe he would ever be able to live up to and that actually made a phobia he seems to have increase in power.  
This is definitely a fact that worries both his parents as well as the others that care about him, yet Erika apparently already knew of this fear of the boy and told them she had promised him to help him through it, thus getting Sirius and Remus' permission to handle it her way as well as Narcissa's to join in on the sessions.

Since then Harry's sessions have been going much better and I can tell that, together with talking with Erika every night has done the boy a lot of good, but even with all that I really worry for him as, over the course of the last three days, I've had the feeling as if Harry is pushing himself much harder than I think he should be.  
And while it causes me a mixed batch of pride and concern, does this happen again as Harry comes into the Great Hall, a strong hand on Sirius' shoulder as the man is slightly sustaining the boy's weight while he slowly walks in, Remus wheeling his wheelchair behind him and many students looking shocked before they start cheering.  
Harry smiles as he hears and sees this, but by the time he reaches halfway down the first half of Gryffindor Table, is he already panting and the Lions at this part of the table look at him worried before they share a look and instantly they get off their seats. Yet Harry tries to object before the girl that got up said:

"Sit down before you hurt yourself." And Harry smiles at her before Sirius helps him into the across the bench and while he vanishes that bit of the bench, does Remus then help Harry back into his wheelchair before Harry says: "I'm glad I can walk, but I hate how having taken down all those Glamours has drained me."  
And this makes many of those groan before Sirius sighs and says: "You should have never had reason to have those Glamours up in the first place." And Harry's answer of: "Yeah, I know." Makes most of us smile as it's proof that the boy is indeed learning and healing of every emotional scar others have left with him.  
"Just a shame we'll probably be reading about my main – well –." And the Weasley twins chorus: "Abusers." Yet this makes Harry cringe before he turns down and whispers: "Yeah, them. Just a shame we have to start these books with content like that." And many of those around me nod in agreed sympathy with him.

Then several bright lights shine just outside the Great Hall and from them several adults appear, a few of which I saw on the night of my own arrival, others who must have left this place before Sora and I came here and one of them, who has a bowler hat, says: "Your Port Keys are a brilliant hit. Well done, Fillius. Well done, indeed."  
And the smallest of teachers smiles before McGonagall speaks up and says: "Minister, Headmaster Karkaroff, Headmistress Maxime and members of the Ministry. Please come over and have some breakfast. The reading will start in half an hour and we have good news in regards to the research we have done on the spell cast."  
This seems to intrigue those in the Entrance Hall and they move in as the woman says: "There are currently three people in this room that aren't just not from this country, they are not even from this world, yet one of them has the ability to travel between his own world and this one as well as other worlds he knows.  
Therefore, even with the new spell that will be tested on the Great Hall after the Time Spell activates and with the plans we have to keep our students and guests entertained even through the reading, we might still have a back-up plan in regards to accommodation and entertainment." And this makes all of them smile widely.

The whole group then moves to sit down and while the man that has a bit of a haggard look joins Viktor and the other Bulgarians at Slytherin and the incredibly large woman joins the French girls at the Ravenclaw table, do the last two wizards and the single witch join Minerva and the other teachers at the Head Table.  
Breakfast then commences as normal and while I keep watch a little here and there, do I feel mostly relieved and pleased as the Bulgarian Headmaster seems to take great pleasure in hearing about Krum and his courting and does the French Headmistress seem to actually gossip with her girls as well as a few older Ravenclaw students.

And just when breakfast ends and the tables clear up, do the doors close and does a wave of magic go through the entire hall, yet it actually all gathers together with Harry and the boy, to my relief, seems to get a boost as this happens, making me feel a little more confident that this whole event won't hurt him too badly.  
I then focus on the reading itself and move over to where the books lie, McGonagall having already assured me that there are no rules against guests reading and because I really don't like the idea that someone like Harry was raised by people the Weasley twins call abusers, do I feel I need to reassure myself or confirm my fears.  
And with that do I take the second book over to where Erika told me all readings took place and while I stand behind the Owl stand, do I then see all students stand up before the sound of a swishing wand sounds behind me and all tables and benches get changed for couches, sofas, recliners and chairs, making me smile as I start to read.

 _ **The Worst Birthday**_

And instantly I feel as if all of my concerns and fears have been confirmed and I glare at this, hating the idea that there could actually be people who would not only want to abuse a hard, honest working like Harry, but who would also actually try and ruin his birthday and I think: "That won't happen anymore." Before I read on.

 _ **Not for … Harry's room.**_

"Hedwig's never loud, unless she's annoyed with you. What's with that?" Hermione asks and Ron says: "Hermione, she has to share her partner with a whale, a pig and a horse. It's just that simple." But Hermione shakes her head and says: "But she'd never want Harry in trouble. So what's up?" And I read on, wanting to know the same.

 _ **"Third time … to explain**_ _, making sure he stayed small and that he didn't raise his voice_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"She's bored," … bushy mustache.**_ _Harry would have answered positively if he wanted his cheek broken and bruised, but he knew better than to talk back to the man during arguments like this.  
_ _ **"I know … to Harry.**_ _Harry fought a flinch, years of being bullied not over and done with after parting with the fat boy for only a year, but he was sparred any beatings._

"No one should fear their own families, let alone their own cousins." Andromeda Tonks sniffs angrily, even though this, for some strange reason, makes her sister's husband cringe in guilt and her daughter says: "Oooohh, why did I spend all of my time hanging out here, when I could have used it arresting those fat Muggles?"  
But then Madam Bones says: "Be glad you didn't, Auror Tonks. Now we have more time to get facts and with that cases against these Muggles. And with the facts we're collecting, we can catch them red-handed when we go and arrest them." The young woman, her hair turning from furious red to positive purple, smiles at her boss and I read on.

 _ **"Pass the … Harry irritably**_ _, having been sure he could have won the argument with his uncle and given his owl a freedom he just couldn't get if Dudley hadn't been selfish and interrupted the conversation_ _ **.  
**_ _ **The effect … Harry quickly**_ _, already moving to duck below the table_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"I didn't … his fist**_ _, which Harry was sure would have broken if not for the inconvenient spot where his fist landed_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"I just -"… THIS ROOF!"**_

And while the words are shouted, does my voice turn softer and softer each shout, as I can barely believe this man. "He better not have tried doing anything to make true on that warning. Not when he needs a freaking reality check and a common sense transplant. Honestly, how could someone like Harry ever get raised there?"  
"I know we read of their stupidity last book with how that bastard tried escaping the letters and all, but I guess I thought Hagrid had installed a sense of fear against witches and wizards in them for life, not just for a single summer." Cedric growls and his mother hugs him as many of those around him nod and then his dad says:  
"I can only imagine that it's a mix of them not being around anything magical and thus having a year where they can pretend to be perfectly normal and Dumbledore increasing whatever he does to make them behave like this. Two factors that would lul them in a false sense of security can install that much overconfidence in anyone."

"And that overconfidence will definitely make it easier to get confessions out of them. Arthur, would you mind if I borrow Fred and George when we do go arrest them?" Madam Bones asks and while I wonder how I know her name, does Mr. Weasley carefully say: "Depends on what you want them to do while there, really."  
And the woman answers: "I want one of them faking to be Dumbledore and offering them a lemon drop, which the other will constantly enchant to cause the Dursleys something bad. I know the twins are off age, so this will give the Albus Weasley the chance to undo the magic and that should inspire them to talk easier and quicker."  
Here the twins hum and one of them says: "Getting revenge on the Dursleys for their disgusting behavior –." And then the other twin says: "As well as ruining Dumbledore's little reputation at the same time." And the two chorus: "We're in." Making both their father and Madam Bones smile at them before I read on.

 _ **Harry stared … his feet.**_ _He could easily detect a shimmering smirk beneath the shuddering lips of his fat cousin and knew Dudley had only irritated him to get him in trouble – something Dudley kicked on since they were young and an urge Harry knew hadn't decreased during their year apart_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"All right," … to be.**_

Harry looks down and Sora says: "Never believe a word of that, Harry. It's all a load of bull." And I say: "Besides, compared to you and this world, we've seen places much crazier." And before reading on, I mutter: "Places where your uncle would even drive those residents totally bonkers." And I think about Hades and Jack Skellington, snickering a little.

 _ **Harry Potter … Harry felt.**_

"I can imagine." Sora says, lying his hands in his neck like he always does and looking up to the blue sky above us in the Enchanted ceiling, before he goes on and says: "After all, the three of us went on a three year long journey and all I wanted the entire time was to catch up with my friends and get back to the Island.  
I imagine you must have felt the same." Harry nods, while others seem shocked that we were away from home so long and says: "I really think you know how I felt. Going to all those different worlds and all. Coming from a place so magical and home-like and then coming back to those Dursleys is like going from heaven to hell."  
This makes Sora and I share a look and I know we both think the same. "Wonder what Harry thinks Hades is like. Will he get a shocker when he finds out." And Sora winks at me, making me smile at him as I know that, as protective as the brunette has become of Harry, he still is a happy-go-lucky guy before I read on.

 _ **He missed … on broomsticks).**_

"Why exactly are we told all of this? Don't we already know it?" A Hufflepuff asks and Harry mutters: "I knew the reading would reveal who was behind the whole thing with my name coming out of the Goblet and that there was a chance of others also getting replaced, but I also knew of the spell's magic of switching readers.  
Because of that, I made sure to constantly have a small summary of the important bits at the start of the story. And yes, I know there is a chance that others will come in at later parts, but I felt the start was the best spot for the summary." And while the Hufflepuff seems put off with the competent explanation, do I simply read on.

 _ **All Harry's … come home.**_ _Uncle Vernon had even made an eerie move towards Harry on that day as if he wanted to grab and throw him in there too, but Harry's plan had worked out just fine._

"What was your plan?" Kairi asks, while I can tell that Sora as well as Erika and her friend Fiana are all furious at the idea of Harry being locked in a cupboard alone. Yet the black-haired boy smiles and says: "I kept it secret that I wasn't allowed to use Magic." The group looks at him shocked and I snicker before reading on.

 _ **What did … all summer?**_

"You?" One of the twins asks and the other goes on: "Lose your place?" And they chorus with their friend: "You?" But Harry lowers his head and says: "Don't forget what I was like back then. I had no self-confidence and most of what I showed in self-confidence was often enough an act to make sure I wouldn't be bullied."  
The two turn grim and chorus: "Oh right." But Sora says: "Hey, cheer up. That changed over the years, right?" And while Harry happily nods, am I again amazed at the innocence of my best friend and his amazing capability to make people see the best in any situation, no matter what. I shake my head at him and read on.

 _ **What was … deepest shame.**_

"Your very existence is a matter of deepest shame. No wonder Petunia and Lily never seemed anything alike, with her actually being my sister. Only better for the girl too." Sirius growls, softly stroking Harry's hair and obviously quite in his own world of anger. Hoping he won't lose himself in it, I read on.

 _ **Uncle Vernon … wizarding world.**_

"WHAT!" All the animal lovers, all of Harry's friends, Sora and Hagrid shout and then a Hufflepuff girl shouts: "But that's animal abuse! That's illegal! That's –!""Something written down for when they're arrested." Tonks smiles, holding up a quill with a grin and making the Hufflepuff girl smile before I continue the story.

 _ **Harry looked … lightning-shaped scar.**_ _He knew most of his features came from his parents, mostly his father, but the fact he was as skinny as he was he blamed to years of starvation; something a year of feasts at Hogwarts just couldn't undo, just like the school nurse couldn't take away his scar.  
_ _ **It was … kill Harry.**_

This shocks me deeply and Erica asks: "Is that what happened?" I look at her as well as several others and she lowers her head in shame as she says: "The principal of Harry's primary school always told me Harry's parents died in a car accident. That's what he and the teaching staff must have been told by those disgusting Muggles."  
This infuriates me as a car crash sounds like nothing more than a ridiculous excuse of Magic-hating Muggles to explain why their family is dead. But to say that, while the death of said relatives is so much more heroic is what infuriates me and I whisper: "Those Muggles just got onto our list of people to send to Hades." Before I read on.

 _ **So Harry … something smelly.**_ _Back to a place he had asked the Headmaster not to send him to – a request that fell to deaf ears.  
_ _ **The Dursleys … twelfth birthday.**_

This infuriates me further and I ask: "Are all chapters about those Muggles this infuriating?" And Sirius answers: "We only read the first book and a single mention of them in a different book, but we have yet to find one that isn't, sorry." I grumble about this and curse myself for reading the first chapter, before carefully reading on.

 _ **Of course, … it completely ...**_ _that thought made Harry give up and he walked over to get the frying pan with the bacon.  
_ _ **At that … looked up**_ _, almost dropping the pan in shock, but his year of training as a Seeker helped him save the pan and the bacon without spilling a single drop of grease_ _ **, hardly daring … back to**_ _his seat, put the pan down on a coaster and returned to_ _ **his toast. … made drills).**_ _Harry secretly thought that if Vernon had to do it with his personal skills and his kindness to others alone, he would have been fired years ago. But somehow, whenever that nearly happened, Vernon was able to wave around with a lot of money and donated it to the firm, them allowing him to keep his job – no matter how horrible he was at it.  
_ _Harry always wondered where the money came from, seeing how much they spend on their house, Dudley, garden, Dudley, food, Dudley, holidays and Dudley._

Now the adults look at each other and Professor McGonagall says: "No way, he wouldn't. Even he wouldn't sink that low." But then Snape rolls his eyes and says: "Minerva, you are letting your former loyalty to him get the better of you again. I'm really not surprised in the slightest, seeing he approved of the boy living in a cupboard and all.  
After all, if the man had money, he'd be arrogant. If he was arrogant, he'd dare to hurt Harry. If he hurt Harry, Harry would listen to anyone saving him from that pain. And who did Dumbledore want that to be?" And all teachers glare at the middle of their table, where a large empty seat is standing, as if proof someone now gone before I read on.

 _ **"I think … Uncle Vernon.**_

"Schedule?" Percy Weasley asks, while some of the French girls and a lot of those who are wearing blue or sitting with large bookbags near look up and he goes on: "What schedule?" And Harry answers: "You'll see. And trust me, even the strictest librarian or receptionist isn't this organized – or should I say, isn't this boring."  
The young man looks at him confused and Madam Pince, the librarian of this school asks: "Not even me and my Library, Mr. Potter?" But the boy scoffs and says: "Even with all of your rules to keep the books well preserved, I don't believe you even half as bad." I quickly read on and say: "Totally agree." Before reading out loud.

 _ **"We should … our home."**_

"A hosting schedule for how to treat guests during a work meeting?" One of the Ministerial members asks and the woman goes on: "I mean, I can understand discussing a few of the things that will have to be spoken about, but every single step?" And what I believe to be every organized person in the room shakes their head as I read on.

 _ **"Good, good. … Petunia rapturously**_ _ **.**_

"I would rather you keep the door open so I can run through it." Draco then snarls and many around him agree. "Seeing someone fat enough to have his butt lean over both sides of the chair and who has the same disgusting looks as Vernon asking for your coat wouldn't really make me love that person, you know?" Sora asks and I say:  
"Please don't make a habit out of that. You'll sound just like Ray." And I shake my head as I remember the week I spend keeping an eye out for Roxas and learning all about his friends and his adversaries, including the idiotic strong-muscle Ray. Sora grimaces and says: "That will never happen. Not a chance."  
Again I'm reminded of Roxas as Sora would have said those things differently and wouldn't have even known of Ray and I wonder how much of the Nobody is still present within my best friend since their union. Deciding to find out later and to just see where this goes as the story progresses, do I continue reading.

 _ **"Excellent, Dudley," … Harry tonelessly.**_ _This was something he was forced to say every single time Vernon had a dinner party to get a big deal in for his company and Harry had been learning the sentence from heart since the age of four. He did not want to know how his relatives would describe him if their guests were to see him._

"Out of fear of your uncle or just plain curiosity?" I ask the boy, only as an attempt to keep my own anger at bay and he shrugs and says: "Probably a bit of both. Too bad I found out a year later." He ends with a growl and while this makes many of those around him share worried looks, do I read on, not wanting to know.

 _ **"Exactly," said … invisible woman.**_

"As if people still do that nowadays." A Gryffindor spats and Draco Malfoy sticks his nose up in posh disgust as he arrogantly says: "Even us of the Most Noble and Most Ancient Houses only do that at yearly parties and even then it's the family leading the family to their seats, not hosts leading their guests." Other Purebloods nod and I read on.

 _ **"My perfect … about you."**_ _ **'**_

"I can already find several ways in which that can go wrong." Percy says and his twin brothers chorus: "Please amuse us, brother dear." To which the boy smiles before he sums up the things as he says: "Mrs. Mason could be wearing a suit or a skirt, Mr. Mason might like some other sport and he might even ask Dudley if he could see that essay."  
The others nod at his intelligence, some of Percy's friends snickering at the idiocy their friend described of the blasted Muggles and then one of the twins says: "But, dear brother, you are forgetting one little detail." And his twin responds: "These are the Dursleys." And they chorus: "And Dursley equals stupid."  
Everyone laughs and Harry seems to be the loudest, proving how little love there is lost between the boy and his _supposed_ family, making me all the happier he no longer has to go there, not only because he's now adopted, but because the man that constantly forced him to go back is now facing trial. This makes me smile and I read on.

 _ **This was … he emerged.**_ _The thought of another birthday purposely forgotten by his family helped him immensely.  
_ _ **"I'll be … Vernon forcefully.**_ _His tone would have even made Harry take a step back, had he not faced crazier during the last year._ _ **"The Masons … that way.**_

"Those Muggles are right idiots. Even in the Muggle world, thanks to both Potter's mother as well as his great-great-grandfather, the Potters are a well-known family that still – according to my knowledge – earns a lot of respect. Hah, I can't wait for them to find out about that when they get arrested. Will be their just desserts."  
"How do you know that, Heir Nott?" Harry asks cautiously, proving that the lessons he got from Narcissa are reaping their rewards before the other boy says: "There are always small things about all Ancient and Noble Houses – such as extraordinary accomplishments – written in _Ancient Families And Their Findings_."  
This seems to shock my young friend and Nott says: "I'll lend you a copy sometime." But then Sirius smiles at him and says: "No need. The whole reason Harry doesn't have it is because I felt he should pick it up himself when he goes for his first visit to his true vaults. And with his wheelchair –." The Nott Heir nods and I read on.

 _ **When dinner's … Privet Drive**_ _if they even took him along, that is_ _ **.**_

"Doubt it." Harry grumbled and then Sora lies a hand on his shoulder and says: "Don't worry, this summer you can go on holiday throughout the worlds. We'll even take you along on our Gummi Ship, alright?" Harry smiles and says: "Sure, if you tell me what a Gummi Ship is." The two boys laugh and I read on.

 _ **"Right - I'm … sunny day**_ _and he was glad that the Dursleys wanted him out of their way or he would have spent it cleaning and doing a mountain worth of chores and that was not something he wanted to do on his birthday – not that he liked doing nothing_ _ **.  
**_ _ **He crossed … to me. . ."**_

"That's just sad." Kairi says, holding onto Sora's arm and making me know the feelings Sora has felt for her since seven are more than obviously returned. I shake my head as I remember the way Sora adored and loved Kairi, but tried to keep their friendship at the same time and then read on and say: "Just wait, Kairi, it gets worse."  
Kairi's hold on Sora's arm gets stronger while many of those who care for Harry start to growl in anger at hearing this and Harry groans, probably remembering all he thought of that day, to which Viktor pulls him on his lap and lovingly hugs him, softly kissing him on the temple, making girls coo before I read on.

 _ **No cards … so lonely**_ _, not even during the many long stays he had to endure in his cupboard when he was younger_ _ **. More than … at all.**_

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" The two shout at Harry, while almost the entire school either looks at them shocked or glares at them in disgust, but then Harry lies a hand on each of theirs, making them calmly sit back down as they see him smile as he says: "I know, but to the me in the book it will seem that way for a little while longer."  
The two nod and then one of the twins shouts: "Hey, stop glaring, bunch of Hypocrites!" And his twin goes on: "Yeah, you would only write if you could write with the famous hero, not just Harry." The glares turn into heads looking down ashamed and I shake my head with my eyes turned skywards at this before I read on.

 _ **Neither of … and stay.**_

Now Percy groans and says: "Don't I know it. We have a very small Owlery build just under the kitchen window especially for our – back then – two owls and I actually had to move Hermes from there to my room, just to make sure Ron wouldn't try and use him every day. And that was after the first week."  
Everyone laughs and the second twin says: "And even then he tried to use Errol every day." Before the first goes on and says: "Just couldn't because Errol took three days for every trip." Ron's now almost as red as a tomato at the laughter going round and the twins high-five Percy, before I read on, shaking my head at their antics.

 _ **Countless times … and broomstick.  
**_ _And with the anger of what Hagrid did to Dudley still looming, Harry doubted the chance he would ever be let out if it weren't for their fear. Then again, it was mostly their anger that Harry feared as he wasn't stupid – he knew that at one point in time that anger would overcome the fear and then – Harry didn't even want to think of that.  
_ _ **For the … Harry had**_ _, just to keep his mind of his fear for their anger escalating,_ _ **enjoyed muttering … his birthday.**_

"That's not true, Harry." Mr. Weasley says and he goes on: "Ron stayed with her the whole week before, just to make sure she made a cake exactly the way you liked the cakes at Hogwarts and to make sure she made lots of treacle stuff. He wanted to send it all to you, but we didn't think Errol would be able to handle it."  
"So that's why we had cake for dessert the first night of my stay there." Harry snickers and Ron shrugs and says: "I wasn't going to let that cake go to waste, you know." Harry smiles at his pall, who smiles back while others laugh at what is clearly a familiar Weasley antic and I read on, amazed at the friendship the two share.

 _ **What wouldn't … a dream ...**_

Now Draco cringes, but I feel confused as nothing over the last three days has indicated such a problem and ask: "Why was he your archenemy? I thought he was your cousin?" And Harry answers: "I didn't discover he was until we started reading these books. It was the end of the Fourth book that made us know."  
I nod, remembering Sirius mention this feud on the first day and Kairi asks: "But why did you read the end of the Fourth?" And Harry answers: "Because those events were supposed to take place about 6 days ago. When we started reading it was on the day one of the last chapters started." My friends nod and then I notice something.

Hermione is being held by Andromeda Tonks while looking down as if disappointed about something and I ask: "Everything okay, Hermione?" Everyone looks at her and she says: "Just feel bad about the fact I didn't have an owl. I didn't dare use the Muggle mail-service, but it's the one way wizards use to deliver letters and stuff to each other.  
I really had this amazing gift and me and my mum were in the middle of buying the ingredients for a huge piece of treacle tart when I realized this. I felt so bad, so stupid – I just." But then Harry slightly struggles to walks over and says: "So it's only for the best you didn't have an owl, right? Who know where it would have ended up."  
The girl smiles at her best friend and then Harry turns giddy and asks: "Really, a huge chunk?" And Hermione giggles says: "Yes, about the size of a regular birthday cake." Harry actually squeals at this, making many of those around him laugh and he gets levitated back to his seat, smiling giddily as he sits back down and I read on.

 _ **Not that … mad eyes**_ _, burning with a need to kill and aimed straight at him, closing in further and further until they startled him awake_ _ **.**_

Everyone looks shocked and then the twins shrug and say: "Ron's were worse." Everyone looks at them as if they've grown an extra head and Percy asks: "What makes you say that?" And they both turn serious, shocking their brother and making me know they barely ever do so as one of them responds and says:  
"We heard him the first two weeks he was back home." And the other says: "And his nightmares were always the same." Everyone looks at them, worried about their solemn tones and as their father moves over to sit between them and hug them close in his own concern, do they chorus: "Always about Harry. Always about Harry – dying."  
Ron whitens and actually shudders, obviously reliving the nightmares, while Harry looks at his best friend shocked and then Hermione cuddles up even closer against Andromeda as she says: "I had those too. My dad almost send me to a therapist to get rid of them. I convinced him not to with the stature of Secrecy and all."  
Harry now has tears shining in his eyes as he looks at his best friends and then Ron says: "You've heard what it was like, mate. How you looked after that whole Dungeon event and all. It scared the crap out of us, you know." Harry nods, showing them both a grateful smile for their care and I smile at the trio before reading on.

 _ **Harry suddenly … the leaves.**_

"What the hell?" Most of the hall mutters, together with mutterings of similar nature and Harry says: "Don't worry, it's not dangerous. Just a good way to clean my record of underage magic casting." Everyone looks at the relaxed boy and I read on, wondering – probably like many others here – what he could be on about.

 _ **Harry jumped … had been.**_

"Good of you, Potter. Constantly keep an eye out for your surroundings. Constant –." But then all of Hogwarts shouts: "VIGILANCE!" The man seems shocked, but the teachers laugh and I wonder where they heard that as it can't be from the man himself. Deciding to ask about it once I finish the chapter, I continue reading.

 _ **"I know … Harry coolly**_ _, trying not to let his cousin get to him as the Dursleys had luckily enough stopped whispering terrible insults to him when they thought he was asleep_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Dudley hitched … fat bottom**_ _, Harry suppressed a shudder as he saw this from the corner of his eye_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Why're you … fat face**_ _, causing a quick smirk to appear and disappear on and off of Harry's face as he was too focused on seeing whether or not the eyes would return – they had yet to, but he wanted to know who they belonged to_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"You c-can't - … squiggly wiggly -"**_

The first two cause quite a few students – mostly Slytherins – to start laughing, along with all teachers except Burbage and the last causes even her and all other students to laugh hard. Sora even almost falls from his chair in laughter and when youngest of Muggleborns are the last to stop laughing, does Blaise ask:  
"Why did it take you so long to laugh?" And Hermione, who seems to slowly warm up to her potential partner, answers: "In the Muggle world, we have people called Illusionists and their most well-known _**spells**_ –." She makes imitation motions in the air as she says the last word and goes on: "Are Jiggery pokery and Hocus Pocus.  
But even they wouldn't use Squiggly wiggly." She then turns to Harry and asks: "Where did you get that one?" And Harry shrugs, yet he has a huge smile of obvious pride on his face as he says: "Made it up. Wanted to lie it on hard with that fat pig." Everyone laughs and the twins shout: "Good on you, mate." As I read on.

 _ **"MUUUUUUM!" howled … frying pan.**_

"WHAT!" All of the females and a large portion of the males shout and then Hermione asks: "Wait, how did Harry even know he had to duck for her frying pan?" Everyone looks at her shocked and as the seriousness of the situation and the truth behind her question become a reality to the Hall, do I mutter: "Oh no. She didn't."  
But Harry's cringing face proves enough and Remus asks: "Harry, is there more to this story?" Harry hangs his head and says: "Before Uncle Vernon decided to throw in his form of punishments, aunt Petunia would often be the one for the punishments. And if I ducked the frying pan, I would be punished even worse."

"How worse?" I ask, cringing as it's obvious that many others wanted but did not dare ask this question and trying not to let my anger at the woman awaken the Darkness that resides in me as strongly as the Light does, not wanting it to take over my person now, like it did when Sora and Kairi needed me on our first adventure.

The boy sighs and says: "I would be forced to stand in the middle of the kitchen and be hit with it on both sides of my head, front and back, five times for every time I ducked. That stopped and didn't change when uncle Vernon became in charge of punishing me, so I was further able of ducking her blows without being further punished."  
Everyone around me is boiling with rage and I can see Kairi's hair shine in their auburn color, almost changing it to bright ruby, in her anger and this alone keeps most of my anger at bay as it makes me jealous of the girl still looking like such a Light person even when fueled with such a dark emotion such as anger.  
Unlike I myself. I sigh, pushing down most of my anger and knowing I have to keep a clear head for the others and that I have to act as the stronghold which they can hold themselves onto to make sure they won't be taken in by the Darkness of their emotions. Taking this responsibility on me, I take a deep breath and read on.

 _ **Then she … garden bench.**_

"Excuse me!" Kairi shouts, absolutely furious and I run at her, holding her close and showing her how calm I am with all this, while whispering: "I hate this too, Spitfire. Lean on me. Let me receive your anger." She seems to calm down on these words and Sora smiles at me, making me smile back, while others are confused and I walk back and read on.

 _ **The sun … at Hogwarts ...  
**_ _He shook his head and remembered how he had felt when they told him they would be going with him to save the Stone, but that didn't help much as it made him feel worse about himself and how much he could be worth to them.  
_ _The sun caused a heat unlike any other he had felt – not even when he trained for Quidditch on a hot summer day last school year and while it made Harry nearly collapse with what he recognized as a heatstroke, did he keep on, knowing he couldn't give up as it would only lessen his chances of going back. And going back and proving the Dursleys wrong was all that, currently, kept him going._

Kairi's anger has now completely disappeared and has been replaced with devastation and pain, her hair having lost its fiery glow that it had when she was raging with anger, but this time, Sora is the one acting as a stronghold, as he has Kairi on his chair, on his lap and is whispering words of comfort in her hair while rubbing her back.  
The same, strangely enough, is happening between Sirius and Remus, Remus being the one to whisper to Sirius and I wonder how long they have been apart from Harry as they must have adopted him only recently, seeing the book describing Privet Drive as his home of that time. I shrug, wondering if it could be in the books and read on.  
Ignoring the rest of the situation around me, which is only better as the Hall is almost filled to the brim with angry, painful, devastated or comforting whispers and the candles floating overhead seem to be fueled by the anger and dark emotions all around, causing them to flicker quite restlessly and for the residents' shadows to twist and swirl.  
"I really wonder if the wards around this place are strong enough to protect these students from losing their hearts to the Darkness. Cause if not, this room might soon be filled with humans and Heartless." I think, but repress the shudder that comes with the thought and read on, trying to ignore the English, Bulgarian and French whispered curses.

 _ **Wish they …**_ _ **his face,**_ _that would definitely make sure people never more expected anything out of him. He quickly shook off the idea as it would cause a scandal around the Wizarding World that would get him more attention than he already had and that alone was already too much for his liking.  
_ _Still, the wish someone would come and pick him up – a wish he gave up long ago, after the death of Erica – was back and stronger than ever now that he knew he belonged in the Magical World and believed that his friends had forgotten about him._

 _ **It was … calling him.**_

"And when did you start, if I may ask?" Sirius asks his son, the tone clearly showing how he tries not to let his anger out on his son, even though I can also detect a very near non-existent tone of despair underlining the man's voice and the boy answers softly: "I believe somewhere between nine o'clock and nine thirty."  
Sirius turns away from his son, but Harry seems only temporarily hurt by this as Sirius obviously tries not to show any signs of anger to his son. Yet the minute the man seems to have control of himself, does he turn around and hug the boy. Wondering what could be the cause behind that, as it must have been in the last book, I read on.

 _ **"Get in … gleaming kitchen.**_ _He was even more glad that his aunt seemed to have worked on the inside of the house all day as it meant he wouldn't be presented with more chores._

"They actually made you work around the house?" Erica asks mortified and many of the girls, no longer able to take all the cruel abuse and slavery that the boy has had to go through, are crying on each other's shoulders, while boys all around the Hall are holding onto the silverware, trying to keep their anger at bay.  
Harry on the same time has his head low and mutters: "Uncle Vernon believed that, because I wasn't going to school anymore, I might as well earn my living by working in and around the house. That kept going until my tenth, when a school nurse came by because Dudley was growing too big for their chairs to hold him.  
Uncle Vernon was furious at her for calling his son fat, even though she had pictures of the pieces of furniture Dudley had broken due to his overweight, but feared she would consider my chores too much for me to take and so divided them from then on. I would either work in the garden all day or inside the house."

Erica shakes her head and says: "That still doesn't make it right. You shouldn't learn how to do so many chores until you are almost old enough to find your own home and no earlier. It's too much work for someone your age and will stunt your growth, not to mention all the other ways it can be dangerous for your health."  
This seems to fuel the united anger of the Great Hall residents and I start to wonder if it will even be punishment to these people to send them to Hades. I shake my head and decide to meet up with Hercules at the first the best break we'll have, as the Olympian Hero would surely know the answer to that. And with idea in mind, do I read on.

 _ **On top … the oven.**_ _Harry severely doubted any of it was made by Aunt Petunia and a quick extra look on the pudding proved his theory; a small receipt was sticking out of the plate the pudding was on.  
_ _ **"Eat quickly! … kitchen table.**_

"A whole day of chores in the garden on a hot summer day and you don't even get a single glass of water? That's not just a serious case of child labor, that can even be seen as an attempt of murder. She could been charged with trying to have killed you!" Erica shouts and then does something I would have never expected of her.  
She grabs onto Harry and hugs him close, shocking Harry for a single second, before he happily accepts the hug. But the sudden move did make him flinch and tense amazingly and I realize he is quite against sudden physical contact. Hating the Dursleys even more for doing this to the kind and amazingly talented boy, I read on.

 _ **She was … "Upstairs! Hurry!"**_

"At least let him have something to drink, you terrible woman!" Erica shouts and, if only to calm her down, do I motion Sora and Kairi over. The two walk over to me and I whisper: "I'm wondering, do you think we should introduce those Dursleys to Hades and let him punish them or would that not work on people like them?"  
The two look at each other and then Sora says: "To be honest, I've been wanting to send them to Hades since I've got to know Harry that day when I tried healing his legs. But hearing what they're actually made of makes me indeed wonder if Hades is enough punishment for them. Maybe we should consult Maleficent."  
This makes me smile and I say: "Now that would be a nice punishment, but let's first talk to Hercules and see if he knows whether or not Hades will be enough to punish those Muggles. He knows the devil best, after all." We all nod and Sora and Kairi go back to their seats, under the inquiring looks of almost the entire hall.  
They smile at each other as they sit back down and I smile too as I wonder if we could perhaps move the reading to the Olympus Coliseum after the next break and if that could be our chance to ask Hercules about our plans. Then I remember that the teachers are hoping for something like that and this makes me nod at the idea as I read on.

 _ **As he … dinner jackets.**_ _In one way or another – Harry suspected a corset – Dudley actually looked at least 60 pounds thinner than he truly was. Uncle Vernon still looked as massive as ever and Harry realized Dudley only looked thinner to make him look like the perfect combination of bony aunt Petunia and massively fat uncle Vernon. He shook his head and went on.  
_ _ **He had … one sound -"**_

"That does it!" Sora shouts, shooting up furiously with his wild brown hair actually looking like a fireplace that just got lit or something and while Harry and many others, that of course don't know Sora, look at him shocked, he says: "I can stand a lot, but family threatening each other crosses the line in my book."  
He then turns to me and says: "Both." And I whiten, wondering if the idea of letting Maleficent and Hades join forces is really the best thing to do – even though those Muggles really make me as angry as Sora – as I fear they will join forces for more than punishing those disgusting people. Deciding to talk this through later, I read on.

 _ **Harry crossed … sitting on it.**_

"What?" Half the school shouts and then the Bulgarians and French chorus: "Who?" Making me snicker, but then Erica asks: "Not anyone dangerous, right?" And Harry shakes his head and says: "Just my way to prove my innocence and get a clean Underage Magic record. Oh wait, next year." And he and Ron laugh, while others look confused.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So this chapter was actually quite fun editing and I even rewrote the opening part of the chapter. And while I may not have covered everything that happened in the previous version am I still glad that I got to emphasize on one thing; no matter who it is, Harry is just the kind of character that others find easy to like.  
**_ _ **And because Sora and Riku are older than him and because they have both been through great and terrible things and because they first met Harry when he was at his lowest, physical wise, did that make it really easy for them to start considering Harry their little brother and become as protective of him as you see here.  
**_ _ **Hope you liked,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **PS. Merry Christmas**_


	36. Past, Pride And Pain

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So the original plan for this was to have a Pureblood or someone else from a rich family – maybe Narcissa as she was my first pick – recap the last chapter like I started doing at the end of the first book. But because this chapter has the whole thing with Roxas coming out and giving Sora a flashback, I will skip that.  
**_ _ **Okay, enjoy,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 35  
**_ _ **Past, pain and pride**_

 _ **Amelia's POV**_

I wonder what the boy could be on about as he and his friend laugh about his Swelling charm during the summer of 1993-1994. All I know is that I, myself, feel glad we believed Sirius Black to be a dangerous criminal back then, as it allowed Harry to stay at Hogwarts, which enabled him to learn for two more years and perform the Time Reading Spell.  
I then wonder how someone sitting on his bed while he's supposed to be non-existent – something that raises my hackles and makes me sneer just thinking about it – can help the boy in anyway, let alone prove he deserves at least a slightly clean bill when it concerns his use of Underage magic. Deciding to find out, I ask:  
"Mind if I read next?" But Potter smiles widely and says: "No Madam Bones, that would fit the chapter perfectly." Making me wonder what the hell he is talking about – and whether or not to trust that self-satisfied smile he has on his face currently as I remember James Potter having the same plenty of times without positive results.

But then Sora groans, grabbing his head and shrinking his entire body down into itself. He then grabs his head, at the temples I notice, with both hands, while Riku and Kairi ask him what's happening and if he's alright. But for some reason do I get the feeling he isn't even hearing them, as if his mind is somewhere else.

 _ **Roxas' POV**_

 **Running away from Axel is the hardest part of my decision. But my patience has reached its limit and even he won't answer my questions. And I no longer care whether he doesn't answer them because he doesn't know or because he does. He won't answer me on the questions that CONCERN ME!  
** **But still, while Axel has his head low, while the sight of him so defeated hurts me more than I can describe, do I hear him mutter something I know he didn't want me to hear.** _ **"I would."**_ **Tears appear in my eyes, like they have for the last few days, but I swipe them away, focusing on my way out of this realm.**

 **I look back quickly and see that Axel has his head all the way down. Taking this as a chance, I run into an alleyway near him and hide behind the sidewall, looking at the only man that made me feel as if Xemnas and all others are wrong. That Nobodies aren't born without hearts or forever without hearts.  
** **The man keeps his head low, standing there on the dark pavement courtyard, near that old hotel where he was leaning against the wall when I passed him. I wonder how long he's going to be standing there and for a minute I believe he said those words in a last effort to convince me not to do this and to walk back.**

 **But then the man sighs again and says: "Xemnas will hate me for this. But – if he dares to order me to kill you, Roxas – I'll refuse whatever order he gives me. I will do everything I can to keep him from ordering me to do so." He then looks up, the fire he is so well known for burning in his eyes and he says:  
** " **I'll get you back, Roxas, and then – we'll be friends again – and everything will be back like it was. Just like the old days." And with that he turns around, looking over his shoulder and says: "No matter what it takes, I'll find you and get you back, Roxas." And with that the man slowly walks back to the castle.**

 **Tears are leaking out of my eyes and I think: "Oh Axel." Before shaking my head, knowing I can't give in now, my face to the ground and my eyes closed, as I say: "If only that were possible." I then resolve myself and say: "But I must find out who I am and where I came from. I got to go home first."  
** **I then cringe slightly and the despair that has haunted me for the longest time returns as I whisper: "Wherever my home really is." And with the firm resolve that my home can have all the answers – as to why the Keyblade chose me and who the hell Sora is – do I walk out of the other side of the alleyway.**

 **After a long walk, crossing, battling and defeating many shadow Heartless – which make me feel relieved as they don't produce Hearts, so can't let the Organization know my location and can't let Xemnas know that I have commited treachery – do I find a portal to a whole other world at a dead end in a lost corner of the world.  
** **I turn my face again, still being able to see the Castle of Oblivion – the Headquarters of the Organization and a place Xemnas wanted me to believe was my home ever since he took me here so many, many, many days ago now – and whisper: "Once I know all I need, I'll be your friend again. Goodbye Axel." And I step through the portal.**

 _ **Sora's POV**_

"Goodbye – Axel?" I mutter, shaking my head and wondering where the hell that came from, as the vision I just had becomes blurry the more I try to think about it. Riku seems shocked at these words, while Kairi is just confused and while I can sense that many others are closeby and looking at me worriedly, does Kairi says:  
"Sora, Axel died years ago, remember? He died giving his whole being to an attack that saved you, Goofy and Donald of all those Nobody Dusks. He even opened a portal to the Land that Never Was and told you where to find me."  
I nod and say: "I know, Kairi, I know. It's just – I had this, this vision. I think it's something that – happened to Roxas before he merged with me." I then look at her and Riku and ask the two questions I can almost read in their eyes that they are wondering them as well as I ask: "But why would he show me this? Why now?"  
The two look at each other and I can tell by Riku's eyes he seems more aware of the situation and what's behind it than the two of us. I tilt my head a little, hoping to convince Riku to share his knowledge, but he simply turns to Madam Bones and says: "We got this, you start reading." And I wonder what he knows.

 _ **Amelia's POV**_

The headache, or whatever was hurting Sora, seems over and Riku raises his arm to me, telling me Kairi and him got Sora and that I should start reading. Wondering what they discussed before he said so, I decide to either see if they are willing to discuss it later or if I first need to remain here a little longer and earn their trust.  
But then my eye falls on Erica, the woman who brought them all here a few days ago from a special room in the Department of Mysteries when Dumbledore got locked away and I decide to first see how much she knows about Sora and any possible illnesses he could have. And with that plan in mind do I start reading.

 _ **Dobby's Warning**_

"Warning?" Fudge asks and I mutter: "What warning?" But all teachers seem to know – along with a lot of the students – as they all share knowing looks with everyone older than a Second year. Wondering what could have happened that made this _**Dobby**_ feel the need to warn our national hero, do I continue reading.

 _ **Harry managed … the stairs.**_ _He spared a quick glance back at the door, but heard the voices continue.  
_ _ **"So long … are you?"**_

"Mr. Potter, you had a creature breaking into your room of which origins you had no awareness of and still you refused to be rude to it?" Fudge asks and Harry shrugs as he says: "I didn't see any need for it." The man looks amazed while Potter's parents and friends smile at him and I too send a quick smile at the kind boy, before reading on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Dobby, sir. … living room.**_ _It made Harry feel relieved as it meant that she and his family weren't aware of the situation he was currently in._ _ **The elf … the bed.**_

"Potter, what on earth made you offer a seat to a House Elf?" Fudge asks, which I consider nothing but a rude question and Harry says: "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact I was Muggle-raised and was never taught a thing about treatment of House-elves or their history." The man blushes red and I smirk, before reading on.

 _ **To his … downstairs falter.**_ _A shiver of terror ran through his entire body.  
_ _ **"**_ _ **I'm sorry," … ugly doll.**_ _Harry was at a total loss of what to do.  
_ _ **At last … watery adoration.**_ _This too gave Harry the chills as it meant the creature was one of those that heard his story and seeing last year, that might make the creature's actions quite unpredictable._

Everyone looks at the boy and he says: "Hey, don't look at me like that! Last year had made me very wary of those who liked me for my fame. And with all that others thought they could expect of me because of my reputation and how they treated me when they thought I didn't live up to it, you can't really blame me."  
The Hall nods, most of the Hogwarts Fourth years and higher looking quite guilty and I wonder how much time it's going to take for Harry to heal – not physically, but mentally and emotionally – but then look at the group around him, Sora and his friends, Erica and Mss. Crenson, Viktor and his new parents, and realize that he will be just fine.  
This makes me smile and I look at my niece, knowing she was the one who helped me get over the death of my brother and his wife just before the end of the war and think: "My niece helped me heal, Harry's family and friends will help him heal." And with that I see my niece smile at me and smile back before reading on.

 _ **"**_ _ **You can't … knew, sir—"**_

I see the Malfoys share a shocked glance, while other Purebloods seem to agree with the little magical creature and think: "Is that their House-elf? Would explain his fear of his masters finding out, seeing what the relationship between the Potters and the Malfoys was like. But did they really find out by help of that punishment?"  
Then Narcissa sighs as she turns to Hermione and says: "And there you have it, dear. proof that, while to some the History of the House-elves and their fate has been forgotten, others just prefer to ignore it through any means possible." Everyone looks at him, most of the Purebloods confused and the other students intrigued and Hermione says:  
"Long story short, House Elves are actually stronger than wizards, but one wizard bound an army of House Elves to him, then cursed them to make sure they could never use their full power as it would overwhelm them and then destroyed all the knowledge in regards to this curse as well as the counter curse before getting killed."  
Everyone looks shocked and Hermione says: "Trust me, I was just as shocked and disgusted when I heard the tale." Then Malfoy whitens and he asks: "So – my, my House-elves are –." And Zabini says: "Incapable of overthrowing you only because of one right bastard of a wizard." And while this makes the blonde cringe, do I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **But won't … almost human.**_

Every head in the Great Hall turns to Harry and he says: "I said ALMOST!" To which Hermione says: "Harry, even I stopped calling those relatives of yours human when I first met them." And the two smile at each other, while Harry shrugs and I think: "Too kind for his own good." Before I cough, get everyone's attention and read on.

 _ **Can't anyone … of gratitude.**_ _Again he turned his head slightly, trying to tune out the wails in order to listen downstairs, but he still heard nothing that proved the Dursleys were coming at him. All he heard was a female voice laughing softly that he didn't recognize – Mrs. Mason must actually be having fun._

"Is that even possible?" Ron asks shocked and Harry says: "I know, back then I was shocked too." The boy looks at his friend confused and Percy asks: "Back then?" And Harry says: "Then I met her. Even Crouch looked more exciting at the Quidditch World Cup." Everyone laughs and I smile at the humor of the boy before reading on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Please," Harry**_ _, turning back to the situation at hand and pushing the question of how that was possible to the back of his mind,_ _ **whispered frantically … Harry nodded**_ _, trying again to push the thought of those terrible eyes out of his mind as he remembered them enough times during the night_ _ **and Dobby's … go Hogwarts."**_

This silences me, together with the entire Hall, the very concept of Harry Potter not going to Hogwarts and all its consequences settling in with us and Viktor says: "Not a chance in hell." Everyone looks at him and he turns Harry to him as he says: "I am so glad you went against those words. I would have never met you if you hadn't."  
Harry smiles at him and happily lies his head on the older boy's shoulder in gratitude, before Sirius says: "Same here, son." Harry turns to his mum as the sound of despair is sounding clear in the man's voice and he says: "Well, we met in your third year and it was really because of you that I didn't turn into a real killer, remember?"  
This makes me wonder what happened between the two and then I remember some people telling me that Sirius Black had kidnapped Harry Potter before the Dementors had gone wild and someone unknown had saved them all. Wondering about the true story behind that, do I look at the young boy one last time and then read on.

 _ **There was … me going.**_

This silences me again, even though it probably wouldn't have had it not been for what we read about in the last book and this time tears blurry my vision as I realize what I had just read. Many girls gasp or shriek and many boys curse – some worse than others and causing girls to glare at them – as they must be realizing the same.  
Then, while I grab onto the book extra tightly to keep my emotions in check, does Erica pull Harry close and whispers: "Please tell me that was just desperate attempt to keep him from this plan. Please tell me you didn't mean it." But Harry shakes his head and frowns as he whispers: "I won't lie to the one who saved my life."  
The woman hugs him tightly and mutters: "I really thought you were over those thoughts. I really believed you no longer lived like that." But the boy says: "Finding home in the Magical World and then having to go back to that Muggle hell just – it just brought back all those memories and thoughts all over again."  
The woman nods and Sora, Riku, Kairi, Sirius, Remus, Viktor and Mss. Crenson all go sit around him, Sora having a strange look as if understanding the boy's feelings. Wondering how someone so deeply loved could feel like that, do I decide there are a lot of questions that will come up during this reading and with that I read on.

 _ **You don't … in surprise.**_ _Immediately his mind went out to Hermione, Ron and Ron's family and he instantly feared for them – whether they forgot about him or not._

The two teens in question smile at their best friend in care and Hermione says: "We'd worry about you instantly too, Harry, if we were told something like that." And Ron nods, making Harry – still being held by Erica – smile at them and they all share a moment of honest friendship before I turn their attention back to me and read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **There is … months, sir.**_

This makes Harry look up and he groans as he pulls out of Erica's embrace and on wobbly leg, does he walk over to the two, Hermione having joined Ron on the circular couch. He then whispers something to them and Ron motions for his dad, which makes Harry look from the elder Weasley to the Slytherin table and nods.  
He whispers something else at the two and they both nod, as if the three just decided something and then Harry walks back to his own group and sits back down, smiling at the group surrounding him innocently, showing that he won't reveal his secret conversation, but also that walking tired him out again. I sigh, shake my head and read on.

 _ **Harry Potter … struck him**_ _, making his eyes widen as that high cold, cruel laugh rang through his mind again_ _ **. "hang on … his head.**_

This makes everyone, except Ron, Hermione, Harry, Minerva, Ginny and her father relax and Erica asks: "Is something wrong?" To which Harry answers with the question: "Who names their kid Voldemort?" I wonder what he means, but then read on and gasp loudly. Everyone turns to me, some necks cracking as they turn and I read.

 _ **"**_ _ **Not – not … a hint.**_

I look wide-eyed and Astoria Greengrass, a girl I know from the many parties the Purebloods always give, asks: "So this has something to do with the Dark Lord, but on the same time it doesn't? How does that work?" No one, but the aforementioned group seems to have an answer and one of the Seventh year Slytherins says:  
"Maybe it has something to do with the Dark Lord _**before**_ he became the Dark Lord." But a Ravenclaw Seventh year shakes his head and says: "No way. Not even You-Know-Who would be powerful enough to travel that far forward or back in time." The Slytherin nods and I decide to unravel this mystery by reading on.

 _ **Harry, however, … than ever.**_ _Harry's tense shoulders, tense of fear of having to deal with that madman again, relaxed and he smiled at the House-elf, hoping to calm him down too.  
_ _ **"**_ _ **Well then, … ever had.**_

"All Heads of Houses of the last three centuries together wouldn't even be able to teach that old coot how to be an acceptable Headmaster, let alone the greatest we ever had." Harry growls and everyone in the hall nods, but then Hermione asks: "How exactly is it possible that Dumbledore had so much power till now?"  
Everyone looks at each other, none of them seeming to have an answer and I first look at the teachers before looking first at my niece and then at the three kids that solved the Philosopher's Stone mystery when they were only eleven. None of them seem to have a single clue, but then Luna Lovegood speaks up: "It's the past."

Everyone looks at her and she says: "Dumbledore is known to be a true leader, because he defeated people and was feared by people that most of the masses thought indestructible. Because of how he did this, everyone thought he was always right and constantly listened to him, never once questioning a single one of his actions."  
Everyone looks at her, shocked that she stated such amazing facts in such a dreamy, out-of-the-world way and I look at the book in front of me and the ones in the corner, thinking: "I do not want to know what Dumbledore would have led us in had these books not arrived." But then the girl suddenly goes on and says:

"It's also his own past." We all look at her and she says: "Dumbledore is known to be the last of his family, but he still has his younger brother Aberforth. Because of his own fame, people get shocked when they realize Dumbledore has family and with the way Aberforth doesn't strive for popularity or heroism, they stay apart.  
But that's mostly done by Dumbledore himself. He doesn't like the idea of sharing his own fame, so he probably shows the darker side of it to his brother and that keeps Aberforth from seeking it out himself. Dumbledore has become addicted to his fame and how people look up to him, so he fights anyone being a threat to that."

Everyone looks at her and she turns a little more serious in her gaze as she says: "Madam Pomfrey is obligated to tell the Headmaster of who she had as patients every month. The pestering of Harry in First year lasted more than three, meaning that Dumbledore knew and that he allowed it to happen, Harry's excuse aside.  
He also allowed Harry to be put with Abusive, Magic-hating Muggles, not even discussing this with Harry's family, his family's friends or the Goblins, who hold control over the Potter will. And finally, did he allow our whole country all to run amok with crazy and ridiculous stories over what _**the Great Harry Potter**_ could do.  
This caused Harry, when he first entered the Wizarding World, to hate his fame and seek out guidance with other known heroes – thus resulting in his loyalty to Dumbledore, who would probably lead him to his death and then defeat Voldemort himself, regaining the fame and glory he must believe Harry took from him on Halloween 1981."

Everyone looks at the girl in pure shock and I can barely believe that the girl, who I heard nothing but bad rumors about, is so intelligent and onto things we could have never seen. I look at the girl again and then realize something. By distancing herself from most of the masses, she has the ability to see the greater picture without being led around like a sheep.  
I look at the teachers and my theory is confirmed by the looks on their faces. Ravenclaws seem most surprised by the girl's words and look at her as if she has grown three extra heads or suddenly started talking Chinese, the students who barely know her look just as shocked, but the teachers seem only surprised at what she said.  
"They must have seen her perform this intelligently before. I really got to talk to them later about what they think of some of the students." I then smile at the girl before reading on, really believing that these books bring out the best and the worst in everyone here and while I hate the treatment she gets from her House, do I still feel proud.

 _ **Dobby knows … decent wizard…"**_

I see Harry and Snape share a knowing glance and I send the elder man a questioning glance, but he shakes his head, slightly motioning it to a small group of First years that is sitting together at the Head Table side of the Hufflepuff Table. Fearing how terrible the magic could be that the two discovered, I nod and quickly read on.

 _ **And before … earsplitting yelps.**_ _This was it, Harry knew this was a noise that would surely notify his uncle.  
_ _ **A**_ _nd indeed, a_ _ **sudden silence … golfer joke….**_

"Is that any better than the bomb joke?" Fred and George chorus at Harry and the boy gives them a look as if they're crazy and he asks: "You do realize it's Vernon we're talking about, right?" The two look at each other and then chorus: "Never mind." Making everyone laugh and causing the two to look around in pride, before I read on.

 _ **One more … born, boy!"  
**_ _He then moved the cup of steaming hot coffee that he had in his other hand and poured it over Harry's shirt, the buttons unbuttoned earlier because of the heat and thus the liquid falling onto Harry's chest. Harry instantly bit his hand to keep his scream in, knowing if he made another sound his uncle would punish him further and while his teeth were strong enough to draw blood, did he only let out a few whimpers._

Everyone's anger flares up again and I hear Tonks cursing, making me look up as she says: "I went through my scroll." And quickly Charlie Weasley stands up and offers her a new roll of parchment, telling her: "Bill and I saw it coming. Here, we charmed this one to be indestructible." The woman smiles, continues writing and I continue reading.

 _Uncle Vernon snorted and left, glaring at him threateningly in the doorway before closing it loudly.  
_ _ **Shaking**_ _and buttoning up his shirt again_ _ **, Harry let … Dobby slyly.**_

"How does he know?" A First year Hufflepuff asks and one of the older years says: "Seeing how he was keeping an eye on Potter earlier, I think it's safe to say that he was keeping Harry his mail." The boy does make sense with this and I wonder how far the elf is willing to go to keep Harry at Privet Drive as I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **I expect … gamekeeper, Hagrid.  
**_ _His anger at the House-elf for stealing was shortly pushed down by the gratitude and relief he felt for the fact he was still part of the Magical world, if only through his friends wanting him there._

This makes me smile at the three that have the ability to make Harry feel at home in our world, before looking at the boy in question, amazed at how easily he is to please and how much importance he lies in things we take for granted. Feeling bad for the boy for never having had this chance, do I decide to help him with this and read on.

 _ **Dobby blinked … wasn't listening.**_ _His need to reconnect with his friends was overpowering all of his senses and his sensibility.  
_ _ **He made … stomach lurching,**_ _and a shiver of pure terror going down his spine_ _ **Harry sprang … for Dobby.**_

Cornelius and I share a glance as the whole use of a Hover charm suddenly makes a lot more sense. We then look at the boy and wonder how he could have saved himself out of this situation – but then concerning the actual fear he must be feeling for his uncle. Deciding to find out as fast as possible, I quickly read on.

 _ **From the … stomach disappear.**_

"Is that a bad thing?" A First Year Badger year asks his friend and the girl, who is actually a Raven, answers: "The speaking of someone losing his stomach is usually a reference of that person feeling really scared of something." To which the Badger says: "You could have just said yes, you know." And while I snicker do I continue reading.

 _ **Aunt Petunia's … crouched Dobby.**_

"And there we have the proof that I was innocent in the whole affair of the Hover Charm." Harry says, but his tightened voice shows how scared he is of what he will surely have to hear and, through his imagination and memory, remember again. Feeling sad for the boy and hoping the book won't be too explicit, do I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **No," croaked …**_ _ **"**_ _ **Dobby…please…"**_ _Harry tried his patent hurt puppy dog look; a look that could actually even make Uncle Vernon keep painful punishments to a minimum. He lowered his lashes a little, tilted his head so his chin rested on his chest, shivered in true fear and put out his lower lip, letting it tremble – all to convince the Elf not to do this._

"Have we ever been victim of that look?" Ron asks Hermione and the girl says: "No, I can't really remember ever seeing that look on Harry's face." Then suddenly they hear Viktor say: "Aaaw, my adorable little love." And all eyes in the Great Hall turn to look at the group at the left back corner of the Great Hall.  
Harry has the same look on his face, the look itself actually gripping at my heart and making me want to _aaw_ for the first time since Susan's birth and is using it on Viktor, who is cuddling with him and holding him close as if he's some kind of teddy bear. A single tear is even hanging down the side of the boy's eyelid and Viktor says:

"Don't cry, little one. I'll protect you. You're safe, darling. I love you. We all love you. You're always loved, Harry my sweet. You're just too sweet of heart not to be loved. Even your enemies respect you. Not that someone like you really has enemies. And anyone wanting to harm you will meet me – and I won't be gentle on them. And."

But then Harry kisses his cheek, silencing his rant that makes many girls go aw and Viktor's friends snicker. I myself can barely believe how that one look can turn a rock-hard man into Prince Charming extraordinaire. Then Harry says: "I get it, Viktor. Thank you. I needed to hear that." The two smile at each other and I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Say it, sir—"**_ _ **…**_ _ **own good."**_

"That elf needs to learn the definition of _for someone's own good_." Susan grumbles and Harry says: "Don't worry, Dobby has his good sides too. He really helped me this year when I needed him." My niece and I accept his words and I read on, while thinking: "A little late to make up for what will be the consequences of this action."

 _ **The pudding … him a mop.**_

"Tell me he didn't." Sirius demands of his son, obviously lost in his anger, while Viktor is cursing words of someone insane with fury, obviously still somewhat under the influence of Harry's hurt puppy dog look and while this combination seems to actually scare some of the younger years, does Harry morosely answer:  
"No, the arriving Ministerial owl gave him other ideas." This doesn't appease me in the slightest and I ask: "What exactly?" But Harry answers: "It made sure he was barely physical." Again I am not appeased, even though I am sure that is why he said this and I mutter: "You really shouldn't defend them." Before I read on.

 _ **Aunt Petunia … kitchen clean**_ _, hoping a clean kitchen and a hurt puppy dog look could save some of his skin_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Uncle Vernon … his deal**_ _– something that would have surely lessened the punishment Harry was to have_ _ **– if it … the owl.**_

Fudge cringes and I think: "We really have to change our methods. Maybe bringing back some old laws and combining those with Muggle justice – but then without giving either side too much leeway. If we can somehow combine the laws –." And while thinking my plan through and how to discuss this with Fudge, do I read on.

 _ **Aunt Petunia … tiny eyes**_ _, giving his legs perfectly good reason to shake worse than a leaf in a Fall storm_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"**_ _ **Read it!" …  
**_ _ **Ministry of Magic**_

"We really have to change our policy on what to do when Muggleborns perform Accidental Magic. And, I think, we have to reassign Mafalda to a new position." I tell Cornelius and he nods, muttering: "It was, after all, her idea to instantly send a letter, making us stop investigating the cases. That really has to stop." We nod at each other and I read on.

 _ **Harry looked … great bulldog**_ _, all his teeth bared. Had his eyes been red, he could have passed as Voldemort's twin_ _ **. "Well, I've … back upstairs.**_

Everyone looks shocked and then the twins chorus: "We told you they were locking him up!" Arthur looks at them shocked and Harry says: "Guys, that's something you told her, but I never heard her mention it to your dad." The two growl as they must realize this as well and I shake my head as I continue reading.

 _ **Uncle Vernon … a day.  
**_ _The cat-flap already having been installed before the man came must have brought up the impression that a bad pet was living in this room – and Harry, lying under his bed and hiding from his uncle's wrath while trying to wish for his bones to heal and using torn up cloths as bandages over his torn up back didn't help bringing the man onto other thoughts._

Everyone's shocked and Sirius asks: "How many bones were broken?" But Harry whispers: "Only the ones in my wand arm. They healed pretty quickly." Then Remus asks: "And the torn up back?" And Harry mutters: "Open belt." Infuriating me further than what I just read. Vowing, again, to make this man pay, I read on.

 _ **They let … the clock.**_ _And of course Harry used the bathroom more to puke up his own dinner and breakfast, but that was courtesy of Dudley who always punched him in the gut when he let him out.  
_ _ **Three days … to him.  
**_ _Never more this summer did he long for Hogwarts, but this time without longing for his friends or the lessons or even Quidditch. He longed for the meals and the free use of the bathroom and more than ever – he longed for the amazing showers and baths installed within the school._

"They didn't even let you take a shower?" Hermione asks shocked and Harry shakes his head and mutters: "Probably hoped I would choke on my own smell or something." The girl looks horrified and I see the twins share a look. Realizing they must have known of this I wonder how they could have gotten him out of there as I read on.

 _ **What was … his room**_ _– or even casting any charm at all that could help his current situation of both location as well as health –_ _ **if Hogwarts … death anyway.**_ _At least then he would see his parents again, but the thought of Neville's worried and angry face made him shake that thought off. The boy had worked too hard when Harry needed him most to make Harry give up now. He might have given up when he was shunned by his own kind, but he wouldn't give up when hurt by people he couldn't care less about._

Neville smiles in pride and Sirius stands up to hug the boy, muttering: "Thank you. Your actions saved my little boy twice in one year. I really don't know how to thank you for that." And Neville returns the hug with the words: "Help him live the life we all take for granted." Sirius nods in a vow and I smile at the two before I read on.

 _ **The cat-flap … deep disgust.**_

"Wait, that's your only meal, it's stone cold, you're almost starving of hunger – and you still share with your owl?" A Slytherin asks and Harry answers fiercely: "She chose me and has been supportive of me since she did so. I wasn't going to make the situation worse on her by letting her starve too." The Slytherin looks shocked and I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **It's no … the soup.**_ _It was probably because he was dreading his next visit to the bathroom – or because he was starting to wonder if his relatives would really continue to feed him every morning and night.  
_ _ **The room … questions, Harry**_ _turned to Hedwig and saw that she picked at some of the vegetables. He walked over to her cage and softly petted her feathers in such a way he pulled her attention to him. Trying to believe she could really understand him, he whispered, 'If I die of this, Hedwig, may my last left-over magic break all the bonds that keep you here. I won't let them harm you, girl. Not you.'  
_ _The owl hooted as if trying to convince him otherwise, but he just smiled at her, feeling better and more confident in his need to protect her and her care for him and stroked her lovingly before going back to bed and with one last loving look at the owl, he_ _ **fell into an uneasy sleep.**_

Everyone's shocked to silence and I think: "How much kindness and care can there be in one young boy?" But then I reread the sentences and mutter: "And what twelve year old vows to protect his pet with his own life?" Before sparing a glance at said boy, now hiding from all shocked and incredulous stares. I smile at him and read on.

 _ **He dreamed … crowd and**_ _tried to get up to get to the bars of his cage, but his body wouldn't even move, so he_ _ **shouted out … trying sleep…"**_

"Talk about a bad dream." Zacharias Smith snorts, but the twins and Ron share a glance and Ron mutters: "So that's what he meant." Harry looks at him weird and he says: "We heard you say it all, mate. Even the begging for help. We wondered what you were talking about as that sounded really slurred when you said it."  
Harry nods, but then I ask: "Wait, were you three the ones that got him out of there?" The three nod and Smith says: "But how is that possible? If that rattling came from outside the dream you're in front of Potter's window, which is impossible as he's on the second floor." But the entire Weasley family smiles and I read on.

 _ **He opened … Harry's window.**_

"How in the world did you manage that?" Smith almost demands of the boy in question, being rude yet still asking the question that I am sure is on everyone else's mind and Ron retorts dryly: "If you would just read on, you'll find out." The Hufflepuff snorts and says: "Fine, I'll read next." But Harry says: "No, you won't."  
Everyone looks at him and he turns to Arthur, saying: "Mr. Weasley, if I know myself, I know the title of the next chapter will concern your House and Family, so I think it more proper if you read next." The man smiles and says: "Thank you, Harry." Before walking over to me. I smile at the man and allow him his seat at the book.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **WOW! This chapter was pretty hard. If I hadn't made myself the promise that I would post at least 12 chapters for the Christmas special, this chapter might have put me off of editing the whole thing altogether. Yet I am nothing, if not loyal, grateful and dedicated to my fans and I really wanted to thank you for a brilliant year.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	37. Abilities And Family

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So this chapter has another flashback and because of that, I will keep with just the characters that are already written. I will be creating new OC's out of the Great Hall student population really soon, but first I want to establish Roxas and his actual bond with Axel a bit more, so the new OC's will have to wait a little.  
**_ _ **Have fun,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **PS. More HPxVK romance means more translations. Here they are.  
**_ _ **моята любов is Bulgarian for the Italian compliment Mi Amore.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 36  
**_ _ **Abilities And Family**_

 _ **Arthur's POV**_

I really hope Harry feels as at home at the Burrow as all my children do and, knowing that Remus barely has a home big enough for three and that Sirius would rather die than let his son step foot in a Black Home, I decide to invite the family over for the Summer Holiday until they've found a house for themselves.  
Knowing that I can convince Minerva of this a lot easier than I ever could Albus and still hating the man for ruining my son in all but blood's life for all these years, I look at the child I – and I know many other adults – consider my own, smiling at him as he looks at me, but then Sora again groans, worrying me yet again.

 _ **Roxas' POV**_

 **Entering the world on the other side of the Portal, I come out somewhere I recognize as if it's my own room; Twilight Town, the town where Xemnas found me and gave me my name and temporary purpose. Instantly, knowing it's already way too late for anyone to still be there, I head for the Station and up to the tower.  
** **There I sit down like I always do when waiting for Axel or Xion, but for the first time in little over a year, do I wish neither of them to show up. This makes me look down broken hearted as seeing Axel already be here or arrive here always made my day, no matter how hard the mission I was put on was.**

 **I lie a hand on my chest and for some reason feel something, something I always felt when touching that place. A strange beating, like a pulse that goes on against my hand in some strange yet soothing rhythm I never did it in front of Axel, but now more than ever I believe this to be my heart; my broken heart.  
** **Looking at the sunset like I always do, the color painful enough to almost make me cry yet again, I remember the question he asked me so long ago; the one question I never answered truthfully. 'Roxas, are you really sure that you don't have a heart?' His soft voice asks me as I then remember my false answer to him.  
** ' **I don't know. I can't just look inside. But I figure, if there is something in there, inside us, then we'd feel it, wouldn't we?' And he had happily handed me a Sea-salt ice-cream with the words. 'Ha, true enough.' Not even knowing I had lied to him or how that had been the first time I had wanted to lie my hand on my chest.**

 **I had smiled and thanked him with a laugh, but inside I felt a part of me break for lying to him. That was one of the first times I became aware that, maybe unlike Axel and all others, I did have a heart. It was the day my wonders about everything, why I was different, why the Keyblade chose me, started.  
** **And now, I've run away from the only home I ever had, from the only people that ever really knew me and had the answers – and from the only person who really made me feel, really made me believe I mattered for more than the Keyblade or the collecting of Hearts. Axel was important to me and I went and left him behind.**

 **Tears are falling down my blue eyes as I sit there, almost blinded by the sun, but letting the pain enter me, if only to punish me for abandoning that amazing man. I wipe them away and whisper: "I'll find my answers – and come back to him. Then I'll let him know. Then I'll finally tell him –."  
** **I gulp, closing my eyes and looking deep inside, again lying my hand on my chest to make sure I know just what it is that I'm feeling and to have that rhythm soothe me as I seek my answers. The red light of the fading sun shining through my closed eyelids reminds me of Axel and my heart responds.  
** **I then softly whisper: "I love him." And looking back up, I can almost see his gentle, happy smile shining at me from the sun, the blazing color reminding me again of his beautiful feisty hair. I smile, this mental image giving me the belief that – at some point in time – everything will be fine and leave the Clocktower.**

 **But when I walk out of the Train station building, do I notice a weird shadow falling the wrong way, making me stop in my tracks as it covers me. Instead of falling into the building and to the east, does this one set to the west, to where the sun sets. Ignoring this in my need for answers, I don't even look up.  
** **Had I, had I not walked on and left the station, had I made that one simple motion of raising my head upwards, I would have seen Axel, standing there with a fire of hope dying in his eyes. Standing exactly where I was sitting earlier, looking at the same sunset that made me confess my love for him. But I don't look up.**

 **I walk away.**

 _ **Sora's POV**_

I shake my head, barely understanding why Roxas is showing me these images. Why he is telling me that he was once in love with Axel. Not understanding how that can be of importance now that Axel is dead, I try to let my other self know this, but Roxas seems to have moved himself back to the back of my mind.  
I shake my head again to regain full control and shake away my confusion and uncertainty and Kairi asks: "Another vision, Sora?" I nod at her and say: "It was of Roxas again. He went to his usual spot, the place he always hangs out with Axel and someone named Xion. He – he cried and confessed to love Axel."  
The girl looks confused and asks: "But why does that matter now? Axel died." I nod and say: "I know. But when I tried to tell Roxas he retreated back, as if denying it to himself." The girl sighs and I turn back to Riku, once again hoping he can give me an answer to this dilemma and why this could be happening, especially now.

But when I look up at him, my breath gets caught in my chest – like it has been doing since I saw him again in the Castle of the Organization. The sun, now full up in the sky and shining outside and shining through the Enchanted Ceiling, casts a beautiful light upon his silver hair, making it shine like the metal it is named after.  
The long fringe he has makes it hard to see those amazing pale blue-green eyes and I feel myself wanting to see them again, just like I do every time they are covered in shadows, if only to delight myself with their beauty, drown in their intensity and feel mesmerized by the amazing colors shining within their depths.  
I then realize I'm staring at him again and shake and lower my head, thanking Roxas yet again for stopping me from confessing how I've felt for so long when Riku and I reunited in the Castle. Then my head shoots up and I think: "Of course. That's why Roxas is showing me this. He wants me to realize I can't be with Riku, while merged with him."

I look at the witches and wizards around me and think: "I really have to talk to the people here. Maybe Madam Pomfrey and Kairi, using Naminé's powers can separate me from Roxas, so I can be with Riku. But – then what will happen to Roxas? How can I be happy with Riku, if he can't even be happy with Axel?"  
I lower my head, feeling bad for my other half and think: "Maybe Roxas and I should have never merged. Then he could have been with Axel and –." But then a mental voice shouts: "NO!" I look up, not realizing that things seem to move much slower and the voice inside my head, that I now recognize as Roxas, says:

"I first merged with you when you woke from your pod. Had I not, you would not have woken and who knows what would have happened to all those worlds you travelled to. Xemnas would have won and gained his heart from thousands of others if we had never merged. You should never think my love more important than all those people's lives."  
I smile at my other self, glad we really share that incredible love and care for those around us and close to us and then he says: "And sorry that I manipulated time a little. Naminé taught me that trick." Only then do I realize that everything suddenly moved with the speed it should and I shake my head at the tricks of little Roxas.

 _ **Arthur's POV**_

The headache, or whatever is hurting Sora, seems over and I look from his friends to him, to make sure they all believe him back and okay. All three give me a sign that things are back to normal and I smile at them before taking the book from Amelia. The kind woman smiles at me and I smile back, having always liked my colleague.  
But then I notice how the close-cropped grey hair seems to shine with colors it shouldn't have and smirk, realizing that the wondrous woman is either dying her hair or using a spell to make her look more serious with the use of the hair-color. Wondering what else the woman is hiding, I feel my heart skipping a beat.  
Realizing what is happening, I shake my head wildly and think: "No, Arthur! Pull it together! You can't fall in love now! You have to reconnect with your children! Your daughter will depend on you this book! Stay focused!" I take a deep breath, keep my eyes away from the ever-so-tempting Amelia Bones and read the chapter.

 _ **The Burrow  
**_ _ **"Ron." breathed … twin brothers.**_

"A magically charmed car?" Andromeda asks shocked and Ted turns to me mischievously, causing me to blush in embarrassment. The man laughs and says: "You and your Muggle trinkets, Arthur. Honestly." I smile at the man, while some students look at me in awe for fixing that and with a returning blush, do I read on.

 _ **"All right, … outside school –"**_

"Did you really believe Harry would do that?" Hermione asks her friend and Ron answers: "Not really. I knew, after all, that he was planning to use fake magic and thought it was just a spell having gone wrong or something. That he was focusing on teasing his cousin and accidentally focused a little too much on it." The girl nods and I read on.

 _ **"You should … days, so -"**_

"You actually thought they would leave you there?" Draco Malfoy asks Harry incredulously before he comments: "Even I wouldn't have done that back then, and that was before I knew you were my cousin by blood." And a lot of those who have grown to care for the boy since the start of the reading nod in agreement with him.  
Harry shrugs, smiling at his cousin in a way that proves he knows it sounded stupid how he behaved back then and says: "I was just so desperate for a way out I was finally willing to depend on adults for once. But because I couldn't rely on the Dursleys I barely believed three underage wizards could get me out in time."  
The blonde nods in understanding and one of my twin boys mock-pouts as he says: "Harry, you wound us." And the other goes on: "Did you really believe so little on us?" To which Jordan snaps: "Did he have a reason not to?" And the two hang their heads, obviously ashamed of their actions the year previous as I read on.

 _ **"Stop gibbering," … with me."  
**_ _That, unfortunately, didn't make Harry feel much better, but that was because this situation called for subtlety and the twins were known to be loud and wild as monkeys.  
_ _ **"Tie that … the car.**_ _Already Harry's stomach was plummeting and he could almost feel his wounds being torn open yet again.  
_ _ **"Don't worry," … the shadows**_ _, slightly in an attempt to hide if Uncle Vernon were to come in,_ _ **next to … crunching noise**_ _that made Harry whiten and press his ear against the wall,_ _ **the bars … air. Harry**_ _, having heard nothing that would indicate his uncle waking or coming out of bed,_ _ **ran back … car. Harry**_ _again_ _ **listened anxiously, … Dursleys' bedroom.**_ _Finally, part of him believed he could really have a chance of escaping this personal hell.  
_ _ **When the … the lock.**_

"Where'd you learn that?" Sirius asks the twins and instead of smiling in pride, do they both look down sad and one of them says: "It's one of the only memories we have left of our uncles." And the other goes on and says: "We might have only been 3 when they died, but we always remembered a few times they were around us."  
The man nods and says: "They were the heroes of the Marauders, you know that? They were a few years older and the inspiration of the Marauders to pull a record amount of pranks." The twins smile at the man gratefully, while I smile at the subtle way the man kept his Marauder identity. I then thank Sirius with a nod and read on.

 _ **"A lot … said Fred**_ _with some kind of reference in his voice that Harry couldn't place_ _ **, "but we … Vernon cough**_ _and more than ever did he want to hurry all of this up – there was a chance for him to escape and he'd be damned if he didn't take it_ _ **.  
**_ _ **At last … coughed again.**_ _Harry's stomach jumped in anxiety.  
_ _ **"A bit … the trunk**_ _, Harry making sure it wasn't the shoulder connected to his wand arm,_ _ **and it … Hedwig!" Harry**_ _really wanted to knock his head against the banister of his window, but knew there was time to berate himself later. Instead_ _ **he tore … Hedwig's cage**_ _with his wand arm – the pain being a first punishment for his stupidity_ _ **, dashed to … crashed open.**_

"Please tell me you're already in the car." Mss. Crenson says worried, while a lot of those around them have moved to the edge of their seats and Harry mutters: "I don't know if you'd believe me, but he's a lot faster than you'd think, seeing his size." The woman sighs and says: "I'll take that as a no." Before I read on.

 _ **For a … they could**_ _, Harry ignoring the pain in his right arm in his need for freedom.  
_ _ **"Petunia!" roared … to ear.  
**_ _He had never felt so relieved. His summer holiday was about to start._

Everyone smiles at this, some of the younger years even starting to snicker and laugh, but then Remus asks: "You do know it was plain stupid what you shouted at them, right?" To which Ron laughs as he says: "Remus, the whole bloody action was plain stupid." This makes Remus ask: "Then why do it in the first place?"  
And Fred, George and Ron all turn furious as one of them answers: "Because that filthy woman." And the other twin goes on: "That we had to call mum." And Ron takes over: "Kept convincing dad." His twin brothers smile at him and then one of them says: "To wait longer." And the other goes on: "And longer." And Ron says: "And longer."  
Before all three of them chorus: "So we took action." And while I am amazed at how dedicated and determined they sound, does Snape growl and say: "A woman like Molly would not postpone something like this – unless she was ordered to. That bastard knew." And while Tonks growls and writes this down, do I read on.

 _ **"Let Hedwig … for ages."**_

"How'd you know that, Weasley?" A Seventh year Slytherin asks and the boy answers cynically: "Oh, I don't know. It couldn't have been the fact that I hadn't received a single letter yet or the lock that was clearly placed on the cage now, could it?" I snigger at his tactical way of making the Slytherin blush and read on.

 _ **George handed … violet pudding.**_ _He didn't want to tell them about the punishment he had been given, because the bars and the cat-flap were enough of a hint that he was._ _ **There was … said Harry.  
**_ _He personally didn't really see that as a possibility and he thought it very unlikely that it could be true, even if the twins believed it, seeing how suspicious he himself was of people and creatures he didn't know.  
_ _ **"Well," said … hates me."  
**_ _He knew hate was a strong word for someone of age eleven, but he was sure that the prideful blonde was totally against him for picking the Weasleys over him; not that Malfoy had really made himself look as the better party to choose last school year._

To this said blonde nods and says: "Fair enough and very true." But then he looks at his Potions teacher and suddenly looks down, as if extremely embarrassed over something. Wondering what it could be, I turn to Severus, trying to see if he has a clue. But the man seems not to have noticed the look and I read on.

 _ **"Draco Malfoy." … inner circle."**_

Suddenly I see Remus hug Harry closer and upon closer inspection, I see the boy trembling. Realizing he must be remembering what could have happened had he not used the Time Reading spell, I smile at the poor lad and decide to quickly help him get over it. I scrape my throat and take the glass of water Percy hands me before reading on.

 _ **Harry had … family before,**_ _Ron had told them to him during their first train ride to Hogwarts,_ _ **and they … sensitive boy.**_ _But then Harry felt his stomach aching again, as if trying to push out the little food it had inside it, and he quickly changed that thought as there was no chance that Malfoy would do that to a brother or cousin._

Again the blonde speaks up and says: "While I don't like being compared to that git, do I have to agree with you, cousin. Never would I have attacked you had I known you were so closely related to me." The two smile at each other and I wonder if Dumbledore kept this information behind on purpose. But then I read on.

 _ **"I don't … said Harry**_ _, trying to keep the conversation going if only to keep his mind off his pain_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Well, whoever … our house. . ."**_

Harry then turns to his parents and asks: "We'll get ours back one day, right? Seeing they could – could have belonged to – to dad." The two smile at him and Sirius says: "Yes son, once you turn off age, we'll search the records whatever happened to everything that is rightfully yours and get it all back." Harry smiles and I read on.

 _ **Harry was … would do.**_

Now Draco shows a small smile and he asks: "Remember that we read about those plans you made over Christmas?" Harry nods and Draco goes on: "I did that too. And one of them did indeed include the use of House-elves, just not that way." A confession that makes some Snakes that I assume are his friends snicker softly.  
Harry and most of the older Snakes look intrigued and Draco says: "I planned to let House-elves keep you busy until after curfew and then let them get you caught a whole week long. That would surely expel you." Harry laughs and says: "Good one, cousin." Draco smiles, glad his cousin isn't angry at him and I read on while snickering.

 _ **Had Harry … prefect badge...  
**_

"Yes, Bill, there is only so many times you can polish a badge." Charlie teases his brother, a teasing he used to do a lot in the end of the summer where Bill became Prefect and the elder Weasley brother says: "Oh, shut up! You were ten times worse when you were made Team Captain." "Were not!" Charlie snaps and Bill says:  
"Yes, you were. You bought ten Galleons worth of polish just for one week of polishing." Almost everyone laughs, bar those who seem to recognize themselves in my brothers and start to blush themselves and Charlie turns scarlet, clashing quite badly with his long red hair. I snicker at my son's misfortune and then read on.

 _ **You're driving … Artifacts Office."**_

"It never really sprung to me as the most boring, more most important." Harry muses and I smile at him, before he shocks me as he says: "After all, making sure people no longer pester Muggles with their own items is a good way to step up to the plan of slowly merging Magical Merchandise into the Muggle world."  
Everyone looks at him shocked and he says: "I'm not saying we should bring up billboards with signs saying **MAGIC IS REAL! WE ARE HERE!** With signs pointing to places like the Leaky Cauldron or something, but I did always think we could at least let Muggles get used to the idea of magic being more than just some fairy tales.  
After all, I don't think we can really show ourselves before this generation is in their forties, maybe fifties, but if we slowly start advertising magical candy in Muggle stores like Sugar Quills and Cockroach Clusters, we should be able to make a good start. After that – well, I never really thought that far ahead."

My Ministerial colleagues and I all look at each other shocked and then I look at Harry and ask: "Harry, do you think it will be possible for us to show ourselves within the next two centuries?" Harry shrugs and says: "If you can further my plans, then I guess we can, yes. We just need to think a little more forward than just candy."  
I smile at the boy and look at Remus, knowing the man to be an expert on how to survive and adapt. The man seems to realize what I'm thinking and nods, agreeing he will continue to think of ways to help Harry's plan further on. I smile at him, having always believed there to be a chance of Muggle-Magical relationships and read on.

 _ **"The what?" … Mum mad."**_

"She should be proud of him." Harry says, now lying on the laps of Sirius, Remus and Viktor and seeming to look up without seeing anything, before he goes on: "Mr. Weasley trying to understand the Muggle world and their technology is a good step forward as it sometimes shows how little wizards know of Muggle technology nowadays."  
But then he shoots to sit up and shouts: "Muggle Techonology nowadays!" Everyone's shocked and Sirius asks: "What, Harry? What's wrong? What's wrong with the technology nowadays?" As Harry has turned white as a sheet and I slowly see more and more Muggleborn kids do the same as if they realize the same thing.

Then Hermione brings the answer and says: "The security cameras." I look confused and Harry answers: "Like you have photo-cameras, Muggles have further developed those to shoot more than a single picture. Some of them are connected to a TV station somewhere and through those – security guards keep an eye out for thieves and whatnot.  
But that's exactly the problem. Those things can run 24/7, meaning that if any wizard or witch performed magic in front of a camera, it'd be on tape and Muggles would know." I turn white, having never expected Muggles to make something like that and Malfoy asks: "But why would Muggles make such things?"  
And Harry answers: "It's mostly used for large companies or on busy shopping streets. It's to make sure terrorists, thieves and extremely loud and obnoxious teenagers don't cause terror, steal things or aggravate the customers. It's actually nothing more than an advanced security system." The young blonde nods and I read on.

 _ **"That's the … St. Catchpole."**_

I see Luna smile at this and one of her House mates asks: "What's so funny about that, Lovegood?" And the girl, acting as if the insulting tone didn't even hurt her, answers: "I live there too. Just a few hills away. It's how Ginny and I became friends." The Ravenclaw looks shocked and I smirk at her before reading on.

 _ **Lower and … Ron's house.**_

"Can't be all that much." A Hufflepuff I heard was named Smith sneers and suddenly Harry shouts: "Hey Smith!" The boy looks at him and Harry asks: "Think I can curse you from where I'm lying or do you think that not all that much too?" The lad looks white at this as Harry has his wand out, but Remus makes him put it back and I read on.

 _ **It looked … the yard.**_

All my sons smile in pride as the description actually gives more credit to the house than it should and then Sirius says: "Now that is a home." Making me tinge red as the man smiles at me sincerely and I thank him, now more than ever determined to take them into my home until they have found one for themselves as I read on.

 _ **"It's not … Privet Drive**_ _and already knowing that this was ten-times better if not more_ _ **.  
**_ _ **They got … at the –"**_

"You actually thought that would have worked with her?" Charlie asks his brothers and the twins shrug as one of them says: "We know it sounded pretty stupid and impossible." Before the other goes on and says: "But we were mostly counting on her mother-hen behavior." The elder brother nods, says: "Fair enough." And I read on.

 _ **Ron had … winning voice.**_ _Harry actually cringed at the guilt almost dripping from those two words.  
_ _ **"Have you … or Percy -"**_

"EXCUSE ME!" I shout, suddenly infuriated and I read the sentence silently a few more times to make sure I read it right, my grip tightening with every time I find the same sentence on the page and then I turn to my twin sons and almost snarl at them as I ask: "How many times did she compare you to your brothers?"  
The two roll their eyes, their derisive snorts shocking and scaring me at what I could have possible missed and then they chorus: "Only every single time she ranted at us." Then one of them says: "Either that or say that we wouldn't achieve anything if we didn't become Prefects or Head Boys or whatever else."  
I growl at the woman's terrible behavior and mutter: "No one makes my boys think they should be someone they're not and no one compares my kids to each other as if one of them is better than the other." My kids smile at me in gratitude and I decide to visit her after this book is over, if only to rant her hide full about this as I read on.

 _ **"Perfect Percy," … backed away.  
**_ _He thought the woman to have gone too far with comparing the strict, rule-abiding Percy to the fun, prank-pulling twins and saying that they should be like their elder brother, but had to slightly agree with the idea of this plan having cost Mr. Weasley his job. Still the idea of those two dying of a simple car ride, even if it was one in the air, was overdone and exaggerated, but Harry sure wasn't stupid enough to say something like that to such a furious looking woman.  
_ _ **"I'm very … she said**_ _, the kind tone and friendly smile she showed Harry almost giving him the feeling he had landed in another dimension or something_ _ **. "Come in … followed her.**_ _He had heard that women had hormones that could play up, but this was ridiculous._

Sirius snickers and pulls Harry close as he says: "Ah Harry, you're discovering the mystery that is women." He then fakes to sniff and mock-weeps: "My little boy is growing up. I'm so proud." Making Erica and Mss. Crenson turn their eyes skyward, while Harry snickers, making Sirius smile in pride, making it obvious that was his goal.  
But then Viktor moves his face next to that of Harry's and asks: "Is this perhaps a forewarning of you being gay, моята любов?" And Harry turns red, while Remus hits the older boy on the back of his head, saying: "Give my son a break, he was twelve. Of course, it wasn't like that." Viktor pouts and I shake my head, reading on.

 _ **The kitchen … house before.**_

Again Sirius pulls Harry close and says: "You sure did too, kiddo. You just don't remember it. Your mother, Harry – oh, your mother. She was just so amazing with magic. She was offered a job as Spell creator right when she left Hogwarts and only when you were born did she quit her job. She even used the small room next to her bedroom as study."  
Harry looks at his new mum in shock and asks: "My mum – Lily, my mum – she did that?" Sirius nods, small tears shining in his eyes and he says: "She invented over 40 spells in just the two years she had a job, son, and 12 of those are now spells taught at Hogwarts." Pride shines in the young boy's eyes and I read on.

 _ **The clock …**_ _ **\- It's Magic**_ _ **!**_

Now Harry looks up and says: "Wait a minute! Those books can really come in handy. Once we have Muggles used to our candy – and witches and wizards used to theirs, of course – we can broaden their children's book collection with some of our history books and slowly add more and more books, except for those where it's stated you need a wand.  
If we do the same for our world and work up from there we can really get a few nice steps into the union of our worlds. We just have to do it step by step and take a few years, put some large areas of time between plans to make it look inconspicuous so that the Muggles won't think we're trying to overthrow their society.  
If they see that we want to merge, they will be more lenient to let us, but I would personally wait until after the Millennium change; I'd say somewhere after summer 2005, that will be a nice time to start the bigger plans. For now, we better keep it small." And with that the boy starts to mutter all kinds of things to himself under his breath.

We're all quite shocked at his actual intelligence and then Malfoy asks: "And why wait that long, Harry? That's not for another ten years?" To this Harry, who seems only slightly lost in thought as his gaze is slightly glazed over, answers: "I know the Great Wizarding War was in the Forties, but so was a terrible Muggle war.  
And that one is still honored with a feast and other ceremonies every year on a worldwide basis, especially every decade like in 1965, 1975 and 1985. So if we show up to the ceremonies for this year, we can make a first step and show our respect as millions of people died in that war – and most of them weren't even fighting."  
Everyone looks shocked and Blaise shouts: "Emergency History lesson right next break!" And everyone shouts in consent, before Mss. Crenson says: "It would be my pleasure to tell you all about the war. My father was member of the English Royal Army and always told me loads of stories of his fights against the German."  
The students nod, but then she turns more serious than I have seen her so far and says: "Do know, however, that this war was horrendous. The things that the enemy of the Americans, English and the Russians did are nightmare worthy even for people my age." And while the students look more warry now, do I feel highly intrigued as I read on.

 _ **And unless … Celestina Warbeck."**_

This makes most men shudder, especially all of the male teachers and I mutter: "How Molly could have ever loved her or her terrible voice I'll never understand." Then Ron loftily says: "You know, I always thought she was acceptable but not really talented." He then shrugs and says: "That sure changed after my first."  
Students look confused and Blaise asks: "Why after first?" And Ron answers: "I heard Harry sing." As he suddenly looks at my book and then throws his head back with his hand on his eyes as he groans: "Not fair." Making his friends laugh, while Harry asks: "Finally realized it, did you?" My son mock-glares at him and I read on.

 _ **Mrs. Weasley … his plate.**_

This shocks most of the hall and Madam Pomfrey asks: "Is she crazy? Students as thin as Potter need to slowly work up on their meals, not immediately eat more than their stomachs can take. It can worsen the malnourishment or even cause Anorexia." And while Sirius seems to not know this illness does it still make him worried.  
Yet at the same time do some Purebloods look confused, including I myself, my sons and a few teachers and the woman looks both exasperated and professionally worried as she says: "It's a disease I discovered to exist only recently. It's mostly mentally, but on the long term it can apparently cause terrible physical troubles.  
Short said, it makes the victim constantly think they're too thick or that they eat too many fat foods and that makes them eat less and less until they're thinner than reed. Some even force themselves to puke just to keep themselves thin." The purebloods and teachers look shocked and I read on, not wanting to think about this disease.

 _ **"Arthur and … by Friday.**_

"By Friday? My son might not have even made it until then. How could she not see that it was a brilliant action of her sons, that they saved my little baby of starvation?" Sirius screams, obviously worried about what he just heard and I can only nod, barely believing that this is the same woman I was once in love with as I read on.

 _ **But really," … for him.**_ _Harry understood her anger at her sons, but thought it stupid of her to still punish them after that hours-upon-hours long rant. He also wondered why she wasn't reacting to the confession George made, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.  
_ _ **At that … all summer."**_

Ginny lowers her head and I see Ron wanting to apologize, but she shakes her head and says: "This book is going to be hard enough without me feeling bad about my stupid behavior during summer. I can do that next book." The siblings snicker together and I feel relieved as I worry for my little girl, but then quickly read on.

 _ **"Yeah, she'll … and Fred.**_ _Harry could barely believe the woman would do this. Her sons had saved his life – his weak body was proof he needed some desperate help – and she was punishing them? Was she really deserving his earlier decision?_

"No Harry, you should have trusts your instincts. You should have told us how you felt about her." I tell the boy softly, but he lowers his head and says: "I – I couldn't. You were the first family that proved me how a family should behave together and I didn't want to cause anything that would destroy that.  
I – I'd hate myself if I believed I was the cause of you –." But I have walked over to the boy, who has his head low and softly lift it up, looking him in the eye as I say: "You would not have ruined anything, Harry. You would have opened our eyes. Just like your story is doing now." The boy smiles at me and I smile back before reading on.

 _ **"You can … wide awake**_ _, mostly because of the Pepper-up Potion he had tasted in his eggs_ _ **, said quickly, … a de-gnoming-"**_

I shake my head and ask: "You – you were drugged?" Harry shrugs and Snape asks: "Potter, if you recognized the Potion, then why did you take it anyway?" And Harry answers innocently: "Because I wanted to thank Ron and the twins for saving me and knew I couldn't do that falling asleep on them." The man shakes his head and I read on.

 _ **"That's very … the mantelpiece.**_

Instantly I growl as I am more than aware of how my ex-wife had a crush on this fake, but then Harry tenses and Sirius asks: "You alright, son?" Harry nods and says: "It's just – a few meetings during school time. Nothing bad." But this does nothing to ease my worries as I never trusted Lockhart and with a frown do I read on.

 _ **George groaned … them all.  
**_ _Harry stared at it a little longer and, as if his magic connected to the picture, did the photo of Lockhart turn to him and the wink he sends Harry actually made a chill run down his spine. He quickly turned his eyes away, not wanting to look at the man anymore._

My stomach pulls together in shocked fear and I ask: "Amelia, can you and your men please check the books in my home for dangerous spells? I wouldn't put it past Molly to do so just to spite my work at the Ministry." The woman nods, while Harry had turned even whiter at the reminder of what the book had done and she says:  
"We will get on it right after the book, Arthur. Auror Tonks, take note of this." The young woman does as asked and I smile at the elder woman, while I see Andromeda smile at her daughter in pride as Tonks seems to take these jobs quite seriously. I smile at the determination that is an obvious Black trait and then read on.

 _ **Mrs. Weasley … rather pink.**_ _Harry himself wondered how someone could even look at that man for long – but that might be because of the wink earlier. His musings were interrupted by Mrs. Weasley's voice, which sounded both disbelieving and demanding –something which really reminded him of his aunt,  
_ _ **"All right … of frogs.**_ _Harry wouldn't have minded asking Mrs. Weasley if he could do some garden work for her, but he really didn't want to destroy any rare or local plants or even risk the chance of destroying plants he had never seen before, so he changed the subject.  
_ _ **"Muggles have … the lawn**_ _, his eyes going from one new plant to another, trying to see whether or not he could use his magic on them_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Yeah, I've … fishing rods . . . ."**_

Neville smiles at the boy along with many others who seem to share the boy's love for Herbology, whereas Professor Sprout looks giddy and the boy asks: "You really do love plants, don't you?" But Harry looks down sadly and says: "When I grew up only a few things were there when I needed them to survive my Muggle relatives.  
Mss. Crenson's visits, Erica and later cooking, where I could work my magic just to make amazing meals and garden work. I always made sure I was alone when I worked on the garden, but that was mostly because I stupidly enough believed that, because things got to regrow and regrow, they could be sentient enough to listen to me.  
So always when I had garden duty, would I make sure my relatives were far away and if I was sure the neighbors weren't in their own gardens, would I talk and talk to the flowers and other plants and for some reason did that always help them grow better. It was some kind of win-win situation for me and the plants, I guess."  
Everyone looks shocked at the boy and he says: "That's why there's no mention of that in this book. After my Herbology lessons I really believed to have lost my touch, so I didn't even want to try anymore. And Dobby's actions really didn't help with that." I nod, feeling shocked at how the boy believed to have lost his touch and then read on.

 _ **There was … said Fred.**_

"But not bad." I quickly comment, knowing perfectly well this was years ago, but wanting to help my son get over his inferiority complex and I go on: "Especially seeing you had been up all night and it was your first throw." The twins nod at this and Ron smiles, but then he says: "Thanks, but Harry's _**way**_ better." I look at my son intrigued and then read on.

 _ **"I bet … fifty feet."**_

"And that without really throwing the bugger." Ron laughs and I look at the young lad impressed, while Harry turns red and has his hand behind his head, smiling playfully. I smile at this as it's a positive sign that Harry can overcome the terrors his relatives put him through in his youth and with this hope burning, do I read on.

 _ **The air … shoulders hunched.**_

I see Hermione and Harry look at each other and then he looks at Neville and asks: "Am I the only one getting reminded of spiders when I see a gnome?" The two shake their head, but Ron shudders and while I notice that some others do the same yet less, does my son ask: "How can those funny creatures remind you of creeps like spiders?"  
And Harry says: "Well, you never ever had any vermin other than gnomes, right?" Ron nods, still not seeming to get it and Harry answers: "Muggles use spiders to keep insects out of their gardens and the gnomes do the same for wizarding gardens. So gnomes really are the wizard equivalence of spiders." And while Ron grumbles, do I read on.

 _ **"They'll be … the house**_ _, Harry smiling as he was left behind in the garden, because it showed how much the Weasley kids loved to have their dad home; Ron had been in such a hurry he didn't even grab Harry's arm to pull him along_ _ **.**_

I smile at this too, glad there is still such a close bond between me and my sons, regardless of the fact that my job practically required me to have their mother raise them for me and one of my twins says: "No matter how much time we spend being raised." But then Charlie mutters: "More like bullied." The twin nods and goes on:  
"Right you are, anyway no matter how much of that we had to withstand." And the other twin says: "Seeing dad come home always made our day, no matter what the time of his return." I smile at my sons, glad they see me as their sanctuary to the terror of that Prewett woman and all of my kids smile back at me before I read on.

 _ **Mr. Weasley … and travel-worn.**_ _Harry felt for the man, but the twins and Ron rushed at him, all hugging him strongly, making a weak smile appear on his face.  
_ _ **"What a … back turned ..."**_

"I never really got to ask; but who's Mundungus?" Harry asks me and just like every other time I am reminded of him around family, do I hate my anger as I answer: "He's the Wizarding world's biggest thief and dark object salesman. He's also one of the people who make my job the hardest." Harry looks shocked and asks:  
"But if he is and does all that, then why isn't he in Azkaban or banned from the Wizarding world yet?" Amelia sighs and says: "Because we have a contract with the man. He can sale and buy from people – whether light or dark – all he wants, as long as he helps us catch those hurting Muggles and Muggleborns behind the Ministry's back.  
The only problem for Mr. Fletcher is that his contract clearly stated he is to harm and trouble people outside the Ministry, not Ministerial members. He better not try again, Arthur, or you'll have all right to send him straight to an Azkaban Holding cell. His contract clearly states the work he does is only his second warning, a third and he's toast."  
I nod, shocked at this as I was never told about the exact details of the contract and think: "Seems Mundungus will be in Azkaban for a long time. I after all have over 142 cases of Muggle pestering on his name, 111 of which he tried to attack me when I caught him in the act of it." I shake my head and decide to report later, before I read on.

 _ **Mr. Weasley … said George**_ _, while Ron and Fred sat a little closer to their dad, obviously wanting to hear more_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Just Muggle-baiting," … jerked open**_ _and for some reason did the brothers move their chairs to the other side of the table. Harry glanced from them to Mrs. Weasley and then to Mr. Weasley, who seemed not to notice_ _ **. He**_ _just_ _ **stared guiltily … "Harry who?"**_

"I knew I would love you right that moment, Mr. Weasley." Harry tells me and I smile at him as he goes on: "You after all had Ron for a son and must have known he was friends with me and still you didn't instantly think of the Boy-Who-Lived. You just thought me another kid with that name." I shrug at the widely-smiling lad and read on.

 _ **He looked … the house.**_ _Harry really wanted to ask Ron and the twins why they moved away from their dad when Mrs. Weasley came in, but decided to first see if there were more of these cases. Last year taught him one thing and that was that he should first have the whole story before he made any accusations. But he still thought there was something weird about that situation, something he was missing._

I look at the child I consider my own and he seems to think about the same situation deeply, if the wrinkles in his forehead and the way he gazes at the stone floor as if it has all the answers are anything to go by. Deciding to wait and see if he can figure it out, do I smile at the boy, shocked I hadn't noticed this myself and read on.

 _ **On the … more flights**_ _, on the first the twins moving into their own room,_ _ **until they … the league."**_

"And that's not even their highest rank." Ron smiles, but then Sirius says: "Ron, the Chudley Cannons aren't bad, but they are a perfect example of what happens when other teams buy away your players. All good players of that team were together in the sixties, but halfway through 1970, half of them were bought away and after that it just went downhill.  
You really have to look at how the players form together to judge on whether or not it's wise to follow that team and I'm really sorry but with one of the Top Chasers finding his wife in the German National team and the Top Keeper finding his dream job as Trainer of the Holyhead Harpies, I don't think that team will ever be as great as they were."  
Ron looks shocked and Sirius says: "Trust me, Ron, I was a great fan too, but after being chosen for Beater in my Second and having to have witnessed two terrible years of them losing one match after another, I really learned how to view and judge the better and weaker points of all playing teams." My son nods, I smile and read on.

 _ **Ron's school … Mad Muggle.**_ _In between this Harry noticed some pencils, paper and a few drawings that looked like chessboards._ _ **Ron's magic … went pink.**_

"It really is, you know." Harry mutters, still obviously trying to figure out the thing he must have missed back then and then he goes on: "Although I would still love to see other wizarding Houses." And Narcissa answers: "Well, cousin, you, your family and friends are more than welcome for a sleepover at the Manor this summer."  
Harry smiles at her and I decide to offer them what I decided on earlier and say: "And Sirius, I know you detest your family home and I know that Remus' home is never big enough to fit all three of you, so you can stay at our place until you've found your own place. And no, Remus, I've been planning this all chapter, no objections."  
The man smiles and says: "Thanks Arthur, we really appreciate it. Harry, would you like that?" Harry smiles and nods and asks: "And can Sora, Riku and Kairi stay too? I don't think they have a house here." I nod and laugh: "Of course, Harry. The more the merrier." All six of them smile at me and I feel proud of my decision.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Wow, this chapter was so much more fun and that is only better as I was really worried that Molly would make me hate this chapter, yet luckily enough did I not hate her in the original as I do now and so I kept the bashing in this chapter to a low and I just didn't feel like increasing that as it would ruin the chapter structure.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	38. A Student For A Friend

_**Chapter 37  
**_ _ **A student for a friend**_

 _ **Andromeda's POV**_

"I want to read about my nephew if you please." I tell Arthur as he ends the chapter and the man nods, while Harry smiles at me. I smile back, but feel bad that I have kept to the background for so long, believing it better if Harry first gets used to his new family through his parents and gets comfortable with the idea of having one.  
But now that I have heard almost one and a half book, if the chapters can be called that much, I am sick of keeping quiet and not helping my nephew as much as my daughter does as she obviously keens for the chance to go and arrest those filthy Muggles. I myself believe them no better than my sister Bella, but shake this thought off quickly.  
Not wanting to think of the sister that I once loved and that, until she went to Hogwarts, had been trying to make me see things the Pureblood way as much as she did. But after her departure did I start taking care of Narcissa and that made me see that the way father and mother raised us was wrong – which eventually led me to marry Ted.  
I smile at the man and then look at my other sister, hoping that Cissy is willing to give me a chance again now that Voldemort is forever gone. The woman is indeed looking at me, but her face is blank of emotion and all I can tell of her emotions is that she is waiting for me to start reading. I nod at her sweetly and do as she requests.

 _ **Sora's POV**_

I see a woman with bushy soft brown hair and soft, kind but dark eyes walk over to the Owl Stand before she looks at the woman with long blond hair and quite the stoic face. For some reason do I believe the two to be family, but shake off this belief for later, actually expecting another vision of what happened to Roxas. And I am not disappointed.

 _ **Roxas' POV**_

 **Today is the 171** **st** **day of my existence and one of my hardest missions yet. I had to fight a Heartless that even had a few smaller Heartless standing on top of it and firing off annoying, painful arrows. The Heartless itself is called a Infernal Engine and damn if it didn't work on my nerves, what with all the weapons it held inside.  
** **But that's not the important thing about today and not the reason I am still up here, at the Clocktower, while Axel has already left. The reason behind me staying here, on the Clocktower, with the sun almost completely down, is what happened after I had defeated the Infernal Engine and what happened during my conversation with Axel, up here at the Clocktower after the mission was over.  
** **I had decided that, with the mission over, I better head back fast, but on my way back from the bridge of Beast's castle I saw a woman named Belle head for the master of the castle, a gigantic beast with blue eyes and long wild brown manes. The Beast had been beaten by the Infernal Engine and was lying on the courtyard badly injured.  
** **I watched as Belle ran for the Beast, who tried to tell her to go inside as he believed the Engine to still be trying to get through as well. Belle assured him the Heartless was gone and I made an amazing discovery. While on earlier missions we believed to have conducted that the Beast was protecting his rose,**

 **Was he actually protecting Belle. He apparently deeply cared for her – loved her, according to Xaldin, who had suddenly appeared in the shadows of the doorway besides me. The Nobody, #III, had come to Beast's Castle – why, he wouldn't tell me – and had witnessed the exchange between Beast and Belle.  
** **He called love an emotion that deludes people into believing its power can save them. When I asked further he answered me in a riddle I just don't get as he said that the power of Love is one we'll never grasp. He also commented that Beast, Belle and their love wouldn't last, that love always withers away and dies.**

 **Why?**

 **I asked him this and asked him how he, A Nobody and thus a being without a heart, could even know all this about an emotion, something we're not even supposed to have. He said his eyes and brain were enough to let him know this. He then dismissed me and told me to hurry and get back to the castle.  
** **But as he left, he left me with even more questions – seriously, do those guys at the Organization plan to always leave me wondering after missions? Will they never let me know anything for sure? I stayed behind a little longer, wondering about love, its power and if it has any connection to protecting what's important to you.  
** **I later, at the Clocktower, discussed this with Axel – I really tell that guy just about everything – and he told me that Nobodies can't feel love because it needs a heart. He did, luckily enough, explain Love a little better to me. Said it was something that happens if there's something really special between two people.**

 **Looking at Axel as he said that, I almost felt myself saying that it was like what we had, but I first had to be sure, so I asked if it was like being best friends. When Axel said that it wasn't what he was talking about, I realized that it was more than being friends. I told him, but he told me that there weren't steps between friends and love.  
** **I still don't get it. Axel said that it wouldn't matter as we wouldn't experience love until Kingdom Hearts was complete. Then, he told me, we could do all kinds of things. I felt relieved for that, but stayed longer than he did after we watched the sun set and ate our ice-cream. And now I know why.**

 **Axel was wrong. I do know what it feels like to love, even if I am not supposed to be able to in my current state. Yes, I care about Xion and I worry she'll never join us for ice-cream, but Axel is someone I'd give my existence for, someone I know who would do the same, someone I would – if I had a heart – truly love.  
** **I'm still standing here and as I gaze straight into the sun, its shine almost making me picture Axel's smiling face in front of it, I whisper: "Once we have hearts, Axel, I'll win yours. I'll love you beyond your wildest dreams." And, as if the sun is Axel, do I feel it smiling at me, as if proud of my decision.**

 _ **Sora's POV**_

I shake my head, not really caring for the idea of others noticing that I am again experiencing a headache from all this and Riku asks: "Another vision?" I nod and say: "Beast's Castle was attacked before Xaldin started influencing him. Heartless were attacking the castle while I was asleep. And Roxas fought those Heartless."  
Riku and Kairi sit closer together and Riku asks: "Is there any significance to this vision, Sora? Anything Roxas mentioned specifically?" But I shake my head and say: "Just more proof of him discovering he loves Axel. And –." I focus deeply on the last part of the vision, the only part not yet fuzzy and unclear and say:  
"How he swore to win Axel's heart once they both had it." This shocks the two and I think further on this as I say: "That must have been why he was willing to unleash all those Hearts. He was believing that Kingdom Hearts could help him win over Axel. He didn't realize what he did was wrong." Riku smiles at me and says:  
"Of course not. Those Organization members were as clear to him as they were to you." I shake my head as none of the members I fought were very clear, all of them confusing me with Roxas and trying to destroy me if I didn't join them like he did. Realizing that a certain part of the vision was about that, I whisper: "He thought Xaldin the worst of them."

Kairi is the one nodding this time and says: "I can imagine, seeing that man thought so little of love and used it against Beast. You told me what he thought of him. That monster." We look at her shocked and she spats: "I meant Xaldin." Riku and I share a glance, me trying not to get lost in his eyes and then we both laugh hard.  
Riku slaps me on the shoulder, his hand warm and tingling where it lands and I hear Kairi huff, but while I had been worried about both her and Riku during my first adventure, was I mostly worried about Riku during the rest of my journey, once I was sure that Kairi was safe and back at our home on Destiny Island.

That worry had led to me falling for Riku as I realized that he had come first, that we had been together far longer than me and Kairi and that he had been my best friend for years upon years, even if he pushed me further than I could take. And with my need to proof myself came a love for his amazing strength and belief in me.  
And when we had finally found each other again in the Castle of the Organization had my heart instantly recognized my beautiful Riku behind that mask of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. I had almost confessed that, during my search, I had fallen for him, but – for a reason I now realize is Roxas – I had kept back and ever since have I held back.

But, as Riku keeps laughing, do I softly lie a hand on my heart and think: "Harry is only fourteen and he's already confessed to love someone two years older than him. Why shouldn't I?" And I hear Roxas say: "You go for it, Sora. These emotions have been bugging us for almost five years and it's about time they're unleashed."  
I nod and we both decide that, even if Roxas can never more be happy with Axel, love him or win his heart, will we still make the best out of my chances with Riku. And we both know it's best if I first talk with Kairi about this as she might still believe me to like her. I then turn to Andromeda and nod at her, showing I'm okay.

 _ **Andromeda's POV**_

I had expected Sora to have another vision and indeed he groans, lying his hand on his head, but a little later he explains his vision to his friends and then laughs with Riku, while Kairi huffs. I smile at them, glad the visions don't seem to harm or bother them and then Sora gives me the signal I can start. I nod at him and do as asked.

 _ **Flourish and Blotts**_

This confuses just about everyone around me, but Harry groaning in pain as he cuddles against Viktor and looks at him with a pleading look to be held, worries me a great deal as I fear what could have happened at this simple place. Viktor quickly complies the request, but Harry's actions are noticed all around and I quickly read on.

 _ **Life at … like him.**_ _It was as if his first months at Hogwarts were relived in this house, but then without the expectations of him to go and do the most amazing things. He was liked – without barely anyone really knowing who he was.  
_ _ **Mrs. Weasley … every meal**_ _– something he didn't comment on, but he always sat next to Ron and when the woman wasn't looking, he gave his third and fourth helping to his best friend, muttering from the corner of his mouth that he was going to explode_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Mr. Weasley … service worked.**_ _By never once mentioning or questioning Harry about his relatives, but only Muggle devices and pushing Harry until he showed just how much he knew Harry felt like crying – finally someone who wouldn't judge him for his amazing knowledge and need to know about everything in his surroundings.  
_ _Mr. Weasley's pushing wasn't even really pushy – it was always a motivating 'Come on, Harry,' and a joking 'I know you know' with a secret wink, making Harry laugh before he let loose on all he knew. Mr. Weasley knew how to handle kids, no matter what their nature and Harry loved him for it.  
_ _ **"Fascinating," he … without magic."  
**_ _Every night after dinner, Harry would move to the bathroom to check up on his injuries. His back was nicely healing and the scars were thinner and less visible than the one on his forehead. They were just stripes and Harry knew he could get away with the excuse that he used everlasting ink when he wanted to pretend he was a zebra or something. The idea made him snicker. His arm also healed nicely and it was, after three days, easy to use it freely again, even reach far onto his back or bend and touch the back of his foot.  
_ _Then, once he was done checking his injuries, he would allow Ron into the bathroom. Even at Hogwarts he constantly showered or bathed alone and always with the lock on the door. He was willing to make excuses for his injuries, but he didn't want people to see them without him revealing them willingly.  
_ _Once they were both done in the showers, they went to bed, discussing that day, a bit of homework – Harry's way to keep Ron sharp – and things they would want to do the next day. Ron would then fall asleep and Harry would look at the boy, pressing down on his hatred._

I shake my head and read that sentence, before Harry shouts: "I can explain. Read on! The book will explain! It's not Ron I hate! I repeat; It! Is! Not! Ron! I! Hate!" Everyone nods, but the words have shocked the entire hall into silence and I wonder how this could even be possible between such amazing friends. I quickly read on, wanting to know.

 _Ron had everything he always wanted and Harry, while not hating his best friend, hated that he could not have that too. Never would he know what it would feel like to have a mother to come home to if you feel sad or worried or something. Never would he know what it would feel like to have a father that would come and visit you just to see how well you do in your achievements. Never would he know how it would feel like to have brothers and sisters to play with, laugh with and live with from birth to the day they die.  
_ _Ron wanted money, fame and attention, but Harry really hoped last year and his bond with Harry had made the boy see just how insignificant that was compared to what he had. Every night he would look at Ron and whisper, 'Cherish what you have, mate. I envy you for it.' Before turning around and falling asleep._

I now feel terrible that I doubted Harry and his loyalty to Ron, but then Sirius and Remus hug Harry and whisper: "You can now, son. You can now." And the poor child, probably feeling the same way he did then, cuddles with his parents until they are surrounding him and Harry is barely visible in the embrace.  
Ron in the meantime looks both shocked and depressed and he mutters around with his family, his brothers having gone to sit closer to him and the couch having shrunk to allow the family more closeness. The Diggorys, Delacours and the Malfoys have also gone to sit together and I get an encouraging smile from my husband and daughter.  
I smile at them, knowing I would give everything in my life for them and would easily die for them if needed, but only if truly needed as I would rather spend every day I have of my life with them. I then look at Sirius, feeling the same for him and he shares a short glance with me before going back to his son. I smile at him and read on.

 _ **Harry heard … kitchen table.**_ _Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were each on opposite part of the table and while Ginny was in the midst, Harry noticed her sending loving looks at her dad. The same he had noticed over the last week and he wondered more and more what was going on.  
_ _ **The moment … their pajamas.**_ _Mrs. Weasley, Harry heard, barely kept back a snort and Harry wondered what was going on in the woman's mind. Did she not believe that Fred and George deserved to go?  
_ _ **For a …**_ _ **Gilderoy Lockhart.**_

"Wait, wait, wait!" Sirius says and I too feel shocked as I had been in my graduation year when the man entered his First year. The man was only a year older than Sirius and according to the letters from aunt Walburga he had been on Sirius' prank list quite early. Sirius had also written letters to me about him and none of them were good.  
After he had left Hogwarts I had decided not to take anything he said seriously, an advice given to me by Sirius and I had lost interest in him after he published his second book. Therefore, I feel shocked that he suddenly has seven of them and Sirius voices this thought quite explicitly, causing Remus to shut him with his hand.  
I shake my head, but then notice that Harry has gone back to hide in Viktor's lap and think: "Something's not right. Just reading about that man seems to scare Harry. But how is that even possible?" Fearing I don't really want to know, I look at Sirius and Remus, who have also noticed their son's form and we all nod before I read on.

 _ **Fred, who … the marmalade.**_ _Harry really didn't understand why Mrs. Weasley was always looking at the two as if every word they spoke was a crime.  
_ _ **"That lot … things secondhand."  
**_ _Harry looked shocked and remembered last year. Ron had told him how his parents had been unable to provide him with his own wand, but had still given Percy both an owl and new robes – all because of a Prefect badge. Was this done by both the parents or Mrs. Weasley alone? Harry really didn't want to have any doubt in any of the Weasley family members, but things just didn't add up in this household and he, being the curious lad he was, wanted to know why.  
_ _ **"Oh, are … sweater vest.  
**_ _Still Harry's keen eye noticed a humorous glance being shot at the twins – one they themselves didn't notice. Harry had already discovered that Percy only cared about rules and studies when Mrs. Weasley was around. During dinner, when she was cooking in the kitchen he often got the twins to tell jokes with him and laughed hard – but scrammed to the other side of the table if he saw Mrs. Weasley come in. Harry believed it had something to do with the earlier event on the day he arrived at the Burrow, even if he didn't get that event either.  
_ _ **"Morning, all," … was breathing.**_

"I don't know what's stranger." The twins chorus and while I can tell that Arthur seems to grow to hate himself over missing this does one of them say: "That we didn't notice how our brother was seeking us out." And while Percy smiles at them, does the other say: "Or that Harry thought that Errol was a breathing, molting feather-duster."  
Everyone laughs at this and Percy says: "I really didn't want her to ruin things further between us, but I never invited you to my room, because I knew of how often she visited me there and I didn't want her insulting you there." The twins smile and chorus: "We know, bro. We know." And as they go to sit with him, do I read on.

 _ **"Errol!" said … muttering, "Pathetic."**_ _But Harry caught him giving the bird a loving pet on the belly, to which the owl let out a soft, grateful last hoot before falling asleep.  
_ _ **Then he … to today."**_ _Harry saw her send an accusing stare at the twins, while Percy glared at her behind her back._

"I just hated her so much." Percy mumbles with his head down and he says: "Constantly treating the twins as if they were criminals, never believing in them and still forcing me away from all my siblings. I just – I just wanted her out of our lives so badly." All Weasley siblings nod, while I feel disgusted with the woman and read on.

 _ **Harry, Ron, … the time.**_ _Harry noticed that, every time that Percy returned to his room, he would send a pained look at his younger brothers and a hatred-filled look at his mother. He didn't even want to know what that was about, not even with all his curiosity.  
_ _ **"Wish I … at all."**_

"I didn't want to gloat. It was exactly what she wanted out of me and right after she heard she chose my subjects, denying and talking back on all of my decisions. She was controlling every step of my life and that she even controlled me at school – at my own achievements –." The man doesn't go on, but instead he shudders.  
I feel for the man, knowing exactly how he feels as my mother also expected certain behavior out of me, which I fought with my Black-strong will and need for power. Seeing that the boy doesn't have this power himself, I decide to help Arthur get the poor man over his dramas and get the family back together. Smiling at this idea, I read on.

 _ **"Ordinary Wizarding … bank, Gringotts.  
**_ _Harry wondered if the twins would really be embarrassed by it. By the looks of how hard they were working on their pranks, he would say that they had the same power and ambition, so what could be the difference.  
_ _He also wondered if there was a reason that the elder brothers had moved so far away. And, more importantly, if the younger siblings saw anything bad in this, as Bill and Charlie were barely ever mentioned by either Ron or the twins._

This makes the elder brothers look down saddened and Harry mutters: "Damn my thoughts." But Bill shakes his head and says: "We were as much at fault, Harry. We never even wrote them when knowing they were at Hogwarts. We didn't want to get controlled by her anymore and it drove us from our siblings."  
"And me disappearing so soon before Ron's first, seeing my last ended the summer before Ron's first started, really couldn't have made them feel any better." But then Ron says: "That doesn't make it right for us not writing you guys either. We knew your reasons, or at least believed we knew, and we still didn't write."  
All brothers and sister look at each other and then they all chorus: "Merlin, I hate that woman." Before laughing as one, the twins hugging Percy, Bill taking Ginny in his arms and Charlie slapping Ron on the shoulder. I smile at the closeness of the family, that still held strong with the Prewett woman hurting them, and read on.

 _ **"Dunno how … of gold.  
**_ _He walked back down the hill when they ended their game with his head down, trying feverishly to think of a way he could get the Weasleys some of his money without them noticing or any of it seeming to be out of charity or pity – as that was the last thing he himself wanted, so he knew he couldn't do it to others.  
_ _That night he was looking at Ron longer than usual and muttered, 'Why? Why are there so many things different between us? Why do you have what I want and do I have what you want? What your family needs and deserves?' He turned back around and fell asleep, his mind still whirling with possible ideas.  
_ _ **Mrs. Weasley … sandwiches each**_ _, Harry packing a few in his pocket for later,_ _ **they pulled … watching him.**_ _It kind of reminded him of all the stares he got when he first arrived at Hogwarts.  
_ _ **"W-what am … I forgot."  
**_ _It was exactly that that calmed Harry down as it proved he belonged in the Magical world; if even his best friend forgot he was Muggle-raised.  
_ _ **"Never." said … Mrs. Weasley**_ _, actually sending the man a stern glare_ _ **. "Floo powder's … and vanished.**_

"You actually use the fire to travel?" Sora asks and when I nod, he looks at his friends and asks: "Am I the only one reminded of Axel by this?" To which Riku raises his eyebrow playfully as he asks: "You – or Roxas?" Sora turns red and I wonder who this Roxas is really, but then he mutters: "Both." And Riku says:  
"Fair enough. And no, you're not the only one. But you have to admit that it also slightly sounds like the way of the Organization to travel; just more structured on the locations." His friends nod and I decide to ask the question I know is on the minds of almost everyone. I turn to the two boys and the single girl and ask: "Who's Roxas?"

The three look at me and then look down, before Riku says: "I'm sure you're willing to agree with me that every heart is born in Light, right?" I nod, wondering why he starts about the heart and then Smith says: "She asked about Roxas, not about Light and Hearts." But Riku glares at the boy and says: "I know that, you prat.  
I just need to explain this to explain who Roxas is. Anyway, while every heart is born in light, there is also a single speck of darkness in everyone's heart and with some people that speck grows and grows, thanks to dark emotions such as a need for power, anger and or rage, manipulation, pain, hatred, anguish, regret or even loss.  
And, as far as my friends and I have under felt, if a person loses himself to the Darkness, his heart gets stolen from them and gets then turned into a Creature – also known as a Heartless. These creatures are mindless, instinctual and life-threateningly dangerous. They all only have one goal and that is to make every heart a Heartless."  
The students and I are shocked and some seem even scared, but Riku smiles at them, reassuring most of them before he goes on and says: "But if a person with a strong heart loses it to the Darkness, their bodies remain and – depending on the strength of their souls – will their bodies become either weak or strong Nobodies."

The students nod, a lot of the older ones and the adults around me looking quite intrigued and Sora says: "This happened to me." Everyone looks at him shocked and I myself can barely believe someone like Sora lost his heart to the darkness. He laughs and says: "Don't worry, it's not like you think." Kairi then looks down and says:  
"It's because of me." Both boys hug her as she says: "In our universe there are many worlds and some of those worlds hold women truly pure of heart. Those are called the 7 Princesses Pure of Heart and the Darkness sought world after world for them. I saw that the Darkness was coming to swallow my home world and knew it wanted my heart.  
So when it started attacking my world, Destiny Island, I went to the door that would lead to other worlds, hoping to find Sora there. Yes, our world actually had a real door to its heart. Anyway, Sora indeed found me and I disappeared, leaving my body behind and giving him my heart, to protect it from being used by the Darkness.

Sora came to save me and found my body in the castle of Hollow Bastion, where he fought Riku, who was taken over by the Seeker of Darkness named Ansem and was – back then – too weak and too ambitious to fight the man's darkness. Sora beat Riku and then used Riku's old Keyblade to release his own heart – to return me mine.  
I got my heart returned, but Sora was turned into a Heartless – and because his intentions were so pure instead of dark and malicious Roxas was born, special as he was." Everyone is shocked by this story and I ask: "But – how old were you three – when this happened?" And Riku answers: "I was 8, Sora and Kairi were seven."

I look absolutely flabbergasted, the thought of this happening to my daughter truly terrifying me and Sirius turns to Harry as he says: "And I thought your adventures were mad." To which Harry throws up his arms and says: "I know, right!" But then Terry Boot asks: "But if Sora was turned into a Heartless, how is he here with us now?"  
Kairi smiles and says: "That too is my fault. Sora's friends took me with them to protect me against the Heartless attacking us, but before they did, did one of them come to us, not trying to attack us. I recognized Sora in it and when Heartless attacked us, I grabbed him, wanting with all my heart to protect him. My Pure heart brought his normal form back."  
The boy nods, a great sense of amazement shining in his eyes as he looks at Kairi and then Luna says: "You're a Princess Pure of Heart." Everyone looks at her shocked and I realize she's right. And that Kairi had given that answer to us during her first story herself. I smile at the smart girl and young Dennis Creevey asks:

"And what happened to Ansem?" To which Riku lowers his head and while I remember that he had been controlled by the man, does he say: "He kept trying to take over my heart and make me believe I belonged to the Darkness. In the end I forced myself to train while wearing a bandana around my eyes to hide me from seeing the truth.  
But then I got in contact with Roxas, who was being used by an evil group of Nobodies called the Organization. I wanted to make sure he would rejoin with Sora, but thought he was going to refuse, so I fought him. He beat me in the first round and I allowed the darkness of Ansem to take control of me. It allowed me to beat Roxas.  
I then started using the Darkness to help Sora along after he and Roxas rejoined, but stayed away from Sora until he got to me; when we were about to fight the last of the Organization. I showed him how I had changed, but he didn't care. I swore I would need the power of Darkness till the end, but a friend of a friend of mine fixed that problem."

"How do you mean?" The young boy asks and Riku shakes his head and says: "I explained enough. The Organization, their goal and what we did to stop them will come later, okay? Let's get back to the reading." Dennis nods, looking slightly disappointed and I myself feel overwhelmed with what I learned as I read on.

 _ **"You must … he coughed.**_

"And it goes wrong." Smith comments, his tone a mix of bored, smug and the same arrogance as I often hear Lucius speaking with and I am really starting to get sick of the prat. Luckily enough am I not the only one as suddenly the same stars and sparkles as that appeared when Harry first cast the spell shine again.  
This time they come from the point of the ceiling above the boy and encase him in a perfect diamond, shocking the boy and making him ask what is happening. But then the light becomes too bright to look at and we all turn our heads as we hear his voice suddenly disappear. The light is next to vanish and with it a new _**person**_ appears.  
The person is a man who should be in his mid-twenties, yet the look in his eyes and the way he stands make him look much and much older and has long and light brown hair of which the bangs sweep to the left side of his head. His eyes are blue and he has a distinctive scar, running across his nose in a diagonal manner.

His cloths are most unusual as he wears a white shirt with black jacket over it that barely reaches his waist and has a strange red sign on the left arm. His black jeans have zippers on the outsides of his legs and the zippers are slightly open at the end, showing off wide legs and black shoes, while there are several belts around his waist.  
There are also three belts around his left arm, along with black gloves on both his hands. He has a beautiful necklace around his neck that has a Griever sign on it, hanging low on his chest. All in all the man looks intimidating and has an obvious air around him that he will attack anything he believes a threat to himself.

Then Sora mutters: "We may never meet again, but we will never forget each other." And the man smiles, asking: "Is that really all you remember of me?" Before Sora looks at him with his hands on his hips and his upper body bend forward a little as he says: "No, I also remember you attacking me on the first time we met."  
The man laughs and says: "Right, I remember. You knew nothing of your destiny or even of the fact you had a Keyblade. You really made me wonder if fate hadn't screwed us over with the likes of you." Sora huffs and with his face up to the right and his arms crossed he says: "Well, thanks a lot, Leon." Making the man laugh again.

I realize that while the man looks tough, a toughness he must have taught himself after going through something absolutely horrifying, he has quite the kind heart and smile at him as lies his hands in his sides and while looking around the Hall, he asks: "So how did I get here and where is here?" And Riku answers:  
"You're at Hogwarts School in the world Erica was born in. We're reading books concerning Harry's life and apparently the Reading spell was a little sick of one of the students here. You're here to replace him, like Sora, Kairi and I replace some of the teachers here." The man nods and I take this as my cue to continue reading.

 _ **It felt … glasses snap.**_

Many students with glasses wince at this, some of them looking as if they know how that feels and the man asks: "What exactly are we reading about here?" To which Sora counts down on his fingers: "Harry has abusive relatives, a manipulative Headmaster, was during the book staying with his best friends and failed to use the Floo properly just now."  
The man nods and then Fudge asks the question on everyone's mind. "Excuse me, sir. Who exactly are you?" And the man turns his face to Fudge slightly, saying shortly: "Call me Leon." Fudge looks shocked and nods before I read on, the room providing a simple brown wooden seat for Leon on which he sits with his arms crossed.

 _ **Dizzy and … school list.**_

"That is so not good. Please tell me you weren't too far from Diagon Alley." Sirius asks Harry and the boy shakes his head as he says: "No, I was just in one of the side alleys. Just not the best of them." The man moans and says: "That can be only one side alley that I can think of." I know exactly of which he's thinking and hoping we're wrong, I read on.

 _ **A glass … Diagon Alley.**_

"I really don't like the sound of that store." Leon says with his arms and legs crossed and his legs resting against his chair, his whole demeanor proving he is already starting to feel protective of Harry. Riku, Kairi and Sora nod with him, but I can tell that most of the students are still intimidated by the man's looks.  
Then suddenly Ron, who had been sharing silent looks of great concern with his brothers since the book described the travel, turns to me and says: "Mrs. Tonks, something's not right. We use the Floo all the time from our home to the Alley and elsewhere and we never once felt those cold hands slapping our face."  
This shocks and confuses me and I mutter: "But then, those hands must have led him past the grates in Diagon Alley. Someone meant for him to have the wrong fireplace." And Snape sneers: "And we can all guess who the two culprits are." I nod and say: "Molly Prewett and Albus Dumbledore." Instantly my daughter writes this down and I read on.

 _ **The sooner … Draco Malfoy.**_

Now my little nephew looks uncomfortable and he says: "Oh crap. Why don't you ever meet me somewhere I don't act like a total prat?" To which Harry shrugs and says: "How should I know? You're always the one coming to me to seek trouble." The boy shrugs with the words: "Fair enough." While I read on.

 _ **Harry looked … peer through.**_ _He definitely wasn't about to risk closing the door fully; who knew what would happen seeing what store it was located in. Besides he had to see when Malfoy would leave so that he would know when he could escape this creepy store._

"You got a good head on your shoulders, lad. You really are aware of your surroundings and what they could do. Good for you, lad." Moody says and some of the students make a jump out of shock as the man has kept quiet from where he sat for the longest time, only grunting once in a while. Shaking my head at the man, I read on.

 _ **Seconds later … was piqued.**_ _He had been feeling stupid and bored when Malfoy started complaining about him and his fame and had wanted to shout out that the boy had to open his eyes and see the truth, but this one comment brought him from doing so. Malfoy senior selling items here could only mean things were worse than he thought. Mr. Weasley was obviously right; Mr. Malfoy might not be a member of Voldemort's inner circle, but he had obviously left a few treasures from it._

Lucius sighs, while a small smirk of triumph is on Arthur's face and I shake my head at the constant signs proving that the Malfoy-Weasley feud is still strong, while I'm sure that neither of the man probably knows why the whole feud exists as I am quite sure their beliefs on Muggles are the only true difference between them.  
Then Harry says: "Don't worry, it shocked me greatly, but I did hear what you said before leaving, Mr. Malfoy." The man smiles and says: "Glad to hear, Harry. And may I insist you call me Lucius." The boy nods and I read on, curious as to what Lucius could have said, while Sirius and Remus are looking at the man warily.

 _ **"Selling." The … of anger.**_

And he is not the only one as Draco's challenging glare is now competing against the furious insulted glares all Weasley children send the boy's father. Some other friends of Arthur, such as Amelia, also glare at the man and this is countered by a challenging glare from my sister, Narcissa. Ignoring all these glares, do I read on.

 _ **"- and as … fit for -"  
**_ _Harry could barely believe what he was hearing. Was this what Malfoy had to endure his entire childhood? Was he pushed to achieve by his father as much as the entire wizarding world pushed him to achieve in saving and protecting them all? If so, he felt bad for not accepting Malfoy's hand in friendship last year as he could have served as a safe haven for such pressure._

Draco now smiles at Harry and says: "Don't worry, it's not what I had to endure all the time. Father just wanted to prove how much he wanted me to hold up the family name and pride. He only constantly compliments me when we're at home." Harry nods at this, his smile showing his relief at hearing this and I read on.

 _ **"It's not … elsewhere today -"**_

I feel the need to look up after this sentence and as I do so, I see that the hackles of Ron, Hermione, Harry and Arthur and even sweet, calm Luna are all raised, that Arthur's glare at Lucius could have killed even Voldemort himself and that Ginny is shuddering in pure fright, being held and comforted by a confused Bill.  
Then Arthur says: "I don't care what you say, Malfoy, or that you're now closely related to Harry. I will never forgive you for what you did to my family this year. I understand you hate my love for Muggles, but no one hurts my family." I look at Lucius, barely feeling as if I want to know what is going on and then read on.

 _ **They started … to Date.**_

This makes Hermione gasp and she asks: "How can you smirk reading that?" But then I see Ron and Harry share a glance and Ron walks over to sit with Hermione as he says: "During the Potion adventure and after you were – you know – come and sit with me, okay? You'll need it." Hermione nods, clearly confused and I read on.

 _ **Draco turned … shop door.  
**_ _But just as he had the door handle opened to a small ajar piece, did he hear Mr. Malfoy's voice and he stopped, his hand frozen on the knob, his eyes wide and his heart going a mile a minute. 'Don't worry, Draco, Potter was raised the Muggle way, but the minute he turns seventeen he'll inherit everything he deserves and then – then we'll be there to teach him everything he has to know. We'll make your great-aunt Walburga proud, not to mention your great-aunt Dorea.'  
_ _Malfoy nodded, looking happy not in a greedy, self-assured way, but in a childish, excited way that shocked Harry as it made Malfoy actually look like a twelve year old getting to ride an awesome rollercoaster or something of the like. It actually made a small smile appear on Harry's face and he saw Mr. Malfoy looking around him cautiously, Malfoy junior doing the same, before the two seem to let go of their tough, cold exteriors and hugged each other lovingly._

I see Ron turning to Harry and ask: "Why didn't you tell us you heard Malfoy say that?" And Harry says: "Your father interrupted me before I could. I really wanted to tell you everything, but decided to do that after shopping. And then –." But the boy doesn't go on and instead cuddles closer into Viktor's embrace, worrying me as I read on.

 _Harry slapped a hand on his mouth; he could barely believe what he was seeing. Was this how the Malfoys were in truth? Were they, like Harry, hiding their true selves? And if so, why would they do that? What was there for them to gain doing so?  
_ _Harry didn't know, but he was thinking of these questions for such a long time that it took him a while before he realized that the street before him was empty. Instantly, before Mr. Borgin could come back, did he open the door a little further and snuck between the small area into the street.  
_ _ **Clutching his … he said.  
**_ _The woman slowly walked closer and her looks and cloths actually reminded Harry of that woman he saw in the only movie he had ever been allowed to see; Snow White._

I see Sora look up shocked, while Riku and Kairi share shocked glances behind his back and Hermione asks: "Have you three seen that movie as well, Sora? It's really good, isn't it?" But Sora shakes his head and says: "This might sound totally bizarre, but – well – I know Snow White. The princess Snow White, in person."  
The girl looks confused and Sora says: "As you might have heard from Erica, are we from a whole other world and did we travel here through a special door." Hermione nods and Sora goes on: "But in our Universe, every world has life on it and all are quite different. One is with talking savannah animals and another is dedicated to only Halloween and Christmas."  
The students look shocked and then Kairi asks: "Remember how we told you about the Seven Princesses Pure of Heart?" Most of the student body nods and while she seems to prepare for something, does she tell them: "Their names are Cinderella, Snow White, Alice, Jasmine, Belle, Aurora and I myself."

Now all of the Muggleborns look shocked, which must have been what Kairi had been expecting and while I wonder how they could have known this and how such a thing could be possible – not to mention what a movie could be – does Riku say: "And judging by your faces can I detect that you know these names too."  
Hermione nods and says: "Jasmine comes from the movie Aladdin, Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella has her own movie named after her, Snow White the same but then Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Alice is from Alice in Wonderland, Belle is from Beauty and the Beast and Kairi is the only one not with a movie attached to herself."  
Riku looks shocked and Harry says: "I know the movie of Snow White, but I never saw any of those other movies." Hermione looks shocked and then Sirius says: "Well, then we'll ask Hermione's parents if the three of us can stay over at her place during summer and we'll hold a movie-marathon. How's that, sport?"  
Harry nods eagerly, Hermione smiles widely and instantly the twins ask: "Can we come too? That sounds awesome!" To which the girl answers: "Just make sure you're ready for sugar-free candy and not to mention things like cake and chocolate and then I'm sure all of you can come." And while all Weasleys smile do I read on with a large grin.

 _The woman in front of him could have easily been the jealous queen, who was the stepmother of the beautiful princess Snow White and who had transformed herself in a wicked witch and fed Snow White a poisoned apple from which she could only wake if she was kissed for the first time.  
_ _Harry tried not to think of the movie, knowing he needed to focus on the situation at hand, but to his shock had he been driven against a side alley wall and was the woman twirling one of her fingers around, examining it while she smirked at him.  
_ _ **"I'm just -" … her feet**_ _, the nail of the one she was holding caused a bleeding wound to open up down the inside of her arm_ _ **and she … Diagon Alley.**_

Everyone feels relieved and Draco asks: "Is there really a movie with that happening in it?" Hermione nods and says: "That's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. And don't worry, in the end the witch dies by being chased by the dwarfs and falling down a cliff and a prince who loves Snow White kisses her, having her wake back up."  
The blonde boy nods and Sirius asks: "Is that movie in the theaters too?" But Hermione shakes her head and says: "Most movies are first shown in the theaters and then show up on video so people can see them at home whenever they want." Sirius nods and I feel intrigued by this form of Muggle entertainment, but then I hear Harry muttering:

"Could we – maybe – Pensive – movies." And Hermione, apparently understanding his weird mumbling, gasps in shock before she says: "Harry, that's a brilliant idea. If we can use some magic to adept the runes used on a Pensieve we can use it to view movies right here in the Magical World. It's absolutely brilliant!"  
Harry nods and says: "I think we can, but maybe we should first keep it to Muggleborns giving Pensieve holders their memory of watching the movies and we can then watch it from those. Then we have more time to find out how to let a Pensive accept a video." The girl nods, while I quite confused about what they mean and read on.

 _ **"Yer a … growled Hagrid.**_

"Boys, you know it was me who forbade you from ever entering Knockturn Alley and you know darn well I don't forbid you to do anything unless I have a perfectly good reason for it." Arthur tells his sons, looking mostly at the twins and Ron, probably because it was them who made the comments in the book, and one of the twins says:  
"We know, dad." And the other goes on: "And now that we've heard of Knockturn Alley." The first then goes on: "How it looks." I turn back to the second: "And who hangs around there." Before they both chorus: "No offence, Malfoys." Before they turn back to Arthur and chorus: "We never want to go there again." Arthur nods and I read on.

 _ **Mrs. Weasley … the other.**_ _Harry saw Ginny bump into several people, even a grown man almost the same size as Hagrid and the girl seemed to be near tears, but Mrs. Weasley seemed too interested in getting to Harry to care. Harry could only shake his head at this display.  
_ _ **"Oh, Harry … beat away.**_ _From over her shoulder he saw Percy give the girl a thick, warm hug and a soft, loving pet on the head, glaring at his mother, before kissing Ginny on the forehead, wiping her tears out of her eyes while she smiled at him – all of this happening without either of the parents noticing._

Bill and Charlie smile at Percy and Ginny says: "Bill and Charlie always took care of me when I was a baby, but the minute Charlie went to Hogwarts, when I was three, Percy took that responsibility and even kept it while going to Hogwarts. And that while he mostly took care of Ron before Bill and Charlie went."  
Everyone now smiles at the third eldest Weasley, but Percy looks disappointed and says: "I should have kept doing that at school as well. I should have kept a closer eye on you. I –." But Ginny silences him and says: "Are no more to blame for what happened than I am." The brother hugs her tightly and I worry for them as I read on.

 _ **Mr. Weasley … him, Hagrid!").**_ _Harry heard this and shuddered; she had no idea how close to the truth she was.  
_ _ **"See yer … the door**_ _– Harry bowed back, but he was the only one, not that it seemed to matter to the shocked, but pleased Goblin_ _ **. "That family's … introduce them.  
**_ _But his words had made everything clear to Harry; the whole thing he had been wondering about since his arrival and the strange occurrence at the table now made sense. The kids always moving to sit closer to their mother, unless the woman wasn't around, them then seeking contact with their father, the woman being glared at by Percy.  
_ _It all made sense.  
_ _Mrs. Weasley was mothering to an extend that made it no longer mothering and that drove her children away from her. Something she must have noticed, so she must have installed fear in their hearts and made them see her as the alpha female, more important in their life than their father, forcing them to keep away from him when she was around.  
_ _Bill and Charlie must have suffered from this in and out of the Burrow and, no longer wanting to be under their mother's derisive, manipulative and demanding thumb, they fled the country going as far away as possible.  
_ _The same was happening to the younger brothers ,but they try to keep it minimally visible and thus only seek out their father when their mother is not around, while it's more than clearly obvious for anyone with eyes that Molly Weasley no longer enjoyed her sons' love and that this was now all given to their father.  
_ _That explained why the Weasley siblings moved away from Mr. Weasley on the day Harry arrived, it explained why no one spoke of Muggle stuff when Mrs. Weasley was around, why the elder brothers didn't write to their younger siblings and why Percy constantly glared at his mother._

Everyone looks shocked, but the Weasley siblings all have their heads low, their eyes proving they are lost in hateful thoughts on the woman and Harry says: "I'm sorry I never came forward with my conclusion, guys, but I often thought it was just my nature to see the worst in people and I didn't want to separate you from your family."  
They smile at the boy and I can barely believe this happened between a family as close as the Weasleys. Wondering what drove Molly Weasley to be that derisive and demanding, I decide to visit Aunt Lucretia to find out more on why Molly did things like she did and if Aunt Lucretia can make her regret it. And with that hope, do I read on.

 _ **"But you're … Granger's hand.**_ _Harry noticed a demeaning sneer quickly change into an uncaring expression on Mr. Granger's face as if he felt Mr. Weasley was acting way below his age and then stopped caring about the man's behavior.  
_ _ **"Meet you … gold Galleon.**_

Suddenly I see Harry look up and he says: "Bill, there's something I don't understand." The eldest Weasley smiles and asks: "And what is that, Harry?" Harry answers: "You and Charlie both had respectable, well-paid jobs by then. So why was there nothing of your earnings in the family vault? I'm not saying there should, I'm just curious."  
The Weasley smiles and says: "You can fully blame her on that too, Harry. We didn't want her to have too much money and use it to hurt our brothers even more, so we arranged for separate Vaults to be made for our siblings and father. We were just so afraid of falling under her thumb again, that we stupidly enough never told them of this."  
"But we've always shared half of my earnings and half of Charlie's earnings with our families and divided those halves in six and had those six parts be send to Vaults created especially for our brothers and father." Charlie then ends the explanation and I can tell that their family is shocked with what they just heard.  
Then Bill says: "I think a visit to Gringotts after this book is more important than we first thought." And Sirius says: "Indeed it is. Harry deserves to see the Vault where his dad left him all that belonged to his grandfather." Harry smiles at his mum at this prospect and I read on, silently hoping Molly never discovered these vaults.

 _ **Mrs. Weasley … leather bag.  
**_ _During the trip back, he whispered to the Goblin riding, 'Please ask Griphook if he can write me with a report of what transfers there has been done to my vault.' The Goblin seemed shocked at this, but nodded._

"It's quite reasonable that he was shocked, Harry, but it's not because you asked him that." Bill tells my nephew and he goes on: "A lot of the Pureblood witches and wizards just see one Goblin for another and most of them don't even call Goblins by their names anymore. So you remembering Griphook's name is really something else."  
Harry shrugs and says: "I know how it feels not to be remembered or how it feels as if people forgot about you or don't want to believe you're there. Wasn't going to do it to others, whether creature or human." I smile at the boy, while feeling furious for the pain the Muggles caused him and while my daughter writes away, do I read on.

 _ **Back outside … retreating backs**_ _, completely missing the fact that the twins were walking a direction that walked away from said alley; Harry wondered if she did it on purpose. Now that he knew the truth about her he was a lot more wary of her treatment and beliefs_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Harry, Ron … next door.**_ _Harry had already thought of a way he could get Ron the set without the boy being able to complain, he would just need to send a quick note to Bill with the request if he could send him back a Christmas card signed to Ron._

"So that's how Bill was able to buy me that set." Ron mutters, while Bill turns to Harry and says: "So that's why you send me a letter requesting the same for over five weeks straight." Everyone laughs at this and Harry shrugs and says: "I knew Ron wouldn't even accept it if I gave it to him as a Christmas gift, so made it look as if his brother did it.  
Something wrong with that?" Everyone laughs at the innocent tone and face he shows off, pouting his lower lip down a little for bonus effect and I shake my head, thinking: "Seems the Marauders genes Harry must have gotten from the Blood adoption are starting to work." And shake my head, feeling for the teachers as I read on.

 _ **In Gambol … to it.**_ _Harry looked back at the boy and saw that Percy was moving his eyes over both the book and over its cover, looking around the store as if looking for something. For some reason Harry had the feeling he was looking out for his mother, but that – together with his new discovery – didn't fit with the happy, excited aura Percy was giving off._

"I really hate your observation skills, Harry." Percy snaps mockingly and Harry leans back against Viktor as he looks at his finger nails and with an easy air, he says: "Really, I quite like them." Percy mock-glares, but I can tell he feels glad for how Harry is relaxing. Something which changes as I read the next sentence.

 _ **An hour … and Blotts.**_

Instantly Harry's entire body tenses and his wide eyes land straight on the book in my hands, making me wonder what could have happened during that particular part of the trip. Then Viktor turns Harry's head to him and lovingly pushes it in the crevice of his shoulder and neck, comforting the boy to calm down as I smile and read on.

 _ **They were …**_ _ **to 4:30 P.m.**_

"Another? He actually wrote another book?" Sirius asks derisively, but then Viktor stands up, Harry in his arms and he asks: "The Side room is also cursed by this spell, right?" The teachers nod and he says: "My precious little one doesn't seem capable of calming down and I do not want him tensing any further. I'll keep him busy in the next room."  
He then bows to the teachers and with Harry in his arms, he leaves for the room. To this Ron says: "I really don't understand. Nothing happened in that store other than Harry feeling cold and the fight between dad and Mr. Malfoy. So what on earth has got Harry this scared? He's not even this scared of Voldemort himself."  
But no one has an answer and then Fleur asks: "Ron, where exactly was Harry standing? You said he was cold, right?" Ron nods and says: "It started when he stood next to Lockhart. He really shivered terribly, so Lockhart might have been casting a freezing charm on him or something." But personally do I feel it's much worse and read on.

 _ **"We can … saw Harry.**_

Instantly everyone is at attention and Sirius and Remus turn their seats to look at me, while the seats were, at first turned to the rest of the Great Hall. Everyone who cares for Harry is leaning forward and I take a deep breath, wanting nothing more than to find out what Lockhart did to make the little man fear him as I quickly continue reading.

 _ **He stared. … the front**_ _, while Harry had tried to push back into the rest of the Weasley family_ _ **. The crowd … his fingers**_ _, mostly because the everlasting bruise on his wrist was burning again and numbing the senses in the rest of his hand_ _ **.  
**_ _ **He tried … his side**_ _, lying his hand on Harry's side firmly_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Ladies and … applauded again**_ _, but while they did, did Harry sense the hand on his side sliding to his back, going over his spine, up and down, in such a motion it constantly made him shiver, but the thing that scared him was that with every turn down the hand stopped lower and lower before going back up again. What WAS Lockhart doing?  
_ _ **"He had … Gilderoy Lockhart**_ _, the hand luckily enough being too busy grabbing the stack and handing it to him to have reached his ass – but it had been too close for his liking._

The eyes all around me widen and Ron sputters: "B-bu-but I – I thought – I – I was sure – he – he just – just had a – a cold." And Arthur hugs his son, muttering: "You couldn't know, Ron. You were too young to realize it." The boy hugs his dad tightly and I say: "I guess it's better if Harry stays away during chapters with Lockhart in them."  
Everyone nods and Fudge mutters: "Damn that man for being in the Mental Ward. Had his mind been perfectly fine we could have arrested him." Then suddenly I see Sora and Kairi share a glance and Sora asks: "What exactly is wrong with Lockhart's brain, Minister?" And the man answers: "He got hit with a Memory eraser spell."

Now the two smile and Kairi says: "Minister, you can still arrest Lockhart. I have the ability to heal his mind." A this everyone looks at her shocked and she says: "When my Heart was taken from my body, my body vanished and became that of someone else. But because it wasn't left to the Darkness, that person wasn't exactly – complete.  
That person was my Nobody, Naminé and she has the power to infiltrate, extract and sometimes manipulate people's memories. She was used by an evil group to push Sora to their side, but she betrayed them and helped Sora regain his rightful memories. She and I united later on and I'm sure I have her powers too.  
Like Naminé healed Sora, I can heal Lockhart. I just need a lot of water, metal plates that can be bend, a circular metal plate and blue, blue-grey and green paint. From that I can build exactly what I need to restore Lockhart's memories." The man seems ecstatic by this, but my gaze falls on poor Neville, who probably wants that help too.  
The boy indeed does look at Kairi as if she's a Goddess he stopped believing in or something and – just to make my elder sister pay – do I decide to help him approach Kairi about his parents. I send the boy a kind, helpful smile and he seems shocked at first, but then smiles back thankfully and I continue with the chapter.

 _ **Staggering slightly … new cauldron.**_ _She was one of the only girls and women in the store obviously not completely gaga over Lockhart.  
_ _ **"You have … usual sneer.**_ _The image of the boy and his father hugging seemed completely unrealistic with a sneer that disgusted on the face of the same boy.  
_ _ **"Famous Harry … front page."  
**_ _Harry really didn't understand how Malfoy could be so blind as to not see that Harry didn't want any of this, but then the words about someone named Dorea and someone named Walburga, not to mention the words about his seventeenth birthday came back up and he wondered if Malfoy was just acting on the things he believed last year.  
_ _ **"Leave him … and George.**_ _Harry saw that Mrs. Weasley was still giggling away with Lockhart.  
_ _ **"What are … same way.**_ _Harry briefly wondered what it could be that made the Malfoys sneer so manually.  
_ _ **"Lucius," said … no lower –"  
**_ _Harry wondered what made the two fathers behave towards each other like that, but what made him wonder even more was why Mr. Malfoy was purposely seeking out an argument with Mr. Weasley as Malfoy junior's behavior made it quite clear that the Malfoys thought those with less money than them to be not worthy of their time. His musings were rudely interrupted by something shocking.  
_ _ **There was … shelves over;**_ _Harry wanted to squeak and hide in a corner as the fear he would be hit too came up strongly; he hated physical fights;_

Instantly the two men feel terrible and lower their heads, Arthur apologizing to Lucius and the man, shockingly enough shakes his head and says: "I only seek out arguments, because it's tradition that there's a grudge between the Weasleys and the Malfoys, but I don't even know why that's supposed to be tradition.  
And seeing all that your ex-wife did to you, I really have no right to worsen your troubles, just by keeping up some stupid, vague tradition." The kids of said men smile in pride and Sirius asks: "Shall I bring Harry and Viktor back in?" But I shake my head and say: "Leave them a little longer. Until the chapter ends." The man nods and I read on.

 _ **"Gentlemen, please … with malice.**_ _Harry actually stepped away from Ginny, fearing the man would unleash his malice on him.  
_ _ **"Here, girl … the shop.**_ _Harry's shoulders slumped, but he swore he would keep away from Mr. Malfoy – at least if Mr. Weasley was anywhere near._

This makes everyone laugh and Lucius says: "Yes, the boy –." But then he stops and says: "I mean, little Harry really shows he has no fear for me when I'm alone, seeing how he confronted me at the end of that year." And Narcissa asks: "What happened, dear?" And while Lucius turns red, as if embarrassed, do I read on.

 _ **"Yeh should've … with fury**_ _, while Harry made sure he was right behind Hagrid to keep himself from being seen_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"A fine … must've thought -"**_

"What on earth does he have to do with the two of us fighting?" Lucius asks shocked and disgusted and Arthur shakes his head and says: "I barely noticed her saying that. I'm really starting to wonder if she loved any of my children, let alone me. And if she ever loved me like I loved her, although I'm starting to wonder how I fell for her."  
This makes Ron look up and he asks: "Wait dad, you don't remember when or for what reasons you fell for her anymore?" Arthur shakes his head and Ron looks down as I hear him mutter: "That thing she said. On the day we left for our Third year." He then shares a glance with Hermione and Ginny, who both gasp, both realizing what he meant.

Then one of the twins asks: "Is something wrong?" And the other asks: "Yeah, is there something you're suspecting about our little not so innocent ex-mother?" And all three of them nod, before Ron looks up, his eyes dark with mistrust and concern as he says: "You'll have to wait until the next book. And Merlin, do I hope I'm wrong."  
He then turns to Snape and asks: "Professor, once we get to the chapter in question, could you and Madame Pomfrey please give my father a Full Physical and check him for Potions influences." The two share shocked glances and I'm already starting to connect the dots myself, but when both nod at the boy do I read on.

 _ **"He was … all publicity -"**_ _Harry quickened his step and almost bumped into Hagrid, on purpose. He wanted to distract the Weasleys of the current topic; he did not want to think about Lockhart. Or that fight that had called forth so many emotions just now.  
_ _ **But it … Weasley's face.  
**_ _The Grangers hadn't looked at him any better before turning their backs to the man and Hermione had send them an apologizing glance, before hugging Harry and Ron and running after her parents to catch up with them.  
_ _ **Harry took … to travel**_ _and today was certainly marked as his worst shopping trip ever_ _ **.**_

I nod at Sirius and the man quickly retrieves his son and son's boyfriend. But as he opens the door and peaks his head in, but then he pulls back out with a content smile as he says: "I'll just leave them be a little longer; they look content." And while this calms down all those who had grown to care for the man's little boy, does he move in.

* * *

 _ **And there we go.  
**_ _ **Okay, so in the former, original version Sirius had gotten embarrassed over seeing his son kissing, but because of the whole Tradition and Courting thing, did I decide to give the whole thing a more sweet, lovey-dovey theme, which made me feel much better and which really brought out Sirius' well-known caring side.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	39. The First Step Taken

_**And of course there are lovely compliments in this chapter, so here are the translations:  
**_ _ **ми малко любов Is Bulgarian For My Little Love**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 38  
**_ _ **The First Step Taken**_

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I hate having to give my friends the wrong impression about Lockhart. I don't fear the man, nor his actions – I fear how the others will react to it. The man did, after all, try to get into my pants and to hear that another person tried that is something I want to prevent when it comes to Viktor, not wanting to lose him to my defilement.  
But right after taking me into the side room and seating us on a comfortable high-backed chair, one that allows me to almost disappear in the closeness of his embrace, does Viktor tilt my head and while gazing deeply into my eyes with his own, does he ask: "Does Lockheart really scare you that much, ми малко любов?"  
And I shake my head, knowing I can't lie to him, but fearing how he'll react to what I'm about to say. I pull my chin out of his grasp and push my face in his shoulder, not wanting to see his expression as I say: "Uncle Vernon always used that ball-string on me, but Lockheart always, whenever he was around me, tried to get in my pants too.  
He tried that when he was shaking my hand and holding that stupid speech about him going to be teacher at Hogwarts, he tried it several times during my time at Hogwarts and he even tried it when Ginny was in danger. I don't fear him – I – I fear you hating me because I've been defiled and touched by several men."

Yet then, while I had easily been able to sense his body tensing in anger as I told him this, does the boy seem to try more than his hardest to keep his anger at bay and this makes me actually shiver and I whisper: "Please. Just punish me. Just get it over with. Let's just move past this hurdle. Just do whatever you want, I can take it."  
"It's not you I want to hurt." He then suddenly growls and I look up at him as I had been looking past him the entire time I spoke and just by the look in his eyes do I gasp. Gasp as I can see the truth in his gaze; the truth that he really doesn't want to hurt me, that he wants to hurt Vernon and Lockhart for causing me so much pain.  
I look from one of his eyes to the other, trying to find the deception I can only imagine he is trying to trick me with, yet the truth in his gaze is so intense, I can easily see that the anger I see lingering behind this isn't meant to be aimed my way and when Viktor asks: "Do you believe me?" Do I nod at him, feeling relieved and loved.

Viktor smiles at me and then helps me lean back against him, my face again leaning against the crevice between his neck and shoulder and the warm arm that is wrapped around my waist allows me to feel his protectiveness of me while the hand rubbing my arm makes me feel even more loved than the gaze in his eyes did.  
"I won't deny that I want to do much more than just hold you like this, my gorgeous, but I would never go as far as those bastards tried. They speak greatly, but they are lower than the mud that is made on Quidditch pitches after a heavy rain storm. They are not worth anything and definitely not someone like you."  
Viktor softly tells me as he lies his head aside against mine and his voice is so soft and caring that I feel my eyes closing, something I don't do easily as, even in the Great Hall, I sometimes feel afraid of a potential attack, yet then my instincts get proven that closing my eyes is a bad idea as another voice says: "I fully agree."

And thanks to how terrified and tense I felt before and because I had my eyes closed earlier, do I now react out of instinct and shout: "EXPELLIARMUS!" Yet my startled mind doesn't register who it is I am attacking until I hear the same voice shout: "Merlin! PROTEGO!" And instantly I cringe and see mum deflecting my curse.  
"Pup, what's wrong? Why the sudden curse?" He asks and I shrink down on myself as I say: "Sorry mum, this – these books. I – I knew what I was sacrificing when I initiated the spell for them, but – but I didn't realize just how much I cared about you guys; how scared I was about your responses to my deepest secrets.  
And – and with – with Lockhart and – and the chance that – that this could be it. That this could be the straw that broke the camel's back – I've just had a lot more trouble than usual not to – to let my inner Moody, so to say, take over and – and I usually respond really violently when something disturbs that what allows me to calm down."

Here the man cringes and says: "I can get that. Sorry pup, I just really agreed with what Viktor said and felt you could use a bit of care. And just so you know, pup; _you_ are not the one who wanted to partake in those actions and _you_ never did anything to entice them to do so." And thanks to Viktor's earlier words, do I believe him.

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

I really should have realized that the last chapter had brought out the abused, scared little child within my son, the baby that wanted ,yet feared to be loved and who was naturally distrustful of everything and anything it couldn't see and silently curse myself for not realizing this when I approached them as Viktor spoke to my son.  
Yet while I really did want to voice my own love for the lad and convince him that what the others wanted to do to him wouldn't change how I felt about him, did I also speak up because I knew I had to keep up my role as a chaperone and while I truly believe that Viktor is the perfect gentleman in every way, do I still interrupt them.

To then have Harry respond to that interruption with a shouted cursed had shocked me into defending myself, yet because I still remember who had cast the curse, had I not let my experience as a member of the Order take over and the explanation Harry had given me as to why he had responded like that had made me feel rightfully stupid.  
Yet I also feel relieved as, when I made my own attempt to help Harry past his sense of guilt, the boy had seemed to really believe me, which I thought would take some time thanks to his years of abuse and I smile in gratitude at Viktor, not doubting for a second that he wasn't responsible for helping me heal Harry in this stage.  
We then all leave back for the Great Hall, Harry leaning on the both of us as his energy levels again depleted after he regained his composure and over my son's head, do I say: "I will be coming with next time, okay?" And Viktor nods before he says: "Sorry I broke tradition. Your lovely son just felt like he needed me."  
I nod at this and then, while Harry turns a little red at hearing all this, do we move through the door into the Great Hall and sit down, before Ron says: "Professor Sprout, I think you can best read the next chapter." And instantly Harry seems to understand why his best friend said so, if his body stiffening is anything to go by.

 _ **Pomona's POV**_

I already have a good feeling of knowing why Ronald Weasley told me I could be best to take the next chapter and sharing a look with Severus and Minerva makes me know they both realize the same thing. This is obviously the chapter where the boys flew a car to Hogwarts and hit the Whomping Willow in the process.  
Of course have we teachers always wondered where the boys found the flying car as Minerva told us that Potter never mentioned this, but after hearing about Harry's rescue do I feel stupid, because I could have known that it was Arthur that bewitched the car and I curse myself before walking over to the Owl Stand and starting the next chapter.

 _ **The Whomping Willow  
**_ _ **The end … Privet Drive.  
**_ _There was sure to be a beating he could expect, to say the least. And he also knew he could count his lucky stars if it stayed with only one beating, seeing this was another case of magic that would surely work on Uncle Vernon's nerves – maybe even his last.  
_ _ **On their … treacle pudding.  
**_ _Harry later blushed as he had almost stabbed Ron's hand when the boy wanted to get a large piece of the pudding, but Ron had only laughed and said, 'You and your treacle, honestly mate.' But Mrs. Weasley had not even reprimanded him for his greed and Harry's suspicions on her terrible mothering were enlarged.  
_ _ **Fred and … and bed.  
**_ _As Harry lay in bed that night, he triple checked all of his injuries and even his stomach seemed back to the same size it was after about a month or two of meals at Hogwarts and no longer aching if he bended down to tie his shoes or something._

This makes most of the hall smile in relief and Sirius says: "And from now on you will never more be that badly hurt, son, and definitely not by us. We love you too much for that." Harry smiles this mother at this and I too feel relieved that Harry now has a family where he can feel at home before I continue reading.

 _He turned around and with a happy smile he fell asleep, assured he would arrive at Hogwarts completely healthy and ready to further heal and grow.  
_ _ **It took … had added.**_

"Good thing she isn't here now. I really don't want to think of the rant she would have given, hearing this." Bill mutters and all Weasleys nod, while I feel terrible that such a heart-warming family was torn apart by such a cruel, domineering woman. I shake my head, hating how Molly had deceived us all and read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Not a … fitted easily.  
**_ _Harry of course easily swore he wouldn't tell a thing to Mrs. Weasley as he really despised the way she tried to control every single action the Weasley children took, but throughout the last month he had found two new reasons to be disgusted with the woman.  
_ _The first was during a night two weeks after his arrival, when he was thirsty and went down to the kitchen for a glass of water. He had just passed the floor housing the bedrooms of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Bill when he heard her mutter, 'Good, he's fast asleep.'  
_ _He stopped, not wanting to take another step on the creaking stairs as he had believed everyone to be asleep and as he held his left leg up in the air above the next step, did he hear Mrs. Weasley start to mutter things, some of them too soft to hear, but most of the time he heard the same thing, 'Those rotten twins – those blasted brats – those brainless kids of mine.' It had not been hard to figure out who she was talking about and Harry could barely believe what he was hearing.  
_ _Her shouting at the twins when they did something wrong, on the night they saved him, and not praising them for caring about him was one thing, but actually continuing her anger at them weeks later went too far in his book. He turned around and, had it not been for the sleeping Mr. Weasley, he would have stormed back up the stairs to make the woman realize she had been overheard.  
_ _The other was something he clearly saw over the month. Ginny might be extremely shy and accident-prone around Harry, but whenever the boys wanted to let Ginny join in something, the woman would shout, 'Not with my little girl, you don't!' As if being raised together with six boisterous boys would not make her tough enough to play Quidditch or even a daring game of Exploding Snap. And to make things worse was Mrs. Weasley constantly fussing over Ginny's jeans and pants, complaining how they should be dresses and skirts and then contradicting herself with the words that Ginny was too young for such things.  
_ _The woman was domineering, self-contradicting, hallucinating when it came to her own daughter and on top of it all she disbelieved and shouted about the opinion of everyone about everything; as if others – even her own husband and his Muggle loving hobby – were wrong, she was right and they could only live by listening to her. It was maddening and disgusting and Harry was glad to help Mr. Weasley keep his love for Muggles a secret if it could make the man happy and help them all get to Hogwarts._

Arthur turns to Harry and asks: "Harry, did she do that more often? Complain about my sons when I was asleep?" Harry sighs and shrugs and says: "I don't know, Mr. Weasley. That was the one and only time I went to get a glass of water at night. I didn't want to find out if she did." The man nods and I read, hating the woman more and more.

 _ **When at … Mr. Weasley**_ _looked at Harry through his backside mirror and winked, Harry happily winking back and sending a quick, evil, victorious smile at Mrs. Weasley without her seeing it, before the man_ _ **started up … Filibuster fireworks.**_ _This time Harry's evil glare did reach Mrs. Weasley and it actually shut her up before she could protest. He believed that Mr. Weasley was driving the car and thus allowed to decide whether they would go back or not.  
_ _ **Five minutes … broad daylight —"**_

 _Harry could not believe how stupid and domineering Mrs. Weasley was being and was silently urging Mr. Weasley on from the backseat, looking at him through the rearview mirror, but Mr. Weasley didn't look and instead just drove; the sad look on his face hurting Harry.  
_ _ **They reached … were gone.**_

"That's madness! Is she really that irresponsible?" Leon asks and Harry answers: "Irresponsible, thick-headed, old-fashioned, manipulative; do you want more?" The man smiles at the young boy, who looks at the Weasley family worried, but Ron says: "Couldn't have said it better myself, buddy." Making Harry smile as I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Let's go … the barrier.**_ _He felt perfectly confident; this wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as using Floo powder and the fear he felt the other time he did this was now driven away by the fact he had done just fine the last time around._ _ **Both of … and – CRASH.**_

"Excuse me?" Some of the teachers shout, while Sirius hugs Harry close and Remus grasps his hand in concern and Narcissa shouts: "Are you saying the gate closed off? That's not supposed to happen until all Muggleborn parents have left the platform!" To which Ron asks: "So it does close off?" The woman nods and says:  
"It always closes off right after the last parent has left, mostly after the people working there are sure that all Muggleborn parents are gone. And then it stays closed off until the night before the train returns from Hogwarts, to make sure wizarding kids unknown of Hogwarts don't accidentally disappear through it."  
Ron nods and then starts waving his hand as he says: "Well then, that can only mean one thing, can't it?" And the woman says: "Some outside force closed it off. And seeing that our old House-elf is trying to keep Harry from Hogwarts, he seems the #1 suspect for it." Harry and Ron share a look and then Harry says:  
"Exactly true, Aunt Narcissa." The woman smiles at being named aunt, but then Harry goes on and says: "Yeah well, we weren't exactly innocent in this chapter either. We were stupid, pretty rash in our acting and didn't think. But then again were we also twelve and panicking about the train and reaching Hogwarts, so can you blame us?"  
The teachers and I smile, already seeing how the boy is trying to sweet-talk his trip with the car and I shake my head, before McGonagall says: "Nicely tried, Mr. Potter, but you already talked yourself out of trouble, remember?" The boy shrugs, a guilty smile on his face and I again shake my head at his behavior before I read on.

 _ **Both trolleys … got up.**_

"Were you badly hurt, mate?" Ron asks worried and Harry says: "No, just some old aches coming back up. I was just a little stiff, is all." Ron nods, but Viktor still holds onto Harry tightly and I can tell that, whatever they did, it got them closer together. Smiling at this fact, as Harry truly deserves all the happiness in the world, do I read on.

 _ **Ron ran … to Ron**_ _, while taking over Hedwig and purposely stroking her where he knew she liked best.  
_ _ **"**_ _ **I dunno —" … watching them**_ _; the people who had been talking about animal cruelty were now smiling at Harry and nodding before walking off.  
_ _ **"**_ _ **We're going … sealed itself —"**_

"Neither do I, unless our old House-Elf really has something to do with it." Narcissa says and Harry taunts her playfully as he says: "You'll just have to wait. My next meeting with him was after my first Quidditch match." The woman sighs, but sends a mock-glare at the boy to which he responds with an innocent smile, making me laugh as I read on.

 _ **Harry looked … six years."  
**_ _He had been wanting to say more, but was too public for his liking to do so. Of course, the Dursleys never gave him pocket money. The only money he ever got was money to buy groceries for things he had to cook on his aunt's orders. Thank goodness for the pride he always felt when he saw that whale and pig in human cloths enjoy his work or he would have had nothing – except gardening every now and then – to keep his mind stable and his need to be his own person strong._

"Harry likes cooking?" Sirius asks and then suddenly the Weasley children all laugh and Ron says: "It's the only thing Harry openly argues with her about. Who gets to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner. Harry won most of the time last summer, but that was because he let us vote and he can actually give her a run for her money."  
To this I look shocked as Molly had been aiding the House-Elves in the kitchens during her time as a student and had left most of her recipes afterwards, thus being an aid to the meals the students fed on these days. That anyone, let alone Harry, can actually give her a run for her money is something I never thought I would experience.  
Then Ron goes on with a shrug and says: "Of course I – or I think we all – had two reasons for wanting Harry to cook." His siblings nod and one of the twins says: "One, because he could really rival with her cooking." And the other goes on: "And two because we wanted to get one on her badly." And while the others nod, do I read on.

 _ **Ron pressed … continuing screeches.  
**_ _Harry hurried back to his owl and stuck his fingers through the bars, touching her all over and suddenly noticing how her wing was against her body lower than normal. Worried she had a broken wing, he cursed the fact he couldn't perform magic and wished more than ever he had something to help her heal, even if it was only a spell to calm her down. He also cursed himself for flushing all of his hard work concerning his potions, but he had been terrified it would be spotted by Slytherins or used to further infuriate his family._

Severus and many other students that can pride themselves to be skilled Potions brewers look furious at the fact that such a talented child had to flush all his hard work out of fear. I then see that Severus seems to have come with a solution to this, if the sudden uprising of his head and widened eyes are anything to go by.  
The man then speaks, his words confirming my thoughts as he says: "Mr. Potter, assigned or not, I would like a sample vial of all your work from now on. Seeing what you were forced to do before, I would prefer not to let talent go to waste any longer. You have your mother, Lily's, gift and it is your good right to show this."  
Harry smiles at the man and so do I, quite a few teachers and all the students that had been furious before, some of the elder years even nodding in agreement and then Sirius, seemingly still a little wary of the man, asks: "And what are you going to do with it then, Snape?" And Severus shocks both him and Harry as he says:  
"Use them to replace the decorations in my office and classroom. That way, I can return my ingredients to my Private Storage, both students and Potter can be inspired by the examples to work harder and none of his talent will go to waste any longer." All the previously glaring students are now nodding in agreement and I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **I think … to Hogwarts!"**_

"I knew it wasn't Harry's idea!" Hermione shouts and Ron asks: "You actually believed all this time it was my idea?" And Hermione, who sounds a bit careless in her casual response, says: "Of course, Harry cared too much for your father to do something like that." And Ron retorts: "Oh, so I don't care for my dad?"  
And like so many times before do the two start squabbling. I look at them and then at Harry, who was not only often in the middle of those squabbles, but also knew exactly how to stop the squabbling from running out of hand and feel kind of silly that I am, again, relying on a child to do my job for me. But the boy waves me off and says:  
"Just let them blow off steam. It's the best way for them and it has been over a week since their last squabble. I'm surprised they lasted this long seeing all the tense chapters and all." I nod at the boy, believing his words and while droning out the raising voices, do I read on. Never noticing the bright light at the Head Table.

 _ **"**_ _ **But I … to excitement.**_ _Hogwarts was the best place for him to escape from the Dursleys and their influence and if he flew to Hogwarts, he would prove he could fly away from them whenever he wanted – especially if the family would walk by now, which Harry wouldn't doubt about seeing Petunia's love to shop in September.  
_ _ **"Can you … the front.**_

"Using magic while underage, Mr. Weasley?" A high, shrill voice asks and when we all look at the Head Table we see that wicked woman named Umbridge again, her hands clasped on the table and her smirk proving she feels proud to have returned. The whole hall groans and Dean Thomas says: "I thought we were rid of you."  
The woman sniffs highly and with an arrogance I don't even think Lucius can manage says: "A high member of the Ministry is not someone you can just, as you say, _**get rid of**_ , young man. It's someone you show respect to." And to my luck, Leon says: "Yeah, if they earned it." The woman glares at the man and asks:

"I'm sorry, who are you?" And Leon says: "The name's Leon. That's all someone like you needs to know." And I hide my face in the book to hide the satisfied smile bursting on my lips. The woman sputters and rages silently and I take this as my cue to quickly read on. But then stop, shocked that the woman actually got me curious and ask:  
"Mr. Weasley, did you use magic to open up the car?" And Ron answers: "No Professor Sprout, dad taught us all how to use the car in case of emergency. He never believed the Dark side was completely destroyed so if left-over Death Eaters attacked, we'd be ready to quickly evacuate, no matter who reaches the car first."

I nod at the boy, while smiling in pride at his father and then purse my lips together as Umbridge speaks up again and says: "Very touching, but useless. You-Know-Who is dead and the Ministry took care of all his followers. And with the Ministry, I mean those who have high and responsible jobs." She ends with a sickening sweet smile at Arthur.  
This makes me fume in anger and Leon luckily enough saves me from throwing the book at her as he says: "Respectable jobs are given to those liked at all places. Arthur Weasley is probably liked at the Ministry and I can tell he is liked a lot here. Unlike you." The woman stands up at this, but Fudge pulls her down and I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Check that … parked cars.**_

Now Leon smiles, his arms crossed, his back to the table and his head on his chest as he says: "You sure have quite the interesting imagination and ways of description, kid. Will really help you study the powers of that Keyblade of yours." And this actually stops the few students who had started snickering and makes them look at Harry intrigued.  
Harry looks shocked and asks: "How did you know I have a Keyblade?" Leon smiles at him and then unfolds his arms, raising his right high above him with his hand open and out of that a silver blade with black handle and of which the part that attaches the blade to the handle looks a little like a part of what Muggles call a gun.

Umbridge shrieks as she sees this, almost pushing her chair far enough to make it fall over and while I cover my ears against her horrible high pitch of sound, does she shout: "Such weapons are illegal at Hogwarts." But Leon says: "That may be, but no power can ever take a Wielder his Keyblade – or in my case – his Gunblade."  
He then aims said blade at Harry and says: "Some Keyblades can sense the power of other Keyblades when those are nearby. Other Wielders – such as myself –." The man halts and smiles, before he says: "Are told by their friends." And with his eyes he motions for Sora. Harry groans and says: "I should have known." Before I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Let's go," … Ron reappeared.**_

"Wait, my Invisibility Booster doesn't work?" Arthur asks and Ron shakes his head as Harry says: "It must be an overload. If a car has too much gasoline it can't function or if a tire is pumped up too much it explodes. The same must be for all the forms of magic you put on the car. The Booster must have been one thing too much, Mr. Weasley."  
The man nods and Hermione says: "Wow Harry, have you always been that smart?" And Harry says: "I don't really call it smart, Hermione, more trying to analyze whatever a person can analyze and remember it." The girl nods and I smile at him, having a feeling this comes mostly from his cooking and gardening as I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Uh-oh," … scarlet snake.**_

I see Harry, Ron and Hermione share a shocked look and Sirius asks: "What? Is something wrong?" Harry shakes his head, calming the worried group of parents around the hall and says: "No, I just got the feeling that my observation skills just got us a clue to the rest of the book and Ron and Hermione agreed with me, is all."  
The man nods, but I can tell that all the parents, the 1st and 2nd years and all of the foreign students are deeply confused. I too feel slight confusion as Minerva never told anyone of what transpired in her office that made Dumbledore award Harry and Ron with those Special Services to the school awards. Feeling curious, I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Due north," … white sun.**_

"Talk about a beautiful picture." Luna comments and I nod, being a picture thinker and able to see it before me as I speak. Shaking my head at the beautiful picture I see, I smile at the boy, glad he's having fun even if he is in a dangerous situation as the books have proven he has just way too little of those before I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **All we've … said Ron.**_

"You actually know about those?" Hermione asks and Ron answers: "Please, I went on rides with Fred and George more than she deserves to know. I was told everything during those trips. Loved them." The girl smiles, but then Ron asks: "Why the question? Don't think I know my Muggle items, or something?"  
The girl groans and so do I as they start squabbling again. But this time Harry sighs, stands up with a groan and suddenly, Ron and Hermione have his Keyblade between them, shocking them out of their argument. Then Harry says: "Blowing off steam is one thing, guys, but keep the constant squabbling to a minimum, will you?"  
The two blush, Harry sits back down and groans before he actually aims his Keyblade at himself and mutters: "Cure." And just the sight of the green leafs and soft pink flower petals make me feel relieved that the boy is on the right path to healing from the injuries he has been suffering from for so long, making me read the chapter in relief.

 _ **They looked … Hogwarts castle.**_

"Mate! You jinxed it!" Ron shouts and Harry, who had closed his eyes in relief after casting the healing spell, looks up and retorts: "How did I jinx anything?" And Ron answers: "Every time you think something will go smoothly, it goes heavily wrong!" Harry huffs, while students laugh at the quarrel and I read on.

 _ **They made … to whine.**_

"What? It never did that before! Not on our rides!" One of the twins shouts and the other says: "Well, we never rode it for more than two to three hours. This lasts from eleven to – I don't know – six, maybe six thirty? That must take a lot more gasoline and all.""NOT HELPING!" All his siblings shout and I read on, really worried now.

 _ **Harry and … dashboard nervously.**_

"You do know it's a car, right? Not a living pet?" Hermione asks Ron, but then Arthur turns red and says: "Sirius, remember what you said about Harry and your motorcycle?" Sirius nods and shows how much he enjoys remembering this as Arthur nods at Ron, caringly muttering: "Same, engine underneath the front hood."  
Ron turns red and Sirius asks: "Really?" Arthur nods and says: "Would only fall asleep if we put him in a blanket, on the heated up hood on the front of the car and then let the engine run. Would be asleep in seconds if we did. Drove her mad and was the official start of my need to understand Muggles and how they use their equipment."  
And one of the twins go on: "Which drove her even more mad." Making everyone laugh, while Ron is now being held by Percy as if the young adult is trying to hide his embarrassed brother from public view. I smile at the returning strength of the family and their union and read on, wishing for them to get closer than Hogwarts is strong.

 _ **When they … "Straight ahead!"**_

"I really don't know how you saw that, mate. I just don't." Ron says, apparently brave enough in facing public humiliation to make the comment and Harry says: "Easy, the candles in the Great Hall were already shining and I saw them. The shape made me know it was Hogwarts." Ron hits himself on the head and I read on.

 _ **Silhouetted on … mile below.**_ _He really wanted to trust Ron, but he feared for his life; unless the Giant Squid would save them or they would fall out of the car into a boat, he would drown, seeing the Dursleys never taught him how to swim._ _ **Ron's knuckles … wobbled again.**_

"You actually thought that would happen?" Ron asks his friend, his tone only slightly betraying how he felt hurt over his friend's mistrust in his ability to fly the car and Harry says: "Ron, by then I would have even accepted a whole hour of hero worship if it meant I hadn't fallen into the lake and drowned. I was that scared."  
Ron looks wide eyed in shock and I turn back to the book, while I can tell that most of the Hall is shocked that Harry Potter was actually scared. This makes me shake my head and I think: "If there is one thing I hope this book will do is make those people realize Harry is only a teen and a human being." And with that I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Come on," … foot down –**_ _Harry quickly wiped away a single tear of relief, faking to wipe his forehead.  
_ _ **There was … toward them —**_

"That didn't work either?" Arthur asks, now shocked and scared and Harry comments: "It's probably because the action required the engine to work. Because it had died out, the magic didn't have anything to get a response from. Not that that really helped us." And just reading the next line makes me agree with him as I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **WATCH OUT … late – CRUNCH.**_

"Please tell me, right here, right now, that both of you were okay!" Sirius moans and Harry says: "We didn't have to go to the Hospital Wing." The man sighs and says: "Well, at least that's something." But he still grabs Harry and holds him tightly – Percy doing the same with Ron as he was closest to the boy – as I read on.

 _ **With an … few splinters.**_

"WHAT!" Arthur shouts as Sirius and Remus start to softly pet Harry's body for a sign of old possible injuries and he turns to Ron, his wild movement actually making Percy move his body in a protective move, pushing Ron under his chin and holding him with both hands as if to shield him with his own body, but then Arthur asks:  
"Your wand broke at the beginning of the year? Why didn't you write home? It wasn't even really yours!" Ron pushes his head under Percy's arms and says: "I know. She prevented me." And Arthur spats: "How?" But Ron hides back in his hug with Percy and I see this as a sign he won't tell more, thus making me decide to read on.

 _ **Harry opened … another branch.**_ _And seeing that Harry was still halfway in his lap was that a really weird way to be tangled up.  
_ _ **"**_ _ **We're done … backward look.**_ _Harry didn't really care for the fact she seemed angry at him, the fact she was flying meant she wasn't too badly hurt and that mattered most to him.  
_ _ **Then, dented, scratched, and steaming**_ _thus pulling Harry's attention back to it_ _ **, the car … kill me!"**_

"I wouldn't, Ron. You know that you need to do something truly Unforgiveable to this family for me to get angry." Arthur tells his son calmly and Ron says: "I know, I just didn't want to think of what she would do to me." The man nods and I read on, hating how the two boys have such different home lives, and yet have this in common.

 _ **But the … the Weasleys.**_

Suddenly Harry speaks up and says: "Slytherin might have the most, but Gryffindor held the worst of all Dark wizards. At least in my book." Everyone looks shocked and he says: "Just wait for next book. You'll understand." All students nod, but I can tell they're exceedingly curious and I read on, my interest piqued as well.

 _ **Last term … of aquamarine.**_ _He suppressed a shudder as the faint memory of those strokes went over his back.  
_ _ **And there … his goblet.**_ _The sight of the gentle giant set Harry's fear at ease.  
_ _ **"**_ _ **Hang on…" … favorite teacher**_ _– although Lockhart was already fighting for a close second_ _ **. Harry also … taught Potions.**_

"And apparently my hatred for other Houses has made me lose sight of true Mastery and thus made me lose the possibility of training an excellent Potions Brewer." Severus moans and then he asks: "Is there even one book where I do something good?" And to my shock do I see Harry wanting to open his mouth, but hesitating.  
Then Sirius shrugs and says: "Who knows? Maybe in the future books?" Severus moans and says: "Well, I certainly blew it this and last year, I know that. I do not want to know how that looked to Potter's POV." Sirius shrugs painfully, as if ashamed he can't do anything to help and I read on, hoping he's right about the future books.

 _ **"**_ _ **Maybe he's … job again!"**_

"Knowing I had to work with that fool made the chance of resigning quite tempting, but I knew I had several duties at the school I couldn't drop." Severus says silkily and some of the students – obviously the girls still thinking high of Lockhart – glare at the man, but he ignores them and I do the same as I continue the chapter.

 _ **"**_ _ **Or he … said Snape.**_

"The silent treatment." One of the twins says, both of them wincing and the other goes on: "One of the worst ways of punishing students. Not letting them know how badly they are in trouble, thus worrying them and making them fear the worst." This makes Severus smirk in triumph and I shake my head at him as I read on.

 _ **Not daring … the dungeons.**_

"Okay, that went a little far, Severus. You could have at least made a small detour past the kitchens or something." Remus says and Severus comments: "You have to remember that I thought Potter spoiled and that he had stacked the car with the most expensive candy. I was only thinking of punishing them and of nothing else."  
Remus nods and then an arrogant Gryffindor Fifth year asks: "And if they were Slytherins, Snape?" And all teachers shout: "Professor Snape, Mr. McLaggen!" But the boy doesn't seem fazed and just keeps looking at Severus, who glares at him. McLaggen keeps his challenging look for a few more seconds and then bows down, to which I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **In!" he … the moment.**_

Now Severus smiles and almost gets a dreamy expression on his face as he says: "I can't wait to see how good his talents really are. If they're as good as yours were, the draughts will be a prize worthy of your memory, my late friend." This shocks Harry, but I smile at Severus and read on, Harry muttering: "I keep forgetting he knew mum."

 _ **The fireplace … Cross, it —"**_

"Severus! Really, I learned from my mistake and had to pay for it, but I really thought you would, at the least, hear them out. And how could a Potions Master like yourself not notice Mr. Weasley's cut over his eye?" Minerva asks and Severus lowers his head, back from where it was looking at the ceiling and down to his feet as he says:  
"I was so – so stuck in memory lane – in the time where Potter and his friends could get me in the Hospital Wing and not get any punishment whatsoever because they said I started it – I just wanted payback so badly I was blind to the truth." The woman nods, but I notice something peculiar from the corner of my eye.  
Harry is glaring at his parents, who seem to fidget under his intense scrutiny and he hisses: "That better not mean what I think it means." To this Sirius jokes: "Shouldn't we be the ones giving the threats?" But his lame joke intensifies the glare and makes him wince as I read on, really not wanting Harry to know the truth.

 _ **"Silence!" said … own son…"**_

"Okay, that one was below belt, even for me and even then." Severus is now almost shrinking in his own chair as he says this, but then Harry says: "To be honest was Malfoy worse that year. But your comments last year were the absolute worst." The man sighs and nods and then Harry turns to his parents and says:  
"And what Professor Snape said earlier is really something I want clarification on next break." The two sigh and Sirius says: "Let's just keep it at the fact that we didn't have your sense of responsibility at your age." The boy nods, but I can tell he wants to know more and isn't happy with this information either as I read on.

 _ **Harry felt … extremely strict.**_ _And seeing last year, he had no believes his chances of being expelled had lessened any. But this time, he would tell his story; whether she believed him or not, he no longer cared.  
_ _ **Ten minutes … both flinched**_ _and Harry held back a whimper as all his believes from the start of last year were coming back_ _ **, but she … suddenly erupted.**_

Again Minerva has her head in her hands and her elbows on the Head Table, but Harry says: "It's not really your fault, Professor McGonagall. I tend to over think and overreact when I believe myself in trouble. It's all because of those Muggles." The woman nods and shows him a small grateful smile as I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Sit," she … had shouted.**_

"Yeah, if someone shouts, you know they're angry at you, but if they just speak and demand things of you, you know they're disappointed in you and that's way worse." The twins chorus and Ron comments: "Except for when she does it. Then we wouldn't care a single bit." All siblings nod or shrug carelessly and I read on.

 _ **Harry hated … his knees.**_

"Only better, Potter. Dumbledore was after all the one who taught me Occlumency and Legilimency. He's an expert Mind-reader and seeing his need to control you, I do not want to know what he would have done had you two had eye-contact." Snape spats and Harry gulps: "Thanks for the tip." Before I read on, determined to follow his advice.

 _ **He told … been canceled.**_

"I really thought he would punish Potter's son and I would finally get my revenge. Should have known better though. He never did a thing about Potter senior so why did I even believe he would do something then. No offence to you, Potter." Snape ends and Harry nods, but I can tell the words do not please him a bit as I read on.

 _ **He cleared … to sample —"**_

"He was always the only one who ate that disgusting tart. I like all kinds of tarts, but that one just never got accepted by my taste buds. Bastard was lying it on pretty hard that he won't listen to me concerning Potter right there and then. Ugh, how that made me feel as if I was back in my teens again, just unbelievable it was."  
Snape grumbles, the look on his face actually scaring even a few of my own Badgers and Harry asks: "Professor Snape, are you going to be the lead-complainer about Dumbledore and his actions?" The man glares and spats: "No, I believed that your job, Potter, but since you're not doing it, I just took the job on me for you."  
The boy nods in thanks, even if I had easily seen the way he had cringed in fear at first, while Sirius, Remus, several students and the twins look at Snape as if he's grown an extra head and Sirius says: "Was that an insult – or did Snape just tell a joke?" And Remus comments: "No idea, love." To which I giggle and read on.

 _ **Snape shot … her anxiously.**_

"Lost cause, little pup. I tried that time after time after time. Never worked. If Minnie wants to take points, she takes points." Sirius says lounging back, completely ignoring how Minerva is now glaring daggers his way, but then I hear students whisper: "So why wasn't Gryffindor in the negatives then?" And I read on.

 _ **Professor McGonagall … lightened considerably.**_

"EXCUSE ME!" Sirius shouts, looking from his son to the book and Minerva in utter shock and he turns to Remus and asks: "Can you believe her? She never believed a word I said, and three of the six times it was even the truth. Even that time with the bleeding rat and all that candy we had. She always took points so why not with pup?"  
Remus lies a comforting hand on Sirius' shoulder – while Harry looks mock-insulted – and while I can easily spot his hidden smirk, does the man say: "Because, my love, your words were often true, but your excuses were crap." The man pouts and Harry asks: "Um, excuse me, am I supposed to believe you wanted me to lose points?"  
But this seems to be the wrong thing to say as Sirius turns stern and says: "No Harry, but neither do I want you to continue thinking you can do the most foolish and dangerous of things when the situation doesn't look too good. And if losing points for Gryffindor helps to cure you of that, so be it." Harry sighs and I read on.

 _ **"But you will both get a detention."**_

Sirius shrugs to this and says: "Good, at least he gets some punishment." And Minerva comments: "Sirius, I had all summer to over think all of my actions concerning your son and seeing what happened at the end of the year, I had all reason to. I saw my mistakes and vowed to right them." Sirius smiles with a nod and I read on.

 _ **It was … saw them."**_

This makes many other students send the boy incredulous looks before the twins distract them. "We always flew around the house and the outskirt fields of Ottery St. Catchpole. The closest thing we ever flew by was an interesting looking house shaped like a Chess piece." One of the twins explains and then Luna laughs and says:  
"That's my and daddy's house. It's shaped like a Rook to keep Snugglebums away. They're always playful and eccentric, but they hate the game of chess." All of Ravenclaw looks at the girl as if she's an embarrassment to their House and I quickly look at Filius, glad to see he noticed the same meaning behind the looks before I read on.

 _ **He swallowed … flying car."**_

"Glad to know my message was received, Mr. Weasley." Minerva says and I see Arthur smiling at his son in pride. Ron smiles back, finally no longer being smothered and held by Percy as if the young adult wants to protect him from what is written in the book and while Ron now leans against the side of his older brother, do I read on.

 _ **When they … was over.**_ _Harry felt bad for missing the feast, but was glad he had at the same time; it meant he had a little longer before the gawking and whispering would start again._

The students who had made themselves guilty of this – everyone but most of the Slytherins and the students of Beauxbattons and Durmstrang – all look down with guilty smiles on their faces and I shake my head at their obvious hero-worship of a single student and hating that I let it run this wild even in my own House.  
But then I notice how some of my Hufflepuffs have their heads even lower and don't have guilty grins, but frowns on their faces and wonder what's on their – and especially Ernie MacMillan's – minds as the boy is actually moaning with his arms crossed over his head while laid down on the table. I shake my head and read on.

 _ **They walked … silk dress.**_

"Honestly, Harry is kind to one and all, especially those he likes, but with these descriptions he's a right nightmare." Ron snickers and all the students laugh, but then Ron asks: "What are you all laughing about? Your descriptions still have to come." And the students holding silent abruptly makes me giggle before I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Password?" she … toward them.**_

"Mss. Granger, where were you exactly to come running at the portrait after them?" Minerva asks and while I feel as if the girl would be a wonderful addition to my own House, does Hermione worriedly answer: "I had waited all train ride for those two to show up and after they didn't at the feast I knew something was wrong.  
Then a Student received the Evening Prophet and when I heard the headline, I just had to go and find them. I was worried it had been true, but even more worried they had crashed somewhere. I wanted to hear it from them themselves." The woman nods and I smile at the girl and her worry for her friends before I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **There you … the point —"**_

Remus smiles and shakes his head while pulling Sirius close and he says: "Hermione, Hermione, Hermione, you really need to learn how to keep your boys under control. Giving into such simple requests can ruin your entire idea of keeping them in line. Isn't that right, my lovely mutt?" He then asks Sirius, who asks:  
"Should I feel insulted?" Making Harry and Viktor laugh, while Remus comfortingly pets him on the cheek and caresses his hair, saying: "No, no. Of course not, love. Just reassured your Dominant won't get you back in trouble with the authorities again." Sirius grumbles and mutters:

"Stop treating me like an infant puppy dog, will you?" But then Remus shocks the entire hall as he pushes Sirius onto the stone floor under him, straggling his legs and holding his hands above his head with a single hand of his own. Everyone looks at the calm and ever-collected man as if he's gone insane and the man says:  
"Minerva, get me a long and high curtain, some pillows and a Silencing spell cast by all of the teachers. We're going to need it." Instantly the woman – and I myself – realize what is going on and with small blushes appearing on her cheeks, she conjures the material, casting a long-lasting float spell to keep the high curtain up.  
I then personally aim my wand at the curtain, together with all other teachers and adults and we all cast the spell; the last thing we hear before the spell takes effect, the ripping of cloths – violently. This seems to make all the near adult-teenagers realize what was going on and the boys smirk, while the girls blush.  
Harry also blushes and hides his face in Viktor's chest, the Bulgarian lad grumbling something about _traditions_ and _courting time_ while Erica and Mss. Crenson take the places of Remus and Sirius in the bowl, Mss. Crenson shaking her head as she looks at the curtain as if disgusted with the man, but her playful smile proves different.

Lucius then sighs, reminding me of his actions as a teen and his care for the two as he says: "Must be the whole new mate thing. Because Lupin has been keeping back on marking his mate, his werewolf side must now be wanting all the affection and love he can get as proof of their bond." Students nods and then Hagrid says:  
"You're right there, Malfoy. Werewolves are indeed known that, if they don't mark their mate before their 20th birthday, they can easily get in a – as the experts have called it since around 1968 – their NTC-mood." Some students look shocked that Hagrid actually knows this and Ron asks: "NTC, Hagrid?" And the man answers:  
"The Need To Claim mood. It makes the werewolf in question use even the slightest incentive – such as Sirius' latest tease – as a reason to bond with his mate and – if the claiming isn't done before the 30th birthday – it can even last for a month. It also has one other aspect attached to it if the mating isn't done before then."

Instantly Hermione and many other animal lovers are interested and Charlie asks: "It's the Fertility of the Mate, isn't it Hagrid? The mate becomes three times more fertile than normally in that month if the werewolf doesn't bond to his mate before his or his mate's 30th birthday." Hagrid nods and says: "Couldn't have said it better myself."  
Harry looks back at the curtain wrapped around the two lovers and asks: "So, after this month, I can expect mum to be – pretty stiff, right?" And apparently what Narcissa tells him next shocks him senseless as she says: "Not just stiff, dear, maybe even pregnant." Harry looks at her with wide eyes and asks: "Males can get pregnant?"

The woman nods and Blaise, who has Charlie and Bill seated between him and Hermione, answers: "Back in the 1200's there was such a shortage of women, some of the strongest Sorcerers in the High families started conversing and one of them was even gross enough to dig up bodies of a few of his male ancestors.  
He studied the bodies and did various tests on them, first to find out if it was because of his own family that witches were now dying out. But one experiment shocked him, because it formed a strong base of life-providing magic at the end of the ass hole of an ancestor of his. Sorry, I didn't know how to bring it less grossed-out."  
Everyone nods, while some girls do look as if they're about to be sick and Severus seems prepared for this as he levitates some Stomach Relief Potions over to the girls before Blaise tells on: "Well, the man, who was actually a Warlock, worked on his other ancestors and even on a few orphans, who were offered a home in return for the tests.  
By the time the other families discovered the use of the boys, the man – a Lestrange to be precise, if I recall the story correctly – had created a perfect spell to help men be fertile and pregnant. Unfortunately did that also make the man insane and he tested the pregnancy – by raping the boys he offered shelter.  
That story has two endings. One, it reveals how the recent Lestranges are as crazy as they are as that crazy gene has apparently been passing down generations ever since then. And two, it explains how men are able to be fertile." Everyone nods, while I noticed Neville shiver when the name Lestrange was mentioned.

Then Lucius goes on and says: "You are quite right, Mr. Zabini, but you are forgetting one thing. As punishment for what he did to the boys, the other Warlocks – under leadership of Alpharus Potter and Acedimus Malfoy – took all his hard work and research, wiped his memory and studied it until they could change the spellwork.  
They kept the spell like it was until there was 1 witch for every wizard. This was a wish they placed onto their children and that went on for four generations. In the end of the 1200's the Heirs of Alpharus and Acedimus knew they could never get a single witch for every wizard, but there was 1 witch for every 3 wizards and that was enough for them.  
They changed the spell according to the notes their ancestors left them as back then they cared greatly for magical creatures and believed such bonds deserved a proper reward and over the next four to five generations afterwards did the wizards lose their ability to be fertile and did fertility come with being a Magical Creature.  
Legend does, of course say, that the two heirs to Alpharus and Acedimus also changed the spell to keep Warlocks fertile, but that was proven false in 1888 when Joseph Nicolas Black studied hard enough to be a Warlock and was granted the honor of marrying a woman and a man. He got children out of the woman, but never the man."

Everyone's shocked by the story they were just told and Hermione says: "So witches and Magical creatures like werewolves and vampires are now the only ones able to be pregnant?" And Lucius nods, but then Ron comments: "And then to think this was all because Remus commented on how book-Hermione went lenient on us."  
And everyone realizes how far we strayed off. Severus then quickly casts a spell on the curtain and he says: "There, now unless something happens that breaks our spells we will no longer notice that curtain." I smile at his idea and hope Remus will soon be satisfied claiming Sirius as his mate again as I continue the story.

 _ **Her words … for years —"**_

"And that they do." Lee says with a large grin on their face and one of the twins says: "Yeah, it's a yearly debate." The other then says: "Whether or not.""To tell the story." The first continues and the second ends: "To the next row of First years." All three then shrug and say: "Never were able to convince the Head Boy or Girl of it, really."  
I shake my head and the current Head Boy, David Boorman, says: "Because we don't think it appropriate to make First years believe they should do something like that." But Lee says: "We don't want to use to inspire First years to do stuff like that, but to prove that everyone sorted into Gryffindor can be brave."  
And to my shock Angelina goes on and says: "Yeah, we even have this whole speech set. We worked on it for months." The Head Boy looks disbelieving and says: "Let's hear it then." And Angelina glares at him, clearly disgusted by his arrogance and disbelief after sharing a glance with her fellow Chasers she speaks:

"You might not see it anymore, but the Whomping Willow had gone through a really tough fight to protect its property some time ago. That was when Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were brave enough to face the Ministry and whatever else, just to get to their home, Hogwarts. It inspires us to do what we are sorted in for and we should be proud to be here."

The Head Boy is now shocked and Katie Bell says: "We use the Whomping Willow as sign that the students shouldn't try this themselves. But First years never truly believe themselves to be brave, cunning, smart or loyal. Our speech is just to help them feel at home and make them believe they really can be brave."  
The boy nods and says: "I'll make sure my successor hears you out too. That might not be as much of a bad idea as I first thought. Sorry that I doubted you three. It was because of the twins, really" Katie nods and Alicia says: "And in return we'll make sure the First years don't do stupid stuff like that." The boy nods and I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **Good for … them off.**_

"Part of me did want that." Percy admits and he goes on: "But when I saw you standing in the Portrait hole with Hermione, I knew you were already reprimanded and just wanted to make sure you guys were alright and all." Ron and Harry nod gratefully and Percy softly strokes his brother's hair as I continue the chapter.

 _ **Harry nudged … YEARS. They**_ _wanted to enter, but Percy ran at them and said, "Ron, go on in. Harry, can I talk to you." Harry motioned Ron to listen and waited for the boy, who glared at Harry. But Harry had seen Snape, Voldemort and Uncle Vernon glare at him and he could tell Percy needed help on how to properly glare. But the boy's words shocked him as he said,  
_ " _I know you would not have done this if you believed you had another option. Just – don't get near that tree again, alright? And keep Ron away from such danger too. You seemed better at it last year than me, so – I trust you with that, alright?"  
_ _Harry shook his head and said, "Sure, Ron's my friend. I didn't even want him to go with me through that trapdoor and all." Percy smiled and said, "Figured. Goodnight, Harry. And don't let this idiocy get to your head, okay?"  
_ _Harry nodded and stayed on the staircase as he watched Percy go up higher, disappearing around the corner before he himself_ _ **entered … their beds.**_

Everyone looks shocked and then I notice Percy blushing. But Ron smiles and slaps his brother on the shoulder, saying: "You take just fine care of me, Perce. Always have, always will." Percy smiles and says: "Thanks, but that's not what I'm blushing over." Ron looks confused, but Percy holds quiet and I read on, still feeling touched.

 _ **Ron grinned … grinned, too.**_

This makes most of the older years shake their heads and Ron says: "As if you wouldn't at that age." Making all of them nod grudgingly and the snickering younger years start laughing. I shake my head at this and ask: "Think those two are done yet?" But Harry moans, hiding his face again and mutters: "I don't even want to know."

* * *

 _ **There we go,  
**_ _ **Okay, so part of me wanted to take the whole thing with Sirius and Remus out, but I felt the lesson was well worth it and I also wanted to establish that not all bonds will be like Harry and Viktor as Sirius and Remus – while one is Head of a Family – are still more likely to give into primal instincts they long since tried to bury.  
**_ _ **Anyway, this is all going along quite nicely and personally, I actually like the revised start, where Sirius doesn't get embarrassed by seeing his son kiss, but instead gets to help his son recover from the emotional pain, a lot better, though that is mostly because I would kill if I could have a story dedicated to a Harry-Sirius family bond.**_

 _ **Anyway, Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	40. Reaching Their Limits

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Okay, I have just one thing to say about this chapter: WOW! I must have been in a really bad mood to actually write a chapter where UMBRIDGE was the main POV. I don't remember that mood I was in at the time, but right now – I'm regretting it. Therefore, expect this chapter to have the least amount of editing done to it.  
**_ _ **Read fast, my friends,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

 _ **Chapter 39  
**_ _ **Reaching Their Limits**_

 _ **Pomona's POV**_

I check the title of the next chapter, shudder and ask: "Anyone still interested in Lockhart?" And while a few condescendingly raise their hands, does Umbridge say: "I personally think that Gilderoy Lockhart is a model citizen who has been unrightfully harmed." To which I sneer: "Good, then you read." Throwing her the book.

 _ **Umbridge's POV (can you say YUCK?)**_

This school obviously lacks proper discipline, respect for those of higher function and society behavior seeing how vulgarly Pomona Sprout threw the retched book at me as if I was simply one of her lower students. Deciding to show them proper behavior, I stand up, make my notorious _**hem, hem**_ sound and start to read.

 _ **Chapter 6: Gilderoy Lockhart**_

This makes me smile and I say: "Ah good, a respectful chapter with a respectful title." But then Potter mutters: "Too bad Lockhart never showed respect to others." I glare at the brat and say: "Mr. Potter, do you really want me to repeat myself? You are a student and a minor and thus should learn to show proper respect –."  
But again the brown-haired man, of whose cloths I can tell he will never make it far in life, interrupts me and says: "To those who've earned his respect and insulting all his friends is the opposite of doing so." I glare at the man and say: "I never asked you." But he retorts: "Just gave my opinion, as is my right." I sniff at him and read on.

 _ **The next … ever met.**_

"Mr. Potter, you really need to be taught how to show respect. Thinking such things about the upcoming Lord of a Noble Family is –." I try to tell the brat, but the Longbottom Heir himself speaks up and asks: "Excuse me, ma'am, but who's being insulted here? You or me? Because I see no fault in Harry's thoughts."  
I glare at the round-faced boy and say: "Mr. Longbottom, seeing your grandmother isn't here, someone has to protect your rights –." Shockingly enough I am interrupted again, this time by Professor McGonagall, who says: "And that job, at Hogwarts, befalls his Head of House and not you, Madame Umbridge."  
I glare at the woman, more sure than ever that Hogwarts has dawdled away from proper respect worthy to high-society. Wanting more than ever for ancient customs to come back and blaming all these disrespectful actions on the only places they can I send a quick, distasteful look at all Muggleborns and the Potter boy, before reading on.

 _ **"Mail's due … his beak.**_

"Really?" Sirius Black asks, sticking his head through the curtain blocking him and his distasteful actions from our view and he asks: "She actually sends a Howler? She hears her son and her son's friend were almost clobbered by a violent tree and she sends them a Howler? What was that woman thinking, for Merlin's sake?"  
Arthur Weasley shakes his head while Black seems to get pulled back into the curtained area and the man says: "I have no idea. Back then, because of my worry and the enquiry, I thought it a good idea, but now." The man lowers his head and I allow a small smirk, having always believed the man to be a danger for proper society.  
Then he speaks words I have always believed the truth and he says: "I'm sorry I failed you, boys. I really don't know where she turned from loving mother to uncaring tyrant." But the siblings seem to disagree with this – and with that with my beliefs – as they all hug the man tightly, showing them their love and respect.  
I shake my head at their behavior, believing it unneeded as children need a firm hand to grow into hard-working and well-society-behaving people and make my famous sound again, shocked at the cold, hated glare I receive of all Weasley siblings. Ignoring the family for the Blood-Traitors they are, I simply read on.

 _ **"Oh, no —" … was horrible."**_

This shocks me and I say: "Mr. Longbottom, I'm sure someone like you has never received a Howler before. You really mustn't tell lies to make others feel better." But the boy spats: "Believe what you will, ma'am, but my gran send me a Howler and it was justified, even if it was horrible." I look shocked at the boy's disrespect and read on.

 _ **Harry looked … WAS GONE —"**_

"Okay." Black says firmly, again sticking his head – and part of his neck that is covered in disgusting hickeys – out of the curtain and he says: "That woman really needs to learn what to say and what not to her sons. This is the second time I hear her complaining to Ron about his family. Doesn't she do that enough?"  
But then Lupin sticks his head out of the curtain and growls – proving to me how much of a monster Werewolves truly are – as he says: "No. More. Interruptions. You're MINE!" Before forcefully pulling Black into the curtain. I shake my head, my lips thin and my patience wearing even thinner and mutter: "Disgusting beast."  
Strangely enough causing almost all of the Great Hall to glare at me. I look respectful and with a curious eyebrow raised and a timid Second Year Hufflepuff – Hufflesnot, if you ask me – says: "No one talks bad about Professor Lupin. He was the best teacher we had." I huff in disbelief, thus causing the glares to strengthen and read on.

 _ **Mrs. Weasleys … HAVE DIED —"**_

This time Arthur is the one shaking his head and he says: "I accepted her to write an Howler, believing at the time for that to be the best, but I would have never allowed her to use me." He then turns to his son and says: "I understand why you did it, Ron, and while I don't approve, I know you did what you had to at the time."  
Ron smiles and I shake my head, perfectly understanding why Molly Prewett is the perfect mother. Unlike her weak-minded, Monster – I mean Muggle – obsessed husband is the woman strong and does she obviously believe in the right ways of punishment. Deciding to try and find this woman, I ignore the Weasleys and read on.

 _ **Harry had … eardrums throb.**_

"You really did well on that, Harry." The filthy Mudblood girl says kindly and the young Longbottom Lord goes on: "Yeah, next to your head looking like a tomato being fried you just ate your porridge as if nothing was happening." Potter shrugs, proving how little he cares for their attention and says: "Heard worse shouts, trust me."  
This strangely enough causes everyone Potter seems to care about to turn grim and angry and the Half-blood woman named Mss. Crenson hugs the brat as she says: "No more thoughts about those monsters, Harry. They don't deserve your attention, sweetling." Shaking my head at this disgusting cuddling of the brat, I read on.

 _ **"—ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED — … BACK HOME."**_

"I can assure you, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter, that we would have not allowed that woman to take you from Hogwarts, unless the Board of Governors and I myself believed you deserved to be expelled. Which you have yet to, Bless the Gods." McGonagall mutters at the end and I feel I must step in to all this cuddling and then cough.  
The woman turns her most stern face my way, making me cringe as she was my only teacher capable of making me halt in my tracks and I say: "Surely Potter and Weasley have already done enough to be expelled. Breaking the law, causing an enquiry and thus shaming the Ministry –." But then Fudge says: "That will do, Dolores."

I look at him shocked and he says: "The enquiry was never put into action, as you well know, and I will not allow further disgraceful words. Arthur Weasley will be working on actions that can save us would the Muggles ever find out about us and I will not hear him or his family being spoken about like that, understood?"  
I can barely believe what I am hearing as Arthur Weasley has always been a private joke between me and Cornelius, about who we laughed and joked behind his back, not to mention how I often pulled ¾ of his paycheck before sending it to the man. And now Cornelius is defending him? Wondering what has happened here, I read on.

 _ **A ringing … but you —"**_

"Hermione, this is just like with the fake duel. You really need to learn when to reprimand someone and when not." Neville tells the girl and I huff as this is clear proof how uncaring and vulgar Mudbloods truly are. The young Lord glares at me and while wondering how he can care for such scum, do I read on.

 _ **"Don't tell … the summer…**_

"Why is it that you felt guilty and bad and Ron didn't?" The young Longbottom Lord asks and the Potter brat answers with a snicker: "Because Ron was too busy being angry at Hermione for wanting to reprimand him over his actions." The youngest Weasley male mock-glares at the brat and I shake my head before reading on.

 _ **But he … friendly again.**_

"And I wasn't before?" The Mudblood asks mock-insulted, which is ridiculous to me as Mudbloods are nothing but beasts who don't deserve anything – just like Werewolves – but then the Potter brat asks: "Hermione, do you really want Umbridge to read the start of the chapter again?" And before the girl can answer do I read on.

 _ **As they … Gilderoy Lockhart**_ _– a sight that made Harry's stomach shrink_ _ **.**_

"Dirty bastard." McGonagall mutters and then suddenly Sprout gasps and asks: "Mr. Potter, did he – did he try to –?" And Snape asks: "Is there something you're trying to say, Pomona?" And the woman answers: "Lockhart took Harry alone shortly before class." The whole staff whitens at this for some reason and I read on.

 _ **Professor Sprout's … Petunia faint.**_

This makes the woman actually smirk and she says: "I would love to go and visit her, Mr. Potter, if only to ask her why she never told us your mother was adopted." All teachers seem to shudder at the sugary sweet tone she uses and Potter, with an eyebrow raised, carefully says: "I don't think that'll be needed, Professor."  
To the silent nods of all teachers sitting behind Sprout. I wonder why they do this as the woman shrugs and says: "Either way, I'll get them back some day. Oh, and Mr. Potter. Once the book is over we can start that study you were talking about. About moving on from Muggle to Magical plants slowly so you can do like you did there."

Potter nods, while I wonder what on earth they are talking about and ask: "Care to verify, Professor Sprout?" And the woman answers: "Mr. Potter has green fingers that rival those of Mr. Longbottom, but due to certain circumstances he is unable to use them on Magical. So we're going to get him used to them a little slower.  
I really want to see what he can do once he has learned to push his magic out on Magical plants and uses that to take care of them." This makes me nod, but on the inside I am shaking my head, disbelieving that this can be of any use to the Lord of the Potter family. Then the Potter brat says: "I can show you with some Muggle plants."  
The woman smiles and wants to open her mouth, but I say: "Mr. Potter, we are reading a book, not bothering ourselves with a few plants and flowers. Please, keep your focus." Smiling as sweetly at him as Sprout was doing minutes ago, but only receiving a dirty glare and the words: "I didn't mean now." Shocking me before I read on.

 _ **Gilderoy Lockhart, … my travels…"**_

Suddenly Potter looks up and says: "Can't believe I'm saying this, but Madam Umbridge, can you please read that little speech again. Everyone, can you listen along? I want to know if I heard this right." Everyone nods, but I sniff and haughtily do as he asks, not because he forced my hand, but because I want to prove I'm his better.

 _ **"Oh, hello … my travels…"**_

"I don't believe this. That dirty sneak!" Potter shouts and a First year Slytherin asks: "What are you on about?" But an older Slytherin answers and says: "Lockhart first comforted us that Professor Sprout was a talented teacher and then started on his travels as if he was still the better person. He insulted her while complementing her."  
Everyone looks shocked and Sprout says: "Oh, I would have so thrown all those bandages at him had I realized that." And then Hagrid, the disgusting oaf of a half-giant goes on and asks: "Does he try to tell every teacher how they have to do their job?" And I sweetly ask: "What are you talking about? You're not a teacher."  
And Potter steps in and says: "No, but he is Groundskeeper, which is also a job here at Hogwarts." I look at him haughtingly, while the oaf smiles at him gratefully and give him a small glare, which again doesn't seem to affect the boy as he keeps looking at me defiantly. Determined to teach him a lesson before he gains his Lordship, I read on.

 _ **"Greenhouse three … dangerous plants.**_ _Harry wondered if working with these plants could get him his natural touch back. At least he could work on one of the two things he enjoyed most when working with his hands; gardening._

Again I turn to the boy and ask: "Mr. Potter, what upcoming Lord of a Noble and Most Ancient Family enjoys something we have House-elves for?" And Potter answers: "Someone who likes to have personal proof of a job well done." Making me glare at him for the cheeky retort, before I huff and continue to read.

 _ **Professor Sprout … the ceiling.**_ _Already he was feeling much better._ _ **He was … and Hermione**_ _, as he had snuck his way to stand behind them the minute he saw Lockhart approach,_ _ **inside when … her face.**_

Now most of the elder years both shudder and glare and the twins mutter: "He better not have tried a single thing." And Charles Weasley goes on: "And if he has, we'll all give him a brand new reason to never leave St. Mungo's." This makes me huff as I am disgusted by their disloyalty in a wondrous man and read on.

 _ **"Harry," said … said nothing.**_ _He had, on the other hand, made sure there were three steps between him and the man and his back was bend a bit, so that he could either take another step back or turn and flee if – he shuddered – that hand ever came back.  
_ _ **"When I … kicked myself."**_

"DO IT!" All of the hall shouts, shocking me enough to make me scream and drop the book in shock and this time the beast sticks his head out of the curtain and asks: "Do what?" And McGonagall says: "Lockhart just confessed he could kick himself." The beast growls and says: "He should. For what he tried with cub, he really should."  
But then Black sticks his head out and asks: "Is there anyone with Harry hearing this?" But the woman shakes her head and says: "He took Harry apart before his first Herbology lesson." The two thin their lips and growl: "He better not try a thing." Before moving back into the curtain and I shake my head at their behavior before reading on.

 _ **Harry had … wasn't talking.**_ _Harry tried not to be too suspicious, but he slightly believed the man was showing them so much he could distract Harry and make another move with that hand.  
_ _ **"Gave you … it again."**_

"Excuse me? Harry's been hounded and followed by crazy fans since he first stepped into the Magical World. Hell, his entrance into the Magical World itself was too crazy to talk off." Ronald speaks up and he asks: "Is that man insane or something? No offense, Neville." But the Longbottom heir shakes his head and Harry mutters:  
"He wasn't insane, Ron. Just way too full of himself." To this I decide to punish the boy and ask: "And you know this how, Mr. Potter?" To which the boy angers me as he says: "I learned it from you, Ma'am. You're just as full of yourself, just because you work at the Ministry." I glare at the boy, but then read on.

 _ **"Oh, no, … his shoulder.**_ _Harry tensed and made a violent move that combined both his plans; he turned, making Lockhart let go and he took a step back. He was now standing with his back to the man and instantly more fear went through him and he jumped forward, before turning around so he could see Lockhart – who had his arm out and a look in his eyes Harry really didn't want to see.  
_ _The man seemed shocked that Harry was now so far away and took a step closer, but Harry only took another jump back, his eyes going over all places he could hide; the patch of trees next to the Greenhouses, the small pond leading to the Black Lake, the crane build into the school that was almost 20 miles away. The man seemed to realize he couldn't get closer and turned back to smile as he said,  
_ _ **"I understand. … are now.**_

Now I smile, feeling certain that having Lockhart around Potter was truly a heaven's blessing for the boy's ego, but then McLaggen speaks up and asks: "Did he really just call Potter, the famous Boy-Who-Lived, a nobody?" To which the whole school, all adults and even the staff of Hogwarts and the Ministry laugh themselves silly.  
I glare, not only angered at the uncivilized behavior of the Ministerial workers, but also of everyone thinking they can laugh at such a talented wizard and say: "Well, someone has to peg down that brat's gigantic ego, after all." This causes the silence I want and desire, but this is followed by loads of angry shouts that shock the hell out of me.  
Even Black and that beast seem to have dressed as they push the curtains away furiously and shout: "DON'T EVER TALK ABOUT OUR SON LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOU DISGUSTING HAG!" This crosses my limits and I scream back: "I DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE THAT! NOT FROM FILTHLY BEASTS LIKE YOURSELVES!"

But apparently this is the wrong thing to say as I now quickly have to grab my wand and cast a powerful Shield spell against over forty spells being cast my way, some of them actually coming from people I believed agreed with my ideas and the voices of the spells themselves being overpowered by Cornelius shouting: "DOLORES!"  
Then the same bright light as the one that send and took me away from here engulfs me and I shout: "NO, I MUST STAY! I MUST CHANGE THIS SCHOOL! IT MUST BE CHANGED! I MUST BE THE ONE TO CHANGE IT! NOOO!" But my shout it cut short as the light sends me back to my own office, before all becomes blank.

 _ **Cornelius' POV**_

I have always heard of Dolores being against Werewolves and other magical creatures, but to shout such profanities at Lupin of all people goes too far in my books, after all I saw the man do to protect his pack cub and care for his newly adopted son. I shake my head at her behavior and say: "I'll read on, if no one minds."  
And Ronald answers: "As long as you promise to put that woman under inquiry and check her for actions put against Magical Creatures and people she confesses not to like or of who she has proven in the past not to like." I nod at the boy in a promise, knowing I better start with his father and then take the book and then look up.  
And right as I do, do Lupin and Black rejoin with their son, the two women who they are friends with going back to sit with Sora and his gang and Harry asks: "Are you okay? We really interrupted your mating an awful lot." Yet the two smile and Lupin answers: "We're all satisfied, cub, don't worry." Making me read on relieved.

 _ **In fact … Harry's forehead,**_ _the same look in his eyes. Harry shuddered and had it not been for the fact he would have to turn his back to the man, he would have dived into the pond, just to escape him – screw the fact he didn't know how to swim._

"You don't know how to swim?" Cedric asks and Harry retorts: "How did you think I got to the bottom of the Lake during the Second Task so easily?" The elder boy laughs and says: "And I guess the Gilly Weed did the rest of the trick?""That, and your hint." Harry answers cryptically and knowing he won't speak more, I read on.

 _ **"I know … a start."**_

"You know, in a way – he's right." That these words come from Harry shocks me to the core and the tone he speaks them with really worries me before he goes on and says: "Not about the start thing, but the whole size of fame. My fame is bigger than his but it does make people believe they can scapegoat me easier than him.  
If he makes a mistake, people will just say he has a bad day and that he might write a solution about it in his next book. If I make a mistake – well, this, last and the Fourth book should explain enough." Again I notice how especially the Fourth year Hufflepuffs have their heads low and I wonder what they did as I read on.

 _ **He gave … slid inside,**_ _relieved he hadn't had to go through another one of those touches_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Professor Sprout … the air.**_

"Hermione, may I give you a little piece of advice?" Luna asks the girl in question, who nods before Luna says: "Wait at least three minutes before raising your hand. Think your answer through and think of ways of saying it before you raise your hand. It will help, trust me." Hermione smiles at the girl and I read on.

 _ **"Mandrake, or … Professor Sprout.**_

Luna, this time, lies a hand on the girl's shoulder and asks: "You do know you would have gotten fifteen if you hadn't said it like Harry described it, right?" Hermione nods and asks: "Is that why you told me to think through ways of me answering the question before I raise my hand, Luna?" And the girl answers:  
"That, and you won't discourage others of wanting to answer questions." Hermione whitens and asks: "I – I do that?" The Lovegood girl hugs her and says: "It's just that you constantly answering questions and raising your hand makes others wonder if they should even try. That's why you should wait a few minutes, it'll help."  
Hermione nods and hugs Luna back, while almost all the Ravenclaws look at their fellow member shocked. This is responded to by Flitwick who stands up on his seat and says: "Ravenclaw House Meeting next break." The Ravens look from their Head of House to them, seemingly confused as I continue the chapter.

 _ **"The Mandrake … a begonia.**_ _Harry envied her more and more.  
_ _ **"However, they … you work.**_

I hear snickers all around and look up as some students seem to be remembering fellow students actually falling unconscious by the Mandrake's cry. Only the class spoken off doesn't laugh and instead all of them are looking at Harry in curiosity, making said boy squirm. Only Hermione and Ronald aren't and neither am I as I read on.

 _ **I will … flying car?"**_

"Talk about a way to get through introductions, Justin." A Hufflepuff Fifth year slaps the boy on his shoulder, but Justin doesn't seem capable of laughing about it as he has his head low in shame, together I notice with several of his year mates. Wondering what got them all so glum, I quickly read on, hoping to find out.

 _ **Ron didn't … dung compost.**_ _Harry hid a shudder as he tried to see if the plants would respond to his magic.  
_ _ **"Awfully brave … just fantastic.**_

"That was the only book I read of him." Remus growls and he goes on: "When I saw how he tried to make Werewolf hunting look like a piece of cake and how much selfish nonsense there was in that book I did what Sirius always told me to do with all my other schoolbooks – flushed it down the toilet, page for page."  
Everyone laughs at this and Sirius slaps him on the shoulder, laughing and hiccupping: "Knew I could get you to do it one day." The werewolf glares and growls: "I'm not done with you yet, my delicious mate." Sirius growls playfully in return and I shake my head as Harry turns red in embarrassment before I read on.

 _ **"My name … a pot.  
**_ _Finally he got it done and together with that found the answer to his question. While he couldn't use his magic on the Mandrakes to make them grow better was it still useful to calm them down and it almost made the fat one walk into his pot sleepily and content.  
_ _This had been completely new for Harry and he had not wanted to draw attention to it, so just grabbed, making sure to hold it gently and pushed it into the pot, his head tilting to more than one side as he made sure the earth was well-placed around the Mandrake – in such a way the plant could breath and move around the pot comfortably and still making sure it couldn't get away.  
_ _ **By the … in earth**_ _, but happier than he had been during the Herbology lessons of last year_ _ **.**_

Everyone smiles at this and Harry says: "I really enjoyed those classes, you know. Caring for those Mandrakes almost felt like taking care of all of Aunt Petunia's garden. It really helped me keep my head high and strong and all." The students nod, but I wonder why some of them look even more guilty at this and read on.

 _ **Everyone traipsed … his wand.**_

Then suddenly Minerva says: "Wait a minute, I had pre-cast several spells on my beetles to make sure they wouldn't fly or run away from the spell." And she looks at Harry, who looks sheepish, until he spills: "Okay, so I had already charmed the beetle you gave me and caught a new one from the window I was sitting next to."  
The woman hits herself on the head and Susan Bones asks: "But why isn't that is the story?" And Harry answers: "Probably would have made the last few sentences sound weird or something." The girl nods and asks: "So, do you think we'll hear about Harry's secret studies this book?" Others seem quite interested in this and I read on.

 _ **Ron was … wasn't pleased.  
**_ _Harry had wanted to use one of the patches of smoke to grab Ron's beetle and replace it for his own – secretly already – transfigured button, but the black color of the button and the green vines wrapped around and in between the holes of the buttons wouldn't have made it believable Ron had made the button, so he was forced to keep the button in his robe pocket._

"And there it is." Hannah Abbott snickers and Ron turns to Harry and asks: "But wait a minute, mate. I was sitting next to you the whole time. How did you transfigure your beetle and switch it for that new one without me noticing?" And the boy confesses: "Used one of the times you caused smoke." Ronald grumbles and I read on.

 _ **Harry was … got snapped — '"**_

"Ron, I would not have allowed your mother to force you into using such a dangerous, broken wand. I swear it." Arthur says and Ron smiles as he says: "I know, dad. It just wouldn't be the first thing she did behind your back." And the man moans: "Me and my bloody long hours." Making all of his sons hug him lovingly.  
I instantly decide to see if any Fifth years with high scores for their Muggle Studies O.W.L.s or maybe some Muggleborns are willing to take a part-time job at the Department for Misuse of Muggle Artifacts and quickly summon my notebook with all my previous plans, writing it down before putting it in my pocket and reading on.

 _ **They went … in Transfiguration.**_

"Why couldn't you have been happy for me?" Hermione asks, obviously hurt and I realize we better take a break after this chapter as we have been reading 6 chapters non-stop and emotions must be reaching pretty high by now. I turn to the teachers, who seem to share the same thought with me and they all nod at me.  
Then Ron himself sighs and says: "Hermione, trust me, any other day I would not have minded, but I had a Howler, people reminding me of it, a failed Transfigurations lesson and a broken wand to deal with. Seeing others perform better just didn't sit well with me back then." The girl nods understanding and I read on.

 _ **"What've we … blushing furiously.**_

"Hermione, I can understand that teenagers have crushes on their heroes, but really – Lockhart?" Remus asks and then Sirius laughs, slaps Remus on the shoulder and says: "As if you're one to talk. Remember Less Santchess?" But Remus smirks back at his mate, making Sirius seem to doubt his own words and Remus says:  
"For your information, my unknowing little Sub, was Less Santchess' full name Lester Santchess and was he the man that made me accept being gay, thus making it easier for me to accept that my werewolf side wanted _**you**_." He says, pricking Sirius in the chest playfully and making everyone laugh before I read on.

 _ **They finished … bright red.**_

Said boy now turns bright red and Ron says: "Relax Collin, at least you're description wasn't half bad, right?" The younger boy smiles and Hermione asks: "Since when are you that nice to Collin?" And the youngest Weasley sibling gives the cryptic answer: "Quidditch match." Which seems to make sense to Hermione before I read on.

 _ **"All right, … and said,**_

But here I summon a glass of water as my throat has completely dried up after that long speech and Terry Boot says: "Okay, it's official. People that are nervous or in need of information speak long and many sentences in one breath. First Hermione and now Collin proves everything." The two turn red and I read on.

 _ **"It's amazing … photos, Potter?"**_

To this Draco hits himself on the head and Narcissa asks: "You aren't going to behave any better this book than you did last, are you?" Draco shakes his head and says: "No mother, I was even worse this year. I really, really was." To which Ron mutters: "At least he admits it." Making me wonder what the boy did and said before I read on.

 _ **Loud and … special, myself."**_

"And still you couldn't realize I believed the same thing?" Harry asks and the boy sighs and says: "Your behavior was completely opposite of what I was raised to believe, so I stupidly enough believed you thought of everything in the opposite way of which I did." Harry shrugs and says: "Fair enough." Before I read on.

 _ **Crabbe and … of line'—"**_

"Draco Lucien Malfoy!" Both Malfoy parents shockingly enough shout and Lucius is first as he asks: "Was my episode in Flourish and Blotts not enough evidence that you shouldn't taunt others about their families?" And Narcissa goes on: "Forget that, I taught you better than that! You never insult one about his family, you hear me?"  
The boy nods and says: "Mother, trust me. This is not the last thing you will want to shout at me for." The woman glares and Ron says: "Mrs. Malfoy, just wait until after Dumbledore gets suspended. Then you'll have a reason for that glare." The woman looks intrigued, while Draco looks white and scared and I read on, quite curious myself.

 _ **A knot … to speak**_ _, wanting to give a quick excuse and get out of the courtyard as quickly as possible_ _ **, but he … with humiliation**_ _but shivering with fear_ _ **, Harry saw … with Harry**_ _, who was wishing he knew a good Vanishing Spell,_ _ **still clasped to his side.**_

"Will you let go of my son already, you dirty scumbag!" Sirius growls and then suddenly Kairi gasps. We all look at her as she starts to shine a bright white light. The light seems to change into a large lotus flower-shaped pod and while the light turns to metal, does the girl get taken from view by the pure white metal clasping closed around her.  
Some of the students stand up to get to her, but Sora says: "Don't worry, she's safe. This is a very special Pod I have used before." Everyone looks at him, some of the older ones lowering their wands a little or putting them back in their pockets and Dennis Creevey asks: "When did you use it, Sora?" And the boy answers:

"When I was about 12, people of an evil group called Organization VIII, tried to change my memories so they could use me as their puppet, but for that they needed Naminé a friend of mine. She defied them when their plan was nearly at its success and once some of its members were destroyed, she put me in such a pod to restore my memory."  
The students nod and those standing up sit back down, but then Marietta Edgecombe says: "But there's nothing wrong with Kairi's memory, is there? So why is she in the pod?" Sora shrugs and Riku says: "We have no idea, I don't even think Kairi did this herself. I think, like Sora and Roxas, Naminé is coming up within her.""Naminé is in Kairi?"

Marietta asks and Sora explains: "We told you about Nobodies, right? Well, some of them get the chance to remerge with their formal selves. Roxas got that chance with me, because part of my power was within him and I needed him to wake up from my pod and Naminé got that chance with Kairi." Marietta nods and I read on.

 _ **"A word … side door.**_

"Excuse me?" Minerva is shockingly enough quicker in saying this than either of Harry's new parents and she spats: "So Dumbledore does allow this near child-molester to talk to Harry personally, but not to let his own godmother near him? Who do those two bastards think they are?" And Harry answers in a timid voice:  
"A jackass way too high off himself for his own good and a manipulative, child-endangering old coot?" To which the woman says: "Right you are, little one, right you are." And she gets up, levitates her seat and takes it over to the bowl, setting it on the right, while Erica and Mss. Crenson are on the left of the bow.  
She then hugs Harry tightly and whispers: "I've been bad on my Godmother duties and have left you to the mercy of dangerous teachers and a terrible Headmaster, but no more, little one. No more." And Harry actually smiles, while his tense form shows his fear of being touched so lovingly by his Head of House. Shaking my head at this, I read on

 _ **"I covered … a staircase.**_

"What? I showed that jackass over 60 ways for us teachers to get to our classrooms without meeting kids a week before the school year. Why on earth isn't he using one of those?" McGonagall raves and my need to call in a break after this chapter rises as everyone seems to lose control of their emotions, even the ever-strict Minerva.  
Then Harry answers: "He wanted to settle the idea of two heroes at Hogwarts working together into everyone's mind. Using those passages would have ruined that idea. And he probably just liked being seen by young ones a little too much." The woman nods, while still scowling heavily and then Harry goes on as he says:  
"On the other hand, constantly using those passages does make you teachers look unreachable and against getting our attention. Were those set up by Dumbledore?" The woman nods and Harry rolls his eyes before he says: "Dumbledore is also always seen, so he doesn't use them either. It's to make the students rely on him."  
The teachers glare as they realize Harry's right and I do too as during my time I saw teachers pass our corridors at least once a week a corridor, while Dumbledore sometimes seemed to be in every corridor on the same time. Being seen makes you seem reliable and that is exactly what Dumbledore wanted. Scowling at the bastard's plans, I read on.

 _ **"Let me … real thing.**_ _But then he quickly turned them around, so he was looking at their backs – the less he saw of Lockhart, the better he would feel.  
_ _ **The rest … about that.**_

"First of all, you just did. Second of all, that Honorary membership of the Dark Force Defense League is a lie." Tonks says and she goes on as she says: "My mentor, Moody over there, is a one of the Seven Head Members and goes over all other aspirant and Honorary members. He took me there once and I never saw that jackass."  
This shocks me as I would have never expected Lockhart to lie about something as sacred to the Magical World as the Dark Force Defense League – even if those guys are getting more paranoid about Magical Creatures than Moody is about everything else – but Ronald, Ginny, Arthur, Minerva and Harry don't seem shocked.

Harry and Ron even share a knowing look and chorus: "Figures." Making me and many others wonder what he's on about. Then Harry says: "I'm not telling you anything, but I'm willing to give you a hint. It's something I discovered when I read 2 of all the Lockhart books we had to read. _**Voyages with Vampires and Wandering with Werewolves.**_ "  
Everyone looks at him as he seems to contemplate something and then he says: "I believe it was chapter 17 of the Werewolf book and I'm absolutely sure it was chapter 4 of the Vampire book. Check those for yourselves and you'll see why we're not surprised of Lockhart being a liar." The students murmur about this and I read on.

 _ **I didn't … well done.**_

"Yeah, you actually forced an entire set onto my little son, you dirty scumbag." Sirius growls, lying a protective hand on Harry's shoulder, but not pulling him from his Godmother's hug. Harry himself also doesn't seem all that uncomfortable anymore as he is now slightly relaxed, sitting in the woman's lap as I read on.

 _ **I thought … and read:**_

"Was it a good test?" Remus asks the class and Seamus Finnegan answers: "About Lockhart, yes." And Dean Tomas goes on, saying: "About actual Defense Against the Dark Arts, absolutely not." This confuses me, but then I read and say: "No way." Everyone looks at me and after silently rereading the words myself, I read out loud.

 _ **1\. What is … gift be?**_

"Fifty-four questions – about Lockhart?" Ted Tonks and Andromeda turns to the students in question as she asks: "How did you survive that year?" Everyone looks at her shocked and Ted answers: "Don't worry about her, she's still angry at Lockhart wanting to court her when we were three months into our engagement."  
Everyone looks shocked and the woman sighs as she says: "Had that over-ego-sized thickhead kept his mouth shut to mother and father, Ted and I might not have been disowned and I could have raised Dora a lot safer during the last war. I'll never forgive him." The students nod and I feel shocked at the news before I read on.

 _ **Half an … Old Firewhisky!"**_

"He actually said that to 12 year olds? IS HE CRAZY?" Andromeda shouts as she jumps out of the embrace her husband gave her earlier and then suddenly distraction from the idiot comes in the pod shining brightly before the lotus flower petals seem to bloom open, opening the pod and revealing not one girl – but two.

One of them is Kairi, who has a very peaceful and happy smile on her face as she comes out, but the other girl could easily pass for her twin sister. The girl does have a slightly paler complex, rosy cheeks and pale, pink lips, but other than her hair being longer and blonde, the girl is almost the perfect replica of Kairi.  
The two girls jump down from the pod and the blonde girl bows to Kairi as she says: "Thank you for reserving my body for this long, Kairi. I really needed to be away to get stronger, else I would never be able to help anyone's memories but Sora's." The other girl smiles and says: "No problem, Naminé. You are my Nobody after all."

Naminé nods and then I see Viktor look at Harry before he walks over to the two girls and asks: "Naminé, can you help me with something? It concerns my boyfriend." The girl looks at Viktor, who motions for Harry and when Naminé nods, Viktor moves his head to her shoulder and whispers some things in her ear.  
The girl looks shocked and looks back at Harry, who has his head down and his hands in his lap as a defeated look is seen on his entire face. The girl nods and then nods at Viktor, who smiles at her gratefully. I then say: "Okay, I will just finish this chapter and then we'll hold a break for lunch." Everyone nods and I read on.

 _ **He gave … silent laughter.**_ _Harry was the only male in the room that seemed to take Lockhart seriously, but that was because he knew what alcohol did to people. He did not want to be around a drunken Lockhart, that was for sure._ _ **Hermione, on … trembling hand,**_ _Harry moved his entire form behind his fortress of books, wishing he had his Invisibility Cloak.  
_ _ **"Excellent!" beamed … this room.**_

"Is he actually getting serious? Is he actually about to give a proper lesson about Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Andromeda asks, clearly disbelieving her own words and Dean Tomas snorts and says: "Yeah, the Lockhart kind of Defense." The woman shakes her head with a sigh and I feel like doing the same as I read on.

 _ **Know only … Cornish pixies."**_

I stop short here and shake my head, rereading the same four words at least three times before I mutter: "Freshly – caught – Cornish Pixies?" And Pomona says: "I knew there was a reason he didn't want me to give those to Wilhelmina." And Ron asks: "Why am I not surprised that he didn't catch those himself?" I myself agree and read on.

 _ **Seamus Finnigan … Seamus choked.**_

"Dangerous, no. Nasty, annoying and House-wrecking, yes." Nella says and Amos goes on: "Trust me, she can talk. Cedric caught one when he was six and actually brought in inside." Everyone laughs and then Seamus Finnegan says: "Trust me, with Lockhart around, those buggers can be dangerous." Everyone looks curious and I read on.

 _ **"Don't be … the cage.**_

Again I stop, several of the foreign students and all of the parents looking at me and Minerva says: "This is like the first chapter of the last book all over again. Back then there was no mention of charms being placed because they weren't and now there is no mention of Lockhart telling them how to take down Cornish Pixies, because –."  
And Sirius grumbles: "Lockhart didn't and thus endangered the entire student body of that class. Those things are tricky, playful and a lot stronger than you'd give them credit for." He then turns to Seamus and says: "You're right, with Lockhart around, they are indeed dangerous." Finnegan nods and I read on.

 _ **It was … the air.**_

"Told you! TOLD YOU!" Sirius shouts with his arms in the air and Andromeda then hisses: "Naminé, please fix Lockhart's memory when we visit St. Mungo's and when you're done – please check him for mental brain damage – or at least if he has a shortage of common sense brain cells." She ends with a vicious snarl.  
The girl nods and I can barely believe how calm she is as she sits in a simple white, wooden chair with heart ornaments at the top of the backrest and no arm rests with her hands crossed in her lap and a sweet smile on her face. Wondering what could be going on under those pale blond locks, I look at her a little longer before reading on.

 _ **Several shot … broken glass.**_ _Harry quickly levitated his books to be used as shield – not giving a crap what happened to them._

"Good quick thinking, Potter. You really know how to think on your feet no matter what." Moody says and Ron says: "Yep, Harry's the best when you let him think on his feet." And Hermione goes on: "And with all he's been hiding from us, I'm sure he'll be brilliant in thinking of long-termed plans too." Harry blushes and I read on.

 _ **The rest … "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"**_

"That unbelievable idiot! That's a made up spell! It's not even a spell! It's just the words Pesky Pixy Pester Not Me ragged together!" Andromeda rages and I whimper, while Ted seems to struggle in trying to keep his wife down. Realizing that the woman has the famous Black temper, I wonder if we'll survive her rants and read on.

 _ **It had … window, too.**_ _Had they not been up in the midst of a tower Harry would have wished for the Pixies to have done the same with Lockhart, if only to get further away from the man.  
_ _ **Lockhart gulped … gave way.**_

"Were you hurt?" Nella asks and Neville answers: "No, not really. I had a backache, but Harry taught me a few moves he uses to exercise with before working on a garden that really helped me off the ache." The woman nods and I smile at the boy, together with many others. But Harry just shrugs and I continue to read on.

 _ **The bell … the ear.**_ _Harry was just glad the man was gone.  
_ _ **"He just … Ron muttered.**_

I see the three in question shake their head and Harry says: "Dude, the Troll was one thing, but Lockhart? What the hell?" Ron shakes his head as he shrugs and Hermione says: "No way, it can't be." But Harry says: "Let's just wait before we draw any conclusions. Let's just see if there is even any other proof."  
The two nod and want to read on when I realize that the chapter's finished. I sigh relieved and say: "That was the end. The chapter's over. Let's take a break." Everyone nods and Sirius says: "Too bad the only place we can go to is the Side room." But then Riku and Sora smile at each other and together they ask: "Who says that?"

* * *

 _ **And that was that.  
**_ _ **Okay, I cannot tell you how glad I am that I only kept Umbridge for half a class as I am sure even when I first wrote this story, my hatred for Umbridge was through the roof. Anyway, everything that has been mentioned about the break and actions taken once the book reading is done will come to fruition, I can promise you that.  
**_ _ **Okay, Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	41. A Relaxing New World

_**And this time, we have some unexpected translations  
**_ _ **Ma Belle Amour is French for My Beautiful Love  
**_ _ **Ho voluto essere al vostro fianco per tanto tempo, mia bella  
**_ _ **Is Italian for I have wanted to be at your side for so long, my beautiful**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 40  
**_ _ **A relaxing new world**_

 _ **Sora's POV**_

I'm really glad that Riku's ability to travel between worlds – one that had gotten a boost after he became a Keyblade Master – will make sure we can provide the students with some much needed relief as, over the last few days, I have never seen either Andromeda or McGonagall react as fierce as they did last chapter.  
Then I feel Roxas responding to our plan and he asks: "Need some help?" To which I ask: "Can you?" And I feel him moving my body. My eyes widen and he says: "Hey, different souls, same body." Making me shrug as he spreads his fingers wide, his middle finger and forefinger to one side and the little and ring finger to the other.  
Feeling a power rise within me that I never felt before, I realize that Roxas is using the powers he learned as a Nobody when he was still with the Organization and my realization is proven as a vortex of dark power, created out of a single circle of dark, swirling power on the floor, and with a flaming outline shows up.  
Some students scream and I say: "No need to worry, this is just something my Nobody learned before he merged back with me. We're starting to become separate beings in the same body and he used this power to help us get to a new world. And no, we checked, the time spell does not affect us if we travel to another world."

The students that screamed now nod reluctantly and Remus says: "I'll go first." Stepping through the portal and shouting: "Holy white beaches of Maui!" Making me laugh and others look confused. Riku explains: "He's in our world, Destiny Island, which exists out of tropical islands." The students nod and the rest of the family slowly steps trough.  
The teachers are next and only the Heads stay behind to slowly and according to years direct their Houses through the portal. Finally all Heads, all students and all guests are through and I say: "After you, Riku, Kairi, Leon." The three nod and I follow them home, Roxas helping me close the portal behind me as I step onto the sandy beach.

I then turn and see everyone – except Leon, Kairi and Riku – look around shocked while at the same time everyone takes off their heavy robes. Yellow sand covers the part of the island on which we are currently standing and of course Riku, Kairi and I are on the small side island, rising out of the ocean about 4 feet away from the island.  
There are palm trees on this part of the island and a large tree, together with one gigantic mountain hide this part of the island from the other side, while another part of the island is also raised and has a bridge, connecting this side island to the rest of it. The raised piece of the island is also a Seaside Shack, where we keep most of our equipment and toys.  
This shack is reachable through a door carved into the mountain behind the platform and a small wooden shack build on the left of the platform. Another part of the island is also raised, this shown by wooden planks build against the front of the platform and this holds two ladders to higher, human build platforms and a waterfall with beautiful pond.  
Behind the waterfall, I remember quite well, is the secret place, a small cave carved out from rocks and covered in chalk drawings, including one of me and Kairi sharing a Papaou fruit that I believe I have to change and a secret drawing I made behind a large rock located there. And finally is the door to the world's heart located in that very place.  
One of the two platforms is simply to walk on and view the rest of the island from a higher view, while the other, the one near the Secret Place, holds a small treehouse where my friends and I hide if there's a storm. All in all the location is perfect, the scenery is beautiful and the weather couldn't be better as the sun shines like gold down upon us.

I smile at my island and say: "Welcome to our home. This is where Riku and I always pushed each other to be the best and this island is where we always watched the sunset, before we would go back to the main island with help of those canoes you see there." And I motion for the small wooden dock at the far south-west corner of the island.  
Everyone looks around shocked and Hermione asks: "You live here?" We shrug and nod and I say: "Yeah, and we believe this to be a much better place to read, don't you think? Cause if you want to stop listening, you can go fish, take a swim, go surf, or just relax in the sun. Sounds great, right?" Everyone nods and many of them smile.

Then McGonagall says: "Very well, we'll take a two hour break, have some lunch – I hope the House Elves can reach us here – and then continue the reading." But then I straighten my back and with my arm up and my thumb aimed at myself, I say: "Just leave lunch to us, Professor. You're all going to get a first class island meal."  
To this Riku turns to me and asks: "And if we can't catch enough fish fast enough?" But I smirk and whisper: "You and me go fish, Kairi and Leon go get the rest from the main Island. I'm not going to waste a month of provisions here on one meal." The boy snickers and quickly tells the plan to Kairi, while I see our guests split up to do something.  
Many of the younger years remain where they are, yet a lot of the older years either move over to the beach to have a lie down or move to explore the island, the Ravens having notebooks taken from their bags while Badgers move to happily sit together in relaxing spots, the Snakes moving to the Secret place and the Lions obviously out to explore.  
The Bulgarian all seem to just gather together in the shadow of the mountain and tree, yet the French seem to get highly excited as they change their robes into bikinis and swimsuits and then start running into the surf, laughing and running through the water and creating images that make many of the other school males drool at the sight.

Riku and I walk over to the Seaside shack, entering it on one side and leaving it from the other, each with a spear in hand. The shack had almost made me push Riku against one of the closely-build in walls and kiss his lights out, but my duty as host and fear that he would reject me had kept me back from doing so.  
Some students look shocked as they see the spears and Draco asks: "Wait, you're – you're going to catch our lunch?" I nod and say: "Yeah, we always do that. Especially on birthdays. Then we catch the same amount of fish for that meal as we do for a whole week." The boy looks shocked and slightly disgusted, to which Riku says:  
"Don't worry, we have a tub filled with desalinator. The fish will be perfectly edible, I assure you." Malfoy nods and I smile at Riku, loving how he always has a word of comfort or wisdom for whoever needs it. He smiles back at me and holds up his spear a little, asking: "You ready for some good-old fishing, Sora?" And I laugh: "You bet."

 _ **Harry's POV**_

This island is restful, beautiful, uncoverable, relaxing and all in all pure amazing and wonderful, making me smile as my parents and Viktor have found a small cove leading to the other side of the island and have taken our refuge there, me and mum sitting, while Viktor and dad lean against the side walls of the cove.  
All of us are watching as others are exploring the islands and I see Riku and Sora diving into the water, holding only their heads above water and moving so slowly I wonder if they're really swimming. Then dad says: "Now that's professional." I look at him and see he's looking at the same thing I am, before he says:  
"They're both moving so slowly, they're not causing too many vibrations and that makes the fish come close to them, because they don't realize humans are there. They think it's just other fish." This makes me look at the two impressed and mum asks: "Personal experience, lovely?" And dad's face turning sour speaks volumes.

Mum had his arms laid out behind him and his head in his neck as he asked the question, but seeing the expression he quickly moves to sit back up straight, his own expression showing his guilt for ruining the mood. The man then asks: "Let me guess, those twelve years you had to be alone during a full moon?"  
And dad answers: "Right at once, love." Making mum sigh. I cuddle with mum, lying my body under his arm pit and Viktor goes to lean against the other wall next to dad, both acts of comfort being reacted to by thankful smiles from both men and mum wrapping his arm around me to pull me closer into an embrace.

Of course, with others like Hermione I would have flinched or tensed up if someone were to hold me like this, but my mum has held me like this long enough during the reading to make me feel comfortable with it and I decide to bring the humor back, like the true son of a – no, three – Marauders would do and ask:  
"By the way, mum, never heard about knocking?" Making Viktor and dad laugh and turning mum red as he must remember how I almost cursed him earlier. The man hits me over the back of the head with the playful statement: "Little prat." Making me laugh too, but then his words scare me as he turns thoughtful and asks:  
"Wonder if you're still as ticklish as you were when you were just a baby. Want to find out, little son of mine?" And before I can respond is the man on me and is he tickling my sides and the part on my body just to the side of my left arm pit, making me cry out: "NO!" Before I surrender to giggling and laughing like hell under the terrible fingers.

 _ **Hermione's POV**_

Blaise and I are simply sitting on the dock Sora pointed out earlier and Blaise has already explained me how well Riku and Sora are hunting for fish together. Then I suddenly hear Harry screaming and look to where the sound came from, only to hear him laughing a minute later and from under the leafs of a palm tree I see him being tickled by Sirius.  
I smile at this and sit back down as I had feared the worst when I heard the scream just like Nella Diggory who had taken up the role of chaperone for us due to the courting and then Blaise asks: "So, how long do you think it'll take for those two to confess they love each other?" And I look at him confused before he says:  
"I mean Riku and Sora, Hermione. I saw them sending each other looks whenever the story turned dull or things happened that weren't too drastic. They really like each other and I'm just waiting for the bomb to burst. Seeing Riku's longing looks and Sora's obvious excitement and impatience, it's kind of hard to see who will burst first."

I look at him shocked and ask: "How – how did you notice that?" And he smirks as he says: "The handy thing about staying in the background is that no one notices it when you observe them. You're the first who noticed in the last four years, Ma Belle Amour." I look at him shocked, having learned a bit of French and ask:  
"You speak French?" The beautiful tanned boy nods and says: "It's a common thing for Pureblood kids to learn. Harry will have to as well, together with one other language of his own choice. I chose Italian." And he grabs my hand as he looks deep in my eyes and says: "Ho voluto essere al vostro fianco per tanto tempo, mia bella."  
I shake my head, barely understanding that and then he softly kisses the side of my lips, just at the right tip and whispers: "I said that I have wanted to be at your side for so long, my beautiful." And I feel a strong blush grace my cheeks as I never expected anyone to see further than either my brains or my character.

But for Blaise to actually think me beautiful makes me wonder something and I ask: "Blaise, did this start when I showed up at the Yule Ball?" Blaise smiles at me as I have my head facing my lap and he says: "No, when I was in the wooden suspension bridge and saw you punch Draco." I look shocked and ask: "You saw that?"  
He nods and says: "Truly, darling, it was priceless. I loved it and kept throwing it in his face the entire summer afterwards. Draco hated me." This makes me snicker and I ask: "Getting payback for his behavior, were you?" And he says: "Hey, if any Slytherin has to get him back for it, it better be someone who can actually take that prat."  
And we both laugh before I decide to see just how far we can go on a physical aspect considering the rules for the whole courting thing and softly lean over ever so slightly. And to my utter joy does Blaise happily wrap an arm around me and pull me close against his side, allowing me to feel just how strong this lean tanned lad really is.

 _ **Collin's POV**_

This island is amazing with capital A and I feel super proud that I followed professor Lupin's request and took my camera with me. The man had asked if I could take as many family pictures along with pictures of him and his mate and Harry and Viktor, but I'm sure he'll understand why I want to take pictures here too.  
I've been running around the entire beach, making pictures of just about every tree, every hill, cliff and all the wooden structures, have taken pictures of the waterfalls from three different angles and have even snuck my camera into the small cave I found to take a single picture, before going over in snapping photos of how everyone is reacting to the island.  
So far I have Professor Lupin and Viktor relaxing against the wall of a small hidden cove, Harry losing his breath while being tickled by Mr. Black, Professor McGonagall standing on the highest structure to supervise everyone, Madame Maxime and Hagrid getting some fruits from the high palm trees and Hermione and Blaise laughing together.

I also managed to make good use of a part-time job I started shortly after the beginning of my first year and managed to get people who had someone crushing after them to pose for me, so I could take a picture to send to their admirers. And while I know that some of my clients would rather I be more sneaky, would I never spy on my targets.  
The only one who had been less than impressed had been a Seventh year Slytherin who actually had a Sixth year Ravenclaw crushing after her, yet I had made the smart deal with her that I would convince her admirer to just keep his fancy to the picture instead of her. After making this deal, the girl had shrugged and posed for me.  
And to be honest, I had wondered about the tastes of some of my clients as one of them actually crushes on Pansy Parkinson, yet because of Crabbe and Goyle, had I refused this client and told him how they pester and bully me enough without me enticing them as it was. The Hufflepuff had sighed, but nodded in understanding.  
All in all I just don't want to leave the island, too many chances for good pictures await me here. And while I happily take a picture of the huge and wide ocean and the island that has many houses on them and can be seen in the far distance, do I think: "I really hope Sora and Riku stay until I turn off age, so I can come home with them then."

 _ **Andromeda's POV**_

This is exactly what I have always envisioned me and Ted to visit on our honeymoon or an anniversary or maybe even send Nymphadora to, so she and her, possible, husband can live their lives here happily. But now I have a new goal for this island and I gulp, taking a deep breath before walking over to the south east of the island.  
There my sister is sitting on an cushion made out of palm tree leaves, charmed to stick together like that, and the woman has a stylish blue pair of sunglasses on her face, while clearly enjoying as little sunshine as possible, thanks to her terrible pale skin. And to my slight relief is she joined by several French girls with the same complexion.  
I sigh and take a crate I see standing close by, sitting next to the woman and looking up, enjoying and admiring how there are just no clouds visible at all unless you look down to the horizon and the other Island visible deep within the horizon, obviously miles away. For minutes neither of us speaks and I just enjoy my sister's company.  
Then she asks: "Any valid reason you came to see me, Andy?" And just by the shortening of my name and the use of my old nickname do I know that my mission, to get reacquainted with my long-lost sister, isn't as hard as I first thought. I smile at the woman and say: "Not really. You any reason not to talk to me, Cissy?"

And the woman answers: "Not really, no." Making us both smile. And while the woman may pretend to be relaxing, is the fact that she is still close to where her family are seated proof that she thought out her postion just fine and even while seated next to her, can I easily sense her gazing at them from behind her sunglasses.  
"Even with how different we responded to our upraising and how different we have become since our marriages, we still have one thing in common. We still care for our family above all else and will always feel protective of them." Goes through my mind as I enchant the crate into a lounging chair as I lean back and relax myself.


	42. That Is One Helpful Raven

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So this was originally a chapter where there was more HarryxViktor romance, but there was one major problem written in the chapter that makes it inconsistent. In the original version Harry sang a song during the break between the first and second book, yet I deleted that, so Viktor wanting to reward a song for a song?  
**_ _ **Yeah, that sounds way too strange, especially to those who never read the original. And there is, of course, also the new Courting rules that I have to keep in mind as well. So while there may be a bit Harry-Sirius communication, the most of this chapter will be completely rewritten and will instead focus on something else.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 41  
**_ _ **That Is One Helpful Raven**_

 _ **Destiny Islands  
**_ _ **Andrew Hornwald's POV**_

So much has changed since Cedric and I thought we were having our breakfast before the Third task and the fact that I owe a fourteen year old the life of my best friend is something I still have trouble believing, but that is because my family has always raised me to be very disbelieving in regards to Harry Potter and his fame.  
It made me have trouble taking the boy himself seriously and when he became the main topic of the first article about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, it had been the straw that broke the camel's back. Yes, every other time the boy had been slandered, he had managed to prove his attackers wrong, yet I felt this time was different.  
Different, because it was the press that – to my beliefs – was in cahoots with the lad and different, because I believed that, if this hadn't been so, either the boy himself or his Magical Guardian would have publically fought what had been written about him in the articles. Because neither happened, I believed the articles as truth.

Yet for the third time in four years did we all get proven wrong and the idea that, thanks to Voldemort's return and the Minister's possible denial on the former, we will slander the lad for a fourth year in a row is a fact that makes me actually wonder if I really belong in the House of the Fair and the Loyal.  
At this I sigh as I lean back against the mountain wall that has a set of waterfalls coming down from it and that has grown out of the island right next to the largest tree I have ever seen and then suddenly a voice shocks me as it asks: "Nargles? Even here? Oh my!" And I instantly look up and see someone who has been around on and off.  
The girl has long blonde hair and very clear eyes that look like the moon in their color, yet they don't seem to be able to really see me, even though the girl is looking at me directly. Then I register what it is that she said and I ask: "Wait, what?" And the girl answers: "You have a whole swarm of Nargles around you, you know that?"

And suddenly I realize that this is the girl that we Puffs often see sitting by herself and who has been seen putting up notices that she is missing certain items at the end of the year both last year and the year before it and I think: "She's been bullied! Bullied and stolen from! And that by her own House and year mates, no less."  
And instantly all that I know that makes me a real Hufflepuff comes out in me as I look down, noticing that she is without shoes yet again and I get up as I say: "I may be covered in Nargles, but your feet will be covered in all kinds of dirt and grime if we don't get you some shoes. No, no discussion, now let's go."  
And while the girl looks slightly shocked, does she then say: "Oh wow, they disappeared." And while I have no idea what Nargles are, do I still smile, thinking: "They pick on this cute little thing? What are those Ravens thinking?" And while I wrap a brotherly arm around her shoulders, do I start moving around the Island.

 _ **30 Minutes Later  
**_ _ **Lee Jordan's POV**_

"I'm home!" This was the first thought that went through my mind the minute I stepped through that crazy black smoke thing and by now I managed to get to the top of the runway that is build against the huge tree, am leaning on the banister and looking out over the most gorgeous view I have ever seen, even greater than a Hogwarts view.  
I can see everything that this island has to offer and while I know that, in maybe a month or two's time, my two best friends would get absolutely bored out of their minds in here – even more than if they had listened to that woman and started working for the Ministry – does even this fact not take away my love for this place.  
"How I wish I could just live here. Right here, in this incredible, simple world. Self-servient in food, gorgeous in weather, incredibly healthy when it comes to exercise seeing the distance between this island and the one further up can be crossed by either swimming or taking a cano like Leon and Kairi did half an hour ago.

"I sure am going to miss those guys – maybe even my family too. But I've always been determined, resilliant and – well, I just never felt at home in the Magical world. Could – could this have been the reason? I mean, my mum did want me to take the old-fashioned journey across the world that wizards used to years ago.  
But now that I am looking at the incredible view this high-up spot provides, now that I can feel the warm summer breeze flow through my dreads and make me feel like I should undo them and let my hair flow free, now that the sun makes me feel like I am growing a tan over my tan, do I think: "Do I even still need that trip?"

And just by looking at the sights around me, do I know the answer to that, yet then another problem rears its ugly head in my mind as I look slightly to the side and down to where I see Harry having taken a seat in a large cave opening together with his Courting partner and his new parents and I gaze at the boy as I think:  
"Can I really stay here? Now that I know just how much Harry needs all those that always cared so much for him? I could barely be there for him the last few years because so many – including that no-good Head-loser – told me Harry was perfectly happy with the friends he already had and I could only offer back-up assistance.  
Now Harry is laying his soul out for everyone to bare, we discover that he's actually suicidal and there are still so many issues and horrible problems that will surely be revealed as the books progress. Doesn't that indicate that I should just return with everyone and – forget my dreams of moving here? Should I forget them to support him?"

"You're so calm." A soft voice suddenly says and I turn away from the four to where I see the girl that – I know for a fact – has always been an outcast to her own House, but who has also always showed great ressilliance and her own form of self-respect standing next to me and playing with the bottle caps on her necklace.  
"You always scream so much. It's nice to see you this calm." The girl says, her eyes probably as far off in their gaze as mine must have been earlier and she looks up at the tree behind us as she asks: "It's the Island, isn't it? They make you happy." At which I nod and then the girl smiles and says: "That's nice." Startling me.  
She then turns away and then says one sentence that makes me realize that I was being stupid and way too self-conscious with my thoughts as she says: "No one is happy, when those close to them aren't happy. Harry especially." And while others would have asked her how she knew, do I just smile and say: "Thank you, Luna."  
And as the girl moves down the ladder, do I see her smile at me, her gaze actually clear and shining with great happiness and while I focus back on the horizon with a smile, do I think: "If Harry wasn't swinging for the same team, Luna would have been perfect for him." And this makes me snicker to myself softly, but with great glee.

 _ **Half an hour later  
**_ _ **Connor Ellersby's POV**_

"Everything in life can give you so much information, but right now I feel like getting an information overload. This island – there is just so, so, so much to see and study. It's a world outside of our own solar system and yet at the same time it has so many similarities to our own planet. This is what astronauts are looking for."  
Goes through my mind as I feel very, very happy that I took the tool kit for astrology geeks that my mother gave me for my last birthday with me when I entered the Great Hall this morning as I had a feeling that the people Lady Erika would want to show us their home the way they got to see our world the last few days.

Yet, from a biased point of view, I know that no one who has met them would have expected them to live in a relaxing, calm, peaceful world like this one as they are both quite buffed and have looks in their eyes that indicate that they have seen way more than others their age; Riku more than either of his two friends.  
And while I have no doubt that the matters are quite personal, does a part of me really feel like seeing if I can talk to him and – somehow – make him tell me about his troubles and adventures and I think: "Seventeen years old, just finished my N.E.W.T.s and I still don't know if I want to be an astronomer or a Mind Healer."  
And I shake my head at this as, while she had done it out of the goodness of her heart, my mother has long since made it tradition to gift me with a whole set of tools and books dedicated to a single possible career choice and over the last few years she got the chance to slim the choices down to two last ones; astronomy and Mind Healing.

Yet while the idea of studying that what the regular eye can't see when looking at the stars feels both exciting and – right now – slightly sated, do I also feel highly intrigued with the idea of finding out another person's darkest secrets and pieces of his past and then helping them past the many ways these pasts could be hurting them.  
"And now, now that I am only a few days away from leaving Hogwarts, I find out that there is actually one person in Hogwarts who can use that help more than the people in the Janus Thickey ward at Hogwarts. And then, to make matters both worse and better, I find out both his new parents are in the same boat as he is."  
And I again sigh and run a hand through my long blonde hair that, at young age, I started dying to have a few black strands here and there and then look out into the distance and past the other island I can see from where I am seated, near the wooden bridge that connects the small circular island to the rest of the island.

"See, I told you he was our guy." A soft melodious voice then suddenly sounds behind me and I look up, smiling as I see Luna as I have made it my personal goal for the last few years to keep her safe from as many of her bullies as possible, yet I also feel quite intrigued to see that she has the strange blonde girl with her.  
The girl is supposed to be called Naminé and is apparently Kairi's so-called Nobody, though to me the name twin would have sounded better yet I ignore this and instead, like every other time when the girl approaches me, do I ask: "Can I help you girls?" And the small blonde Nobody instantly makes me get why she and Luna are friends.  
"I am actually here to help you. Luna told me you like helping people past their past transgressions and so called skeletons and I plan to check Harry for his sometime during this reading. Maybe you can join me when I do so and offer your services to Lord Black." To which I think: "My dream target to try out one of my dream jobs."  
And while part of me feels bad that I think of a boy that needs help so badly and that has been through way more than he has let on even to his friends as a target, do I still smile at the two girls, thinking they and Kairi could easily pass as a triplet and say: "Count me in, girls." Making the two of them giggle as they come sit with me.  
"You can really live out your dream job while here, you know." Naminé then says and I smile, knowing she means both this world as well as any other world that Sora and Riku might send us to and while leaning forward to catch a sudden bit of wind that blows past our platform, do I say: "I know, I can't wait." Making them smile.

 _ **Half an hour later  
**_ _ **Daphne Greengrass' POV**_

"I have never seen a mask quite like Potter's. And then I am the one who is called the Ice Queen of Slytherin. That Bulgarian is bleedingly lucky that he got Black's permission for that Courting trial, though I am not entirely sure he realizes that. Sure, he's as famous as Potter, but I'm sure his agent keeps desiring fiancés at bay."  
Goes through my mind while I am at a wooden platform that is located between two of the large groups of trees on the far south-west side of the Island and while many of my fellow snakes are here – and many more have searched out the cave near the waterfalls as they must feel comfortable there, are my eyes aimed elsewhere.  
From where I am standing I have a perfect view of Potter and his family and the fact that, only a week into his Courting trial, Krum has Lord Black's permission to hang around him and his family is something I am sure a lot of other girls are quite jealous of, yet I have never felt attracted to Potter; not him and not his fame.

"It's actually hard, you know?" A voice that I have grown to regard as my brother's over the years I grew up suddenly says and while I hate that I allowed anyone to get this close to me without me knowing it, do I turn to where Draco is leaning against the same wall as I am and has his gaze aimed at my target as well as he says:  
"I mean, we've been raised to believe the Dark Lord to be the ultimate leader, that Dark magic tops everything and everyone and that Muggleborns are nothing more than slaves waiting to have their masters take over their lives and put them in their place. And now suddenly all our life's beliefs have been turned on their heads.  
Now a man I was taught my whole life was but a stain on the Pureblood's perfect way of life is both the Lord of one of the most powerful Dark families known to England as well as Regent of the most well-known Light Family through his son. And to make things even crazier is his bonded someone father always called a beast."

"You're doing it pretty good, though. Adapting to this new life and all these shocks and discoveries that we have had sent our way since the reading started." I tell him and he sighs as he says: "That's because of Black himself. Though, I should really say that it's because of how he treats our ancient Pureblood protocols."  
This makes me curiously look between the four of them sitting in the shade and my surrogate brother and he says: "Take that – that smart-ass Granger. She's been trying to prove herself superior to our ways of life and traditions and whatnot – and now Black is actually adapting them so that she actually understands and accepts them.  
He may not treat the traditions our families have lived with for generations, he may be changing them – which is something we always hated about – about _them_ – but he does it in such a way we get to keep the upper hand, get to savor large amounts of what our traditions are like and still see why Muggleborns can benefit from the changes."

"He does what Dumbledore should have done for years." I say and then suddenly Draco laughs hard and says: "Don't ever tell him that. He will probably curse you for comparing him to the man that hurt him, his mate and son so much." Yet I smirk back at the laughing blonde and say: "I wasn't comparing them, I was complimenting him."  
And Draco snickers again, yet I turn back to the four in the shade and ask: "Have you had any troubles? Since we found out you were the reason Potter didn't end up in Slytherin, I mean?" Yet Draco makes me roll my eyes as he toughens up and shrugs before he says: "Nothing I can't handle, don't worry about it."

At this I shake my head and then say: "Come on, I think it's almost time for the reading to start back up." And while he tries to hide it, do I notice him suppressing a shudder of concern before suddenly a voice says: "They will always love you." And when we look over the banister, do we see Luna Lovegood moving away from us.  
"First Draco and now Lovegood? How am I allowing both of them this close to me? Why is this island lowering all my self-preservation skills?" Goes through my mind, but then I notice Draco turning a little more back to his own complexion and smile as I think: "Never mind, that is one helpful Raven." As I move down to the beach.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So this was supposed to end with Harry and Sirius discussing the issue of them suddnely being a family and how they are supposed to deal with that and at what pace and whatnot, but I felt this whole thing of focusing on new characters and how Luna helps them just too brilliant to also add that to this all.  
**_ _ **So, instead of that, I will add the whole thing where Harry and Sirius agree to just take the whole thing a step back and go back to first-name basis to the start of next chapter and, considering what will happen next chapter, do I feel that the three things do fit quite nicely together and much better than as part of this chapter.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	43. Returning And Adjusting

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **I know it might not interest you very much, but we are almost at the point that I promised to get to when it comes to this Christmas present to you guys. I promised I would at least give you all a total of 12 chapters and this might just be the second to last chapter I will have edited for you guys to read early, though more might get added.  
**_ _ **Anyway, merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 42  
**_ _ **Returning And Adjusting**_

 _ **Sora's POV**_

Fishing had been a real task. And not because I haven't been doing it in a while or because the fish kept swimming away from me, but because my eyes kept drifting off to Riku, who's hair shone like silver when wet, whose muscles shone with the water stuck to them and who's eyes were like pale sapphires in the light of the sun.  
I had to keep drawing my focus back on the fish and often this only happened when one of them would swim right past the corner of my eye or accidentally slap against my body, shocking me out of my staring and making me move quick enough to catch it, the fish shocked by my sudden movement and me berating myself for staring.  
I would then use Wind Magic to move the fish over to the side island, my pile on one side of the Papaou fruit tree and Riku's pile on the other side. Of course, we had both agreed to only catch 20 fish and to let Kairi and Leon get the rest of the fish, together with loads of bread and meats, while Wakka and Tidus would go and fetch some fruits and fresh water.

We had changed the rules of our bet from who could catch the most fish to who could catch 20 fish the first and the one who lost would have to make the fire and roast them, while the winner would only have to desalinate the fish and would get the first fish. Currently Riku and I are tied and we both only have to catch one more fish.  
Not wanting to lose the match just because I'm starring at the boy again, I dive down only to use the current and – like a Dolphin – jump over Riku, before swimming to the other side of the side island, where I know a small cove where fish often lay their eggs. I swim over to that side of the island and while doing so, don't notice Riku staring.

 _ **Riku's POV**_

Catching fish while having that delicious young and small body close to me, following my trail and trying to catch any fish I miss was hard enough, but to actually see him jump over me, body stretching and bending elegantly and having water drops all around him, enchanting his beauty makes it plain impossible for me to focus on fishing any longer.  
Instead I silently follow him, his movement graceful and widely varied, showing he has learned loads from his visits to Atlantica, the world under the Sea ruled by King Triton. Here Sora had, as he told me, been given a blue dolphin tail with dorsal fin and it's quite obvious that he has great control over using it as he now shows me.

I hide behind the side of the side island, more than willing to miss that one fish if it means I can look and openly stare at my lovely Sora, a boy who stole my heart years ago and who I longed to see again when he went to look for me and the King.  
It had only been my new looks as Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, that had kept me from my Sora back then, but now nothing holds me back as the real Ansem the Wise had used a device to save us all and when the device had malfunctioned and exploded, the power of the explosion and Ansem's heart's power had changed me back.  
Yes, I had changed slightly as I had been taller, my hair had been longer and my eyes had turned paler, but other than that, my features turning more defined and my length having heightened I had been completely back to my old form and only our battle against Xemnas had held me back from starting to court Sora there and then.

I shake my head and turn to Sora, only to see no Sora. I look from side to side, trying to find him, but can only find Kairi and Leon drifting back to us on Kairi's canoe and the students and guests enjoying the sand. I quickly take a deep breath and dive down, seeing Sora swim into a small alcove near the side island.  
I swim a little more to the open waters, trying to see Sora and then suddenly see a whole swarm of fish swimming out, Sora quickly grabbing one and swimming back to the surface, his elegant moves and quick reflexes almost making me gape at his beauty, was it not for the fact that I'm still underwater – something my lungs quickly remind me off.  
I shoot to the surface and gasp, trying to pull as much oxygen into my lungs as possible and hear Sora shout: "I win! I get the first fish – RIKU!" And the boy hurries to my side, his moves no longer elegant, but sloppy like they looked when we left the Dark Meridian and landed face first into the ocean near Destiny Island.

He quickly reaches me and, like when I was injured, pulls one of my arms over his shoulder while he swims us both to shore. There he lies me down and asks: "Are you alright, Riku?" And I say: "Yeah, I'm fine, Sora. No need to worry." While my heart bursts with happiness over the worry shown in the boy's beautiful blue eyes.  
He shakes his head and asks: "What on earth were you doing that caused you to gasp like that?" And, quickly thinking of a good excuse, I say: "I was just trying to see if there were any fish near the side island when a school of fish shocked me and caused me to involuntarily take a gulp of water down my throat, nothing big."  
The boy nods and says: "Well, that is kind of my fault. There's this small alcove where some fish either rest temporarily or lay their eggs and I went to check to see if I could catch my last fish there. They kind of shot out of the alcove and you must have seen them do that." I nod, glad he believes the excuse and sit up.  
Sora takes a small step back and asks: "You okay, again?" I smile at him, something only Sora can easily get me to do, and say: "Yeah, Sora. I'm okay. And seeing I lost the bet, why don't you go and pick what fish you want?" The boy looks doubtful for a second, but then smiles and nods at me, leaving me on the beach.

I lean forward, wrapping my arms around my raised knees and whisper: "Oh darling Sora, if only I could tell you how I feel." And I remember how, while listening to the waves on the beach in the Dark Meridian, I told Sora that I was jealous of him for being able to live his life the way he did; just following his heart.  
We then confessed how, having each other for a friend made us better than the other and made us have something the other didn't have. Back then, I know I would have confessed further into my feelings had that bottle with Kairi's letter not arrived, giving us a way out of the Dark Meridian and back to Destiny Island, to our friends.  
That was now almost five years ago and still I feel stupid for opening the letter first and not trying to tell Sora right after our return how I felt. But then again, what eleven year old tells his ten year old friend he loves him, that he's _**in**_ love _**with**_ him. I knew we were too young and held back, but now regret not doing anything else over the years.

I see Sora check every fish he grabs, holding it and closing one eye to look at the width and size of it and laugh as Sora had always been picky when it came to food. He could eat whole banquets if he wanted to, but he always made sure he had the best – or that we all did if there was a Birthday party of someone going on.  
I then go back into the Seaside Shack and grab a few logs that Wakka and Tidus cut off from trees for us a week ago and while amazed we can keep the wood for so long, I walk over to the small part of the beach under the bridge and put the logs in a perfect campfire shape, summoning my Keyblade to light a small fire.

But then a loud, beautiful and otherworld sound comes from all around and seems to fill my heart with the hope that Sora will one day love me like I love him. I look around and see a large fire appearing in midair and from it, the most beautiful Phoenix, with red plumage, black eyes and golden wing and tail feathers appears.  
Then McGonagall gasps and says: "Fawkes! How did he get here?" And Amelia Bones goes on, saying: "We have to search the island. If Fawkes is here, Dumbledore can be here too. We can't let him escape justice." I look around, searching for the old coot I was told about, but then the Phoenix shocks me.

Crying loudly, it shoots at the fire I just lit and as I jump back and unceremoniously land on my ass, I see it diving into the flames, causing them to burst out high enough to reach just above my own height when I'm standing and before my eyes they seem to try and form some kind of shape. Sora quickly runs over to me and we both watch the flames take shape.  
Two large flames spread out to the sides and as they do, the ends change into a circle of fire each. Then, before our eyes, the flames seem to change and both my and Sora's eyes widen – me quickly grabbing Sora's hand resting on my shoulder – as we see parts of the flames divide, some parts changing into one thing, other parts into something else.  
The largest part of the flames, from the chunks of wood to just above my own height change into a long black cloak with silver zipper and chains hanging from the collar. The circles of fire change into metal Chakrams and the top of the flame changes into a head with fiery red hair and a pale skin, green upturned pyramid marks under the eyes.

I look at the man, who must have been the Phoenix that just dived into the flames in shock as he lowers his arms and opens his eyes to me and Sora, showing a pair of amazing emerald green color, yet different from the bright emerald green eyes Harry has. Wondering if I saw this man before, Sora shocks me as he asks:

"Axel?"

And the man smiles, banishing one of his weapons and moving his forefinger to his left temple, tapping it as he says: "So you got my name memorized, huh Sora?" And the boy asks: "I thought you destroyed yourself. I saw you fading away after you saved us both from all those Dusk Nobodies in Betwixt and Between."  
The man nods and says: "Yeah, I remember that, but apparently I somehow got left as a Phoenix egg that flamed itself to some market or something. By the time I could focus and had a proper conscious again, I realized I was a Phoenix and was bond to some old guy you all call Dumbledore or something like that.  
It didn't take me long to realize this was a world you guys had never visited before, so I just stayed bonded to the old man and tried to keep an eye out. I heard you were reading about 1992, right?" Sora nods and he says: "Well then, you'll soon see little old me in action once again. I helped Harry out of quite the tight spot, you know."

Sora and I look at each other and then Axel asks: "So, how's Roxas?" And Sora answers: "He and I fully merged together in the Altar of Naught before we took down Xemnas, but now he and I are starting to have different opinions about things and it seems he too will soon reappear. At least if things go the way they are now."  
This makes the red-head smile and he says: "Good, then I won't have to make the same mistake I did last time." And Sora, with his hands on his hips asks: "What, kidnap Kairi and try to turn me into a Heartless again?" Instantly my need to kill that bastard rises, but I keep sitting and listen as they continue the conversation.

"Yeah, now that I've seen where that leads me, I don't think I'll need to go and try that again." And I mutter: "Especially not now that Kairi has a Keyblade of her own." And the man named Axel asks: "She has a Keyblade of her own?" I nod and then turn to Sora, deciding to ask the one question constantly on my mind:  
"How do you know this guy? I saw him appear in Digital Traverse Town a few times, but how do you know him?" And Sora answers: "Met him a few times throughout my search for you. In fact, had it not been for him, Donald, Goofy and I would have either been stuck in Betwixt and Between or we would have been killed by Dusks."  
This makes me look at the man in shock and he says: "Yeah, and how does fate reward me? It locks me in a Phoenix egg and then bonds me to a man who is more manipulative and Dark than Xemnas himself. Thanks a lot." He throws his arms up in exasperation, before crossing them over his chest, while Sora and I look on, shocked.

The man shakes his head and asks: "So, what happened to you over the years?" I shrug and Sora says: "Well, Donald, Goofy and I took down Xigbar, Kairi got her own Keyblade, we reunited with Riku, defeated Luxord, Saix and Xemnas, met the real Ansem the Wise and saw him sacrifice himself when he failed turning Kingdom Hearts into data."  
The man whistles and Sora lies his hands in the back of his neck as he says: "And that was only after you gave us the passageway to the Land That Never Was." The man looks shocked and I go on: "Sora and I also had to fight Xemnas another three times before almost being destroyed by Dusks and visited the Dark Meridian."

Axel rubs the back of his head and then I notice how he must be sweating in that thick black robe, seeing how the cuffs of the arms are tightened around his wrists and how he even wears black gloves. I turn to Sora and say: "I'll get Axel some of our reserve clothes, you go tell McGonagall the situation is okay regarding Dumbledore."  
Sora nods, grabs his fish and runs off, making me smile at him before I stand up and take Axel to our Seaside Shack. The space might seem a little too cramped for two people to stand in, but to make sure we wouldn't catch a cold, Wakka had build in an extra closet with reserve clothes in the wall and I knock trice on the wall to open the door.  
I then take a step to the side and say: "Take your pick. Because I really think that those robes are just too thick for this weather." But Axel laughs and says: "Hello, you're talking to the Nobody of Fire. I can control the temperature these clothes let through, so you don't have to worry. Thanks anyway." I shrug and then decide to come clean.

I lean against the wall next to the closet and ask: "How good can you keep a secret?" The man sighs and says: "So well I lost a friend, because I was too stubborn to tell him the truth about himself." I nod and ask: "You mean Roxas? Was that why he was actually heading back to the castle when I fought and caught him?"  
The man looks shocked and asks: "Roxas was coming back?" I nod and say: "He wanted to go and destroy Kingdom Hearts. It was – well, you probably don't remember her, I can barely remember her name myself – but it was Xion's last wish before she gave herself and her essence – his memories of Kairi – back to Sora."

Axel shakes his head and leans against the opposite wall, muttering: "Xion, yes – yes I do, I do remember. I made her a promise just before we fought. I promised I would bring her back – her and Roxas –, no matter how much they ran away. I promised myself to do whatever was needed to keep my friends close."  
This makes me smile and ask: "But Roxas meant more to you, didn't he?" He nods and says: "He always made me feel as – as if I had a heart." This sets me to think, but then I focus back on the subject I wanted to discus and say: "I know you're going to hate it, but don't tell this to Sora. I want to do that myself, when I'm ready."

Axel nods and I mutter: "I love him." He tilts his head and I say: "Sora. I love Sora. I love everything about him and it's the whole bloody reason Malificent was able to turn me to the Darkness. I thought I loved Kairi, but I was jealous of her, of how she had Sora's love – and often most of his attention." I then shake my head and say:  
"Whenever I think of Xion I remember how she was made out of Sora's memories of Kairi and that reminds me that, then, Kairi was the most important person to Sora, a thought that breaks my heart every time I think of it. Had – had I not been controlled by the Darkness before those thoughts would have surely done the same."

Axel sighs and I say: "Sorry, it's just." But the man shakes his head and says: "Just talk, Riku. I don't mind. I just wish Roxas and Sora hadn't merged." He then turns to me and asks: "May I ask you a question? Just out of personal curiosity?" I nod and he asks: "How do you feel? I mean, what do you think about when around Sora?"  
I look shocked and then look down, closing my eyes and grasping deep within myself as I see Sora in front of my closed eyelids, the boy turning around to face me, in his beautiful black outfit that allows him so many powers and whisper: "Sora." Before I start talking, just letting every thought I ever had about him roll from my tongue:

"He makes me smile no matter how dark the situation. He even makes me laugh or smile just looking at what he does. He makes me feel as if I actually matter. He says my name as if it's the only thing he ever wants to say. He has the most amazing, gravity defying hair and his eyes – well, I can just always tell what he's thinking looking into them.  
He's always so innocent, I just have to protect him. If there was to be anyone who has to lose himself to the Darkness, I wish it would be me all over again, because I know he will pull me back to the Light. Just being around him makes me want to do all kinds of things, if only to keep him busy, entertained and enjoying himself."

I can barely believe I said so much and ask: "Have you ever –." But then hold silent, remembering how Nobodies can't feel, but the man shrugs and says: "Strangely enough, I often think the exact same thing around Roxas. He was younger than me, but I still cared so deeply for our meetings at the Clock tower and to see him smile."  
I nod and say: "I'd give up everything too if I could just stay with Sora at our usual spot forever. Giving up us watching the sunset together – even if it's with Kairi – is something I'd die to protect, just like him and his innocence." The man nods and asks: "I know Sora doesn't, but remember our time in Castle Oblivion?"

I nod and he says: "I let Naminé escape. It was my way to not only thwart the plans of Marluxia and Larxene, but also because I wanted to see how Sora would react to it. When she ran I spoke to myself and said how it should be interesting. Told Sora he should make it enjoyable as that was the least he could do.  
The strange thing was, after that I actually laughed. When I realized that what was going on was not me remembering how it felt to be happy, but that I was actually happy right there and then – I realized you and Sora really are something else." He then looks at me, while his explanation has deeply shocked me and says:  
"You're both the most amazing Keyblade wielders in all of history as you both have the power to use your hearts and the power that rests within it when you fight. And by using your heart, pouring it into your Keyblade and showing that, whether you have your Keyblade out or not, you have an amazing affect on those around you."

I look shocked and then, everything he said makes me think of something and I ask: "Wait, repeat what you just said. About hearts and Keyblades!" He looks at me confused and says: "I said that you people pour your hearts into your Keyblades and that that makes you special Keyblade wielders. Got it memorized, Riku?"  
He asks, again tapping his temple with his forefinger, but I ignore this and say: "You need a heart to have a Keyblade. You –need a heart – to have a Keyblade!" I look at him and shout: "YOU NEED A HEART TO HAVE A KEYBLADE!" And he pushes himself against the shack as he says: "I heard you the first time, you know?"  
But I ask: "Don't you get what this means? Sora's Nobody – Roxas! He had a Keyblade. He was able to wield it. Hell, he even let some of those powers be transferred into Xion, even if it was without him knowing it. But if you need a heart to have a Keyblade –." And Axel fills in: "Then Roxas had a heart as well!"

Now I smile and with my arms crossed, I ask: "Finally catching on, are you?" The man glares at me and I say: "Let's just keep what we spoke of, how we feel about Sora and Roxas and what we discovered about the Keyblade and one's heart a secret for now. Sora and Roxas can demerge any minute now and when that happens –."  
And a smirk, worthy of a true hero, appears on my face as Axel asks: "Let me guess, you're going to kiss the lights out of a certain brown haired Keyblade Wielder?" I shrug, not feeling the least bit embarrassed and ask: "Aren't you going to do the same with his Nobody then?" And the man waves me away as he says:  
"Nah, I'm going to do what we usually do. Invite him over for some ice-cream at the Clock Tower, talk about nothings and every things and –." He points his index finger at me and says: "Then I'm going to pull him towards me, admire that blonde-haired beauty and show it – by kissing his lights out." I laugh and we leave the shack.

Outside Sora is waiting for us and says: "Riku, McGonagall transfigured several grains of sand into chairs and tables. All we need is the tub with the disinfector for the fish." I nod, grab the tub and take it to Sora, allowing him to dump his fish in. Quickly undoing the fish of salt and other germs, I hand it to Sora and then take care of all other fish.  
Soon we're having lunch and I can tell, by the looks Axel sends Sora, that he's eagerly awaiting Sora and Roxas' demerging. I shake my head, knowing that so far, the two are only actively sharing memories and that it will probably take a long time before Axel can follow up to his plan to steal Roxas' heart.

As soon as Lunch ends, McGonagall stands up and says: "This island is currently a perfect combination of relaxation and focus and we will use it to read as long as Sora, Kairi and Riku allow us. Please form teams with those you care about and then raise your hands so that the teachers can conjure seating for you."  
But then Harry rolls his wheelchair over to her and asks: "Ma'am, could my family and I ask for, perhaps, five more minutes? There's just – something – I mean –." And the woman asks: "Did your resting make you realize something, Mr. Potter?" The boy nods and she asks: "And it can't wait till our next break?"  
The boy shakes his head and says: "I – I'm sorry to be asking this now, but – but I've – I've been gathering our House's main characteristic for the last hour and a half and – and I don't think I'll ever be more ready than I am now." The woman nods and then Sirius rides Harry's wheelchair over to the shack, Remus following them.

 _ **Seaside Shack  
**_ _ **Harry's POV**_

"Why? Why can I be the perfect example of Gryffindor courage and bravour when it comes to things like taking out Voldemort and fighting beasts like Dragons, but turn into an utter coward when it comes to my family and what I want out of them? Why can't I just tell them how I feel? How much the concept currently scares me?"  
Goes through my head as I use the levitation function of my wheelchair to scurry back and forth through the small bit of space that we have here in the shack and then suddenly mum stops me as he says: "Harry, stop. You're making us seasick and I doubt you're doing yourself any good, worrying like this and pacing as you are."

At this I sigh and then dad asks: "What's wrong, pup?" And coming true to what I told McGonagall, do I just blurt out: "It's all going too fast." The two look at me and I say: "Mu – Sirius, I – I relied on you as much when you were still my godfather as I do now and I love that, but – but while you just keep proving that to be right –."  
And the man smiling at me takes me out of the rant I had wanted to give and he says: "But calling us mum and dad is just taking it all one step too far, am I right?" I nod and Remus asks: "Then why did it look like you did it so easily before now?" And I answer: "Because I was enjoying the moment and loving the chance that I could.  
It – it was a new experience, one I had wanted for years, but never felt comfortable with and – and then so many good things happened and – and because they happened thanks to me casting the Time Reading Spell – I felt calling you that was like a gift I could present myself for a job well done. But – but now time has passed and –."

"And you'd rather go back to as normal as your life can be, even with the reading and the traveling to other worlds and all other things that could possibly happen and change thanks to the reading." I nod and say: "I – I just felt one book reading would be enough time for me to congratulate me and – and then the lessons and – and Sora and Riku –."  
"And the time was just never right to you and you were getting more and more trouble telling us this. You are just too much, kiddo." Sirius laughs before he hugs me close and whispers: "Azkaban makes me feel the same way, you know. And I'm sure Remy's lycantrophy makes it all the same for him as well, so no worries, pup."  
And this makes me hug the man close as I say: "And this is what I mean. Godfather or mum, I always know I can count on you. Thanks – Sirius." And while the name actually feels a little strange on my tongue, do I almost feel Sirius smile against my skin as I do before Remus joins us and a few minutes later we leave the shack, feeling closer.

 _ **The Beach  
**_ _ **Riku's POV**_

The three members of the most important family currently in our group seem to only need ten minutes for their conversation, yet anyone with eyes can see that the talk, while difficult, has helped them a crap ton and then McGonagall, who is smiling with the pride of a true Mother Lioness, repeats her earlier instructions once again.  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus and Viktor quickly form a group and Axel moves over to Sora at a speed that would have made me jealous had I not known how crazy the ex-Nobody is for Sora's ex-Nobody. I shrug instead and while Kairi and Leon join Wakka and Tidus, do I go over to sit on Sora's other side, together with Naminé.  
McGonagall gets the books, which she shrunk before arriving here and returns them to their original sizes, before taking out the right book and asking: "We were at chapter 6, were we not?" A few students at the front row nod and the woman pages through the book, reads the next chapter title and snaps: "Lucius, you read!"

 _ **Lucius' POV**_

The anger rolling off of Minerva confuses me and I summon the book, having my son, wife and Severus, sitting next to me on a nicely-patterned, thick and lush carpet, but when I look at the chapter title, I understand both her anger and the reason why my son now has his head down in shame. I shake my head and start to read.

 _ **Mudbloods and Murmurs**_

Instantly anger is all around and those noticing Draco looking down glare at him in disgust, before the red-haired man that joined us here on the island asks: "Let me guess, bad words?" And Ronald spats: "Word. And personally I don't even want to think of the meaning behind the other word." Harry nods and I read on, intrigued.

 _ **Harry spent … a corridor.**_ _He truly feared what the man could do without others noticing and now shared Ron's anger at Hermione for liking the creep._ _ **Harder to … Harry's schedule.**_

The boy in question turns red at being caught in the act and one of his friends asks: "How were you able to remember his and your own schedule at the same time?" And the boy answers: "We had the same classes at different times. Just had to remember what was when, really." His friend shakes his head and I read on.

 _ **Nothing seemed … had struck.**_

"That took me a good ten minutes to find out how to remove it – and another seven to actually do so." Madam Pomfrey moans and Arthur says: "I really wish you had written home about your wand, Ron." But the boy says: "Be glad I didn't. Saved our lives, it did." And he shares a glance and nod with Harry before I read on.

 _ **So with … pink-and-gold sky.**_

"Mr. Wood, I appreciate your idea for Quidditch practice early on in the year and your enthusiasm for the game, but the health of a player always goes before a victory as only healthy players can gain a victory. Please remember that next time you plan to train early in the morning." Minerva reprimands the Gryffindor and I read on.

 _ **Now that … training program.**_

"Part of his new training program he says." One of the twins grumbles and the other goes on: "I'm still thanking Merlin that that was the only morning he went and woke us that early." The girls that play for Gryffindor nod in agreement, while the boy in question looks both affronted and embarrassed at his own actions and I read on.

 _ **Come on … his hand.**_

"I can get Oliver being crazy over Quidditch and being even more driven to win than he was the year before, but what were you doing out, Collin?" One of the Quidditch girls of Gryffindor asks and Collin says: "I was awake to see Harry, of course." And Harry moans humorously: "Of course." Before I read on.

 _ **"I heard … the picture.**_ _The Harry in the picture was also quite realistic as he gave the man a dirty glare to show how he felt about the whole situation, something Harry would love to do himself.  
_ _ **"**_ _ **Will you … game before!"**_

"Mr. Creevey, while I can understand a teenager being enthusiastic, is there still the fact that Mr. Potter was giving a very clear hint indicating he didn't want you around any longer; a hint you should have respected." Minerva reprimands the young third year and the boy nods, his head down like my son's as I read on.

 _ **Colin scrambled … talkative shadow.**_

"Another thing you really have to work on, Collin. Not everyone is a morning person and only a really rare few of them are hyper-active morning people. You should really –." But then the boy's brother holds up a hand and says: "Don't even bother, Professor. Trust me, I've tried." The elder Creevey brother blushes and I continue reading.

 _ **"I don't … Gryffindor Beaters."**_

"You could have just told him to go back to the common room, you know?" Hermione Granger asks my nephew and the boy says: "By then I didn't believe that would work anymore, Hermione." Making the young Creevey boy blush even worse and I wonder if all Gryffindor First years were like that back then as I read on.

 _ **"And what … at Harry.**_ _Harry's quick turning and stretched out arms were the only things keeping him from falling down on his face or falling hard enough to break something._

"You know I wonder something." The boy named Riku mutters as he and the boy named Sora lie on their backs and he turns to Harry as he says: "You're obviously already amazingly strong, agile and fast, but I wonder how much of that would have grown or been at a higher level by now had you had a proper Keyblade Training."  
Harry seems just as interested in this and says: "I'm not sure. These books are created out of my memories, thoughts and emotions. So what would have happened in the past had I had Keyblade training is something we'll never know, but I'd love to use it in the future. Even so, we won't read it in any of the books." Riku nods and I read on.

 _ **"Well, the … the stands.**_

"Did you really think that mattered any to him?" Dennis asks, but then Harry sighs and says: "As annoying as your brother's enthusiastic adoration of me was, I really wish I had paid better attention to him later that year, Dennis." Ron and Hermione both lie a hand on his shoulders, while his parents look confused and I read on.

 _ **The rest … to snore.**_ _It wasn't long before everyone was actually asleep and Harry was sure the others were grateful that Wood had his back to them. He himself used a method he had devised when his uncle started going on and on about drills.  
_ _He leaned back, closed his eyes in such a way he looked to be thinking and allowed his mind to drift, drifting him back to sleep land, but keeping his senses active enough he could look awake would Wood turn back to them._

Everyone looks shocked and Harry says: "I would love to go and show you, but I really want to hear this chapter. Maybe one with more Lockhart in it." And he shudders again slightly, angering me even more, before I see him sending a concerned glance at Viktor, the Quidditch player pulling him close to kiss him softly on his temple, as if to comfort him.  
Suddenly an epiphany goes through me and I think: "Of course, it's not Lockhart the boy fears, why on earth would he fear such a worthless piece of human flesh? He fears what the consequences of Lockhart's actions could be on the rest of his romantic future with Viktor." I smile at the two and then read on.

 _ **The first … that one.**_ _Harry decided he had nothing to worry about concerning Wood and sank into a stupor as Wood droned on and on._

"I really expected better of you, you know?" Wood comments, obviously angered, but then one of the twins shout: "It was half an hour before six!" And then the other shouts: "And it was almost 5 o'clock when you decided to wake us!" And together with Harry and the girls, they shout: "WHO'S AWAKE AT THAT TIME?"  
The boy cringes and Minerva says: "Mr. Wood, I see the mistakes I caught you on after Christmas in your final year started a little earlier than I thought." Sirius asks: "Mistakes?" And Harry groans: "He told me, _**you**_ don't want to know." This makes Sirius and me look at the teen worried, before I distract us all and read on.

 _ **"So," said … our control —"**_

"EXCUSE ME!" Both Sirius and Minerva thunder and the woman says: "Mr. Wood, really! Playing the guilt card? Are you really that OBSESSED?" Before Sirius shouts: "Is a simple final match really more important than my son's LIFE!" And one of the twins muttering: "Wait till next match." Do not improve our moods as I read on.

 _ **Harry shifted … hundred years.**_

"You saved all of our lives!""You have nothing to feel guilty for!""There might not have been any Quidditch if you didn't do what you did!" Some of the students shout at Harry, obviously angered that he felt that way and Wood whitens, although I wonder which of the sentences made him do that as I continue reading.

 _ **Wood took … team followed.**_

"You actually expected them to know any of your new techniques?" Cedric asks and Sirius mutters: "James, when he was captain, only tried this early morning training once and even then all he did was make us work-out. We felt better and wide awake afterwards, but he did agree we shouldn't try it anymore at that time."  
"How did you work out?" Wood asks enthusiastically, but the furious glare Sirius sends him makes him reign back in shock and fear. Then Harry asks: "My dad was Team Captain?" Sirius smiles and says: "Yep, next to his Seeker Badge, the Trophy room also holds a trophy for him. Best Captain of the seventies."  
Now Harry turns to Ron and asks: "Why didn't you tell me?" Ron shrugs and says: "Was a little too grumpy of that other award. Speaking of which, was that ever removed?" He asks McGonagall and the woman answers: "No, Professor Dumbledore simply vanished the current name and put yours and Mr. Potter's on it."  
Ron nods and a First year asks: "Why would Weasley know of the Trophy, Potter? And what award was he so grumpy about? And – why would anyone lose an award here?" And Harry answers: "All those questions will be answered throughout the book." The First year Ravenclaw nods and I feel curious myself as I read on.

 _ **They had … and George.**_ _Halfway through the start, Ron threw each of them a sandwich and the twins actually cheered for him, turning his ears red.  
_ _ **"What's that … the corner**_ _, stuffing the last of the toast in his mouth_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Harry looked … training program."**_

"Oh please, even the Snakes during our years didn't steep that low and the rivalry between James and Snape makes that old one of Draco and Harry look like Child's play." Sirius mutters exasperated and I hear Draco mutter: "Besides, we had no need to spy anymore now, did we?" And I shake my head, already knowing what that means as I read on.

 _ **"He's in … their hands.**_

Now Severus crosses his arms over his chest and asks: "What were you seven doing up that early? And did I not specifically tell you to wait until the afternoon before you could use the pitch?" And Harry mutters: "They decided to take advantage of those written words." The man looks confused and read on.

 _ **"I don't … us, Wood."**_

"Harry, saying that Mr. Flint has the cunning of a troll would, seeing his last statement, be an insult to the trolls all around." Severus mutters and some students look absolutely flabbergasted that Severus Snape insulted one of his own students. I shake my head, knowing how much Severus despises the Flint Family and read on.

 _ **Angelina, Alicia, … new Seeker'. "**_

"EXCUSE ME?" Severus thunders, actually looking as menacing as a Vampire who spotted a large prey and he spats: "I specifically, in person, told you the Friday night before that day you could train in the afternoon and that I would arrange this with Professor McGonagall. I never wrote any papers stating you could have the field all day!"  
The remaining Slytherin team whimpers in fear of their Head of House and he spats: "This behavior only further proves to other Houses that Slytherins are evil and cruel and should not be continued. I will not allow it and I expect all of you to respect that decision. Am I clear?" All of Slytherin nods and I read on.

 _ **"You've got … Draco Malfoy.**_

This causes my lips to thin in anger and I ask: "How exactly did you even make the team without you having had any time for try outs, if I may ask?" Draco cringes, turns redder than the Weasleys can sometimes turn and I shake my head, starting to hate this chapter as much as Minerva hates part of the title as I read on.

 _ **"Aren't you … morning sun.**_

"Why? Why is my son behaving like a teenage James Potter?" Goes through my head. "Draco, I allowed you to take those brooms to Hogwarts so you could donate them to Slytherin House once you made the team after try outs, not so that you can use them and our family money to get on the team without try outs or proper training."  
I then spat at my son, knowing I want to say a lot more, but that I shouldn't as it will only embarrass Draco further – not to mention my family and its name – and so send him a glance that tells him we will talk after this chapter. I turn back to the book and while hoping someone takes my son's ego down a peg, do I read on.

 _ **"Very latest … going on.**_

"How is two extra people coming onto the field making it an invasion? I would think Ron and Hermione have more rights to say that." Parvati Patil asks her friend, the Muggleborn I believe is named Brown or something and the girl nods, while Draco hits himself on the head and I continue reading the dreadful chapter.

 _ **"What's happening?" … with laughter.**_

I lower the book and mutter: "Please tell me someone's there to take my son's ego down a large peck or two." And Hermione says: "I did, Mr. Malfoy. I believe I was just about to do that. Too bad Ron had to pay the price for me speaking my opinion." She hisses at the end, a glare send at Draco, who winces as I read on.

 _ **"At least … face flickered.**_

I read the next sentence and mutter: "Severus, if you don't want to murder your own Godson, I suggest you leave." The man in question sends a ferocious glare at my son, one I know he usually preserved for the Marauders and takes off, striding away with a fury that makes all students shiver before I shake my head and read on.

 _ **"No one … touch him.**_ _Harry looked from his sick friend to the Gryffindors, checking to see if they were looking at the Slytherins and when he was sure they weren't quickly cast a few nasty hexes at the banging blonde, who's hair turned as blue as his old teacher's wig, grew a clown's nose and starting balking like a mule, instantly stopping as he realized it.  
_ _With a satisfied grin, Harry hid his wand, reminding himself to cast some more harmless spells in case wizards knew how to trace wands._

Everyone looks shocked and Harry exclaims: "Okay! So I found that book that was written about during the Diagon Alley chapter in the Library and studied the spells during the holidays. It was the only thing keeping me sane with Dudley around, alright. It was just nice daydreaming about getting back at him like that and the spells helped."  
Everyone looks at him shocked and Ron says: "Now I really don't ever want to get on your bad side anymore." But while many students nod in agreement, does Harry shrug and say: "Just don't hurt, endanger, threaten or kill my friends and those I really care about and I won't have to be vindictive and cunning. Simple as that."  
Everyone looks shocked and Hermione asks: "Harry, you do realize those are Slytherin traits, right?" But Harry lies back and says: "I might not be happy with the idea of the Sorting hat wanting me in Slytherin as badly as it did, but I am of the belief that the true Slytherin is one who shows his talents –in other Houses." I shake my head and read on.

 _ **"We'd better … Harry angrily.**_ _He had half a mind to grab his wand again, but Collin was just eleven and misunderstanding the situation. Ron came first._ _ **He and … somewhat reluctantly.**_ _Harry didn't know what annoyed him more on that fact. That she actually wanted to see him when Ron needed help or that she still seemed to like the disgusting bastard.  
_ _ **"It's a … the castle.**_

"Wait a minute, is he?" Sirius asks and I reread the sentences that fool said years ago. Then suddenly Axel asks: "Can someone explain me what's so disgusting about this man?" Sora whispers it in his ear, he jumps up and summons weapons out of nothing but fire as he shouts: "HE – WHAT!" Scaring those around him.  
Sora quickly grabs him around the waist and Ron says: "Don't worry, it was only once and he's in the Closed Ward of St. Mungo's now. He'll be healed of his memory loss and then it's a one-way-trip to Azkaban for him." The man nods, moving his hands and causing the weapons to disappear as he sits back down.  
I shake my head, shocked at the sudden display and then notice that the boy Riku is actually looking between his best friend and the new guy, before said new guy gives him a raised eyebrow look and the smirk Riku sends him back makes me know they went and shared some kind of secret between them earlier before I read on.

 _ **Harry waited … front door,**_ _grumbling as he noticed how Hermione was trying to catch sight of the idiot_ _ **. They knocked … back again -"**_

"This Lockhart person really seems to bring out the worst in people." The blonde girl named Naminé mutters, her hands in her lap and her legs crossed. Kairi wraps an arm around her and says: "That's true, but only because he really is a bad, bad man. One that has to be punished for what he did." The blonde girl nods and I read on.

 _ **Harry and … over Harry.**_ _The boarhound had grown a liking to him last year and it seemed that hadn't been diminished by the two months absence of the boy, something Harry was grateful for and rewarded Fang with by scratching right where the boy knew the boarhound liked it.  
_ _ **"What did … the teapot.**_

"Excuse me? Wizarding kids get taught such a thing when they're seven and Muggleborn kids get a lesson of that from the first chapter of their book of _**Fantastical Beasts and where to find them**_." Parvati Patil says and I comment: "Right you are, Mss. Patil." The girl sends me a tentative smile and I read on.

 _ **"Like I … in surprise.**_ _Still, the more people that disliked Lockhart the better he felt about doing the same._ _ **Hermione, however, … of course -"**_

"Wait, you didn't know what it meant?" Draco asks Hermione and while I glare at my son slightly, not thinking he should be talking this chapter, Hermione shrugs at him and while her tone turns slightly defensive she says: "Hey, it's not like it's a word you'd find in every regular school or theory book, you know?"  
My son nods and Harry lies his hands in his neck as he says: "And besides, I didn't either, but I still cursed you – even if it was for both calling her that and laughing at Ron's predicament." The boy nods and sighs, his head down as he mutters: "I guess that's fair enough. And it's not like I didn't deserve it." I nod at this and read on.

 _ **"It's about … way up."**_

"Mr. Weasley, you really have to stop using Mr. Longbottom to show things are wrong. First with the Stone and now with the Pureblood issue. That is not how I want my House mates treating each other, am I clear?" The boy nods and says: "Don't worry, Professor McGonagall, I paid for it." This intrigues me and I read on.

 _ **"An' they … died out."**_

"The exact reason I left my family when sixteen." Sirius grumbles and everyone turns to him as Ron asks: "What do you mean?" Sirius shudders and says: "The two things that drove me over the edge and made me leave. My mum deciding I should join Voldemort and that I should marry one of his followers, who was also a cousin of mine."  
Everyone looks at him and he sighs and says: "Bellatrix." Everyone looks shocked and Sirius shudders again and says: "Not only was that bitch bloody eight years older than me she also had an eye on Rodolphus and had agreed with mother dearest that if our marriage wouldn't work, she could have the bastard, no scam, nothing.  
I of course highly disagreed, not wanting to marry family, being as against Voldemort as possible and being gay and in love with my lovely Remus. And when she heard that, insulted Remus and threatened to kill him would I not obey – well." The man sighs, his head low and unlike the pride I expected does he seem ashamed as he says:

"Voldemort would have been happy to have me." Everyone looks shocked, even his own mate and I feel shocked at the fact that, when it happened, he must have lied even to his friends about how he escaped that house and why he left in the first place, which reminds me of the shame he spoke with when he said this and he speaks:  
"I didn't use a single Dark Curse, not any of the ones my parents raised me with, but the way I was using my spells actually made a proud smile appear on my mother's face. That was the final limit. I left her the way she was, packed my trunk and performed Black magic to get to Potter Manor. Never spoke a word of it to James, I didn't."  
Everyone looks shocked and Narcissa says: "I always wondered what made her hurry the wedding between those two. Never heard Bella say a thing about a marriage with you, but I do see you doing that, Sirius. We Blacks all use our best qualities when pushed too far." Sirius smiles at my wife and I read on, barely believing what I just heard.

 _ **Axel's POV**_

"You know, Naminé, I'm surprised no one here has been turned into a Heartless yet. What, with all the Darkness clearly hanging in the air." I tell the blonde girl and Leon, who together with Kairi, Tidus and Wakka joined our little group, says: "Don't tell Sora this, but my Gunblade tracked down a partly-opened Keyhole."  
I look at him and ask: "Where?" And he says: "I'm not sure yet. I just know it's somewhere in the world they came from and unless it's fully closed the Darkness will continue making Dark Lords. People like Harry will never get their rest and peace that way." I sigh, looking at the dark-haired boy and listen to the story.

 _ **Lucius' POV**_

The idea that the cousin-in-law I always saw as my greatest enemy and the greatest stain on the Black Line actually used Light magic in such a way his mother felt proud of him as if he used Dark Magic instead, even while he used it against her, is something I can't wrap my mind around and instead of that do I just focus on reading.

 _ **He retched … in trouble."**_

"Trust me, Hagrid, I would have bought Mr. Weasley his own wand and would have allowed him to recast the curse, seeing the hatred his Godfather and Head of House feels for that word, something he knows all too well." I tell the Half-giant, sending another short glare at my son before focusing back on the book.

 _ **Harry would … was laughing.**_

"Did you know his jaws were glued together?" Remus asks Hagrid and the man shakes his head and says: "I just actually wanted to change the subject. I had no idea my cooking caused so much trouble." Everyone, adult and student, shrugs at this and Hagrid turns red as he sees how many people do so before I read on.

 _ **"I'm on'y … his chin,**_ _but with a large grin on his face_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Don' think … by then."**_

"But Hagrid, that was only the 1st weekend and the Halloween feast were another month and 3 weeks away. Why already have them that big then?" Neville asks and Hagrid answers: "I just wanted to make sure that if one of them was destroyed by bugs or something, I could put more attention on the others." The Herbology expert nods and I read on.

 _ **"What've you … said Harry.**_ _He so badly wanted to learn how to grow vegetables that big; it'd be awesome.  
_ _ **Hagrid looked … was changed.  
**_ _Harry felt slightly disappointed. Yes, he too channeled his magic into the plants if he worked, but he knew he wasn't using spells. It was the intention and energy of his magic that drew the plants to him and made them grow as well as they did. To use spellwork was different in his opinion._

"Okay, it's official!" Sirius exclaims with one arm raised into the sky and then he turns to Harry and says: "No matter where we're going to live, it's going to be somewhere with the biggest garden in the world. And one third of that will be all yours to work with, kiddo, with all the magical and Muggle plants you want."  
Harry shines brighter than a star as he hears that and rolls over to hug the man, asking: "And can I get someone to teach me how to fuse my energy with that of magical plants too?" Sirius kisses him and says: "Only if you agree to the rules we'll set up once we move in, alright?" Harry nods feverishly and I smile as I read on.

 _ **"An Engorgement … a signed -"**_

Ginny sighs and Ron asks: "Already. He –he already had you – already!" The girl nods and instantly Ron is around her, hugging her tightly and glaring at his brothers to follow his example. The other Weasley brothers seem confused, but with the support of their father, they join Ron around Ginny as I read on, feeling terrible.

 _ **"Oh, shut … Harry desperately.**_ _The last thing he wanted was to be alone with the man. It would be a total nightmare and he could already feel tremors go through him at the thought.  
_ _ **"Certainly not," … worse deal.**_ _Harry just didn't dare tell them why he felt so as they would surely make him go tell McGonagall. And one thing he learned from last year was that it was only school and subject business he could talk to her about. Important or secret business was something she just couldn't be trusted with._

The woman lowers her head in shame and asks: "Mr. Potter, will that subject last all school year?" And the boy answers: "It probably won't, but you'll sure hear proof that I didn't trust you enough to confide in you. I think it's near the end of the book, before the last attack." The woman nods, I feel curious and read on.

 _ **"Filch'll have … to Lockhart's office.**_ _All day he had been trying to push himself into convincing McGonagall to do the same detention as Ron, but he doubted she would allow him – let alone believe him. He gritted his teeth, wished with all his heart Lockhart wouldn't try anything and knocked.  
_ _ **The door … snailed by**_ _, but Harry was relieved_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Harry let … remember that."**_ _Of course he constantly kept his eyes on Lockhart, shivering when he saw those disgusting eyes glance at him before the man would talk again as if he had not been staring at Harry hungrily.  
_ _ **The candles … watching him.**_ _The fact there were so many of them only kept Harry from freaking out by the rational thought of them being paintings, stuck to a wall._ _ **Harry moved … ice-cold venom.**_

"A voice to what?" Sirius asks and Remus growls: "A voice with _**what**_?" Before Andromeda asks: "Who on earth would have such a voice and why is such a person or being even in the school?" Everyone looks shocked – everyone above second year seemingly more terrified than the rest – and I read on, feeling anxious.

 _ **"Come – come … kill you -"**_

Then a high hissing tone scares everyone and we all turn to Harry, who looks shocked and asks: "B-But – but how? The Parsletongue was an ability given to me by – by him. And he's dead. So – so how?" And Riku answers: "You must have somehow formed a replica of that power into your own being, Harry."  
Everyone turns to him and he says: "The Organization we told you about had two castles. One in The Land that Never Was and One called Castle Oblivion. The second was where Vexen worked on Replica's. One was of me and one of Sora's leaked memories of Kairi." Everyone looks at the two and Riku goes on:  
"The second, I'm afraid I forgot her name, had one purpose. She was to suck out all the powers, abilities and energy out of Sora's Nobody, copy them and keep them and his memories of Kairi to herself. That way, the Organization had a Keyblade Wielder among them and – Sora would never wake up."

Kairi, Sora, Leon, Wakka and Tidus all gasp and Sora asks: "They wanted me to sleep forever?" And Axel answers: "Not forever, just until they finished Kingdom Hearts. At least, I think so. I remember this plan being there, but it's – it's so vague." Riku nods and says: "Because her existence was based on memories, no one can remember her.  
It's kind of like with Sora. No one remembered him until he was starting to wake. It was like a haze was over all of our memories. But because she was made out of memories, there were no memories others could keep of her. Not even Naminé had that ability." The Nobody nods, while I feel confused and read on.

 _ **Harry gave … Harry left.**_

Harry shudders and Sirius says: "I get a feeling him having been dazed was not a good thing back then." Remus nods and Kairi asks: "Naminé, can you purify Harry's memories of Lockhart later? So he won't have to think back on them and feel as bad as he does." The girl smiles and nods, making Harry smile at her as I read on.

 _ **It was … and waited.**_ _He wanted to tell Ron everything; maybe even about how he felt about Lockhart and why, but the mysterious voice was more important now._ _ **Half an … it either."**_

"I don't think any of us get it really." Ted says and Axel mutters: "Not quite true. Everyone who seems to have been there that year seems to understand exactly what that voice was." To this a brave Third year says: "We don't know what it was, but we do remember what it caused and stood for." Axel nods and asks:  
"And are you willing to share?" But the boy shakes his head and says: "I first want to find out what that monster really was. I just hope Harry finds out." Harry nods and says: "I did. Together with Ron and Hermione. Just like the year before." And he smiles at his two best friends, making me sigh in relief at the sign.  
As no matter how terrible this all will be for Harry, it's obvious he has his friends. I then turn to the blonde-haired girl and think: "If she can help him with some of his memories, wouldn't it be better to help him with all of them? Like Voldemort and Halloween night?" And while pondering over it all, do I decide it's time I punish my son.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So there we have it. This chapter didn't need all that much editing, but I am happy with what I wrote. Also, the way that Harry addressed his issue and why this issue came up so late into the story feels much better than what was part of the original last chapter as Sirius must have been able to spot this way better than Viktor.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	44. Delayed Punishment, Continued Reading

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Good news! The OC POV's are back. Roxas is no longer giving Sora his memories now that Axel is so close as the blonde is just gathering his energy so that he can separate from Sora and so I decided to go back to the creating new OC's and making them look back on previous chapters I did at the end of the last book.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 43  
**_ _ **Delayed Punishment, Continued Reading**_

 _ **Ralph Copius' POV**_

"This is so incredible! This is everything I ever hoped life in the Magical world would be like! And I get to learn everything about my favorite hero as well as travel to places no one in my world has ever been to. Best year ever!" Goes through my mind as I, yet again, try to just keep seated on the huge blanket I am sharing with my friends.  
"How can you be this hyped after what we just read, seriously?" My best friend then asks and I say: "I can't focus on the bad content, I'm still too excited about all the things we're learning about Harry." To which my best friend rolls his eyes and asks: "You do realize you just contradicted yourself there, right Ralphie?"

Yet I just look at him confused and he says: "You say you're ignoring the bad stuff, but for the last several chapters we haven't read anything but bad stuff." Yet to this I reply: "But just look at how ell that allows him to be with his family. How happy he is." And my best friend has no reply to that other than another roll of his eyes.  
I, in the mean time focus back on my favorite hero and think: "I always knew Harry had human sides to him and had problems that he hid from the world. I know it's wrong, but I love reading evidence that I was right all along. This is exactly why I wanted to come to Hogwarts so badly. Best end to my second year ever."  
And while I know just fine that me enjoying the evidence of Harry being human being shown for the world to read will never win me any points with the boy in question, do I just look at Harry and think: "I always knew you were just another human being, Harry Potter, and I love that you were strong enough to be willing to prove that."

And with that do I focus back on where I'm sure everyone is looking, at the young blonde who often helped me by proving he too sees Potter as just another human, even if Draco Malfoy never really treated either Harry or his friends as a fellow human being, yet this – at the same time – makes him my second favorite student in Hogwarts.  
But then I shake my head again and think: "Merlin, there I go again, treating Harry and everyone he knows, both good and bad, as if they're just action figures for me to collect with Hogwarts as the chest for me to store them in. I need to seriously stop doing that." And while hoping I can get help with that problem, do I focus on the world around me.

 _ **Lucius' POV**_

Several people are watching me as I move towards my son, who is looking both fearful and resigned. I also have my mind firmly on taking my son's ego down a large deal more than Harry obviously did, but then realize something, sigh and sit back down on the blanket we conjured. Everyone looks shocked and I turn to Draco and say:  
"I'm not stupid, Draco. I know there are still 2 more years with idiotic comments and actions that you will act on, so I will keep my punishment to a minimum for now, but it will grow depending on how many other stupid actions you take. Narcissa Darling, can you please fetch Severus?" My lovely wife nods and fetches the man.  
I explain him my reasons for not punishing Draco yet and he spats: "As long as he writes a full essay on the creation of the word and why it should no longer fit in our society I don't care crap what you do with your son, Lucius." Draco lowers his head at this and I nod in agreement, deciding to put Draco on that essay right next break.

 _ **Draco's POV**_

If there is one thing I never wanted to do it's angering my parents. The two might have always taught me that Malfoy was a name of honor, respect and dignity – which indeed contributed to my big ego and selfish behavior – but there was never, in my life, a lack of love, understanding or a listening ear when I needed one.  
Yes, receiving loads and loads of gifts from your grandmother, while you believed them to be your mothers, and gloating about them had been a clear sign of my ego, but I know I should have never let my ego get me as far as using the word my Godfather has always forbidden me – and through rules all Slytherins – to say.  
And apparently Harry thinks the same about deflating my ego and punishing me as he says: "I have a good guess what will happen next chapter and would like to have Draco read about it, so that he can further learn how people, that are different from him or raised differently, live. Is that alright, Lucius?" My father nods and I take the book, quickly starting to read.

 _ **The Deathday Party  
**_ _ **October arrived … by Percy.**_

"I was worried for you." Percy tells her and she says: "I know, big brother. It was just not the cold that made me look that pale." Ron again hugs her tightly, like he did with the Lockheart chapter and while her other brothers seem confused – a feeling I share with them – does Percy hug her just as tightly before I read on.

 _ **The steam … on fire.  
**_ _Strangely enough did she look even paler three days later. Harry noticed that, while he wasn't conversing with her or asking her to sit with them during meals, was Ron keeping a constant eye on his sister, even bumping into a wall one day begin October when he kept an eye on where she and her Year mates were going while they were off to Transfigurations._

Mr. Weasley smiles in pride at his son and Ginny asks: "Did it hurt bad?" Ron shakes his head and says: "I just had a minor scratch on my nose for scraping it the wrong way against a portrait, is all." The girl nods and hugs him gratefully, while I can see by his thin lips that Weasley thinks it wasn't enough what he did.  
I wonder why and then remember how I behaved that year, how my father had told me to keep a low profile and how I had gone against it, especially when –. Then I realize why Weasley thinks his constant eye on his sister had not been enough as I remember professor Snape telling us a student had been taken down the Chamber of Secrets.  
Looking at the Weasley girl with wide eyes, those same words going over in my head again and again, I think: "Why on earth would the Heir of Slytherin take a Weasley girl? Why the youngest of the Blood Traitors? Were the Slytherins in feud with the Weasleys? What's going on here?" And while wondering all this and more, do I read on.

 _ **Raindrops the … garden sheds.**_

"And I didn't even do anything." The half-giant in question said and as he gets the interest of others, he shrugs and says: "All I did was let the rain water them and put their vines in the soil Neville and Professor Sprout gave me. That was really all I did." I look shocked at how little was needed to grow those things and read on.

 _ **Oliver Wood's … with mud.**_

"Okay, from now on, if the team trains in the rain, they all return to the castle together, so they can cast drying spells on each other, so they don't catch a cold." Sirius says and Wood turns red, muttering: "Could have thought of that." Making me shake my head with my eyes raised skywards before I read on.

 _ **Even aside … like missiles.**_

"It's not really spying if you're caught now, is it?" Mother asks and I ask: "What do you mean, spotted? We didn't know they were there." And father answers: "No, but we did. We asked Blaise to see if you and the team were worthy and capable of handling those brooms and he spotted them and reported that to us."  
This makes me turn as red as the twins when they heard they were spotted, probably feeling stupid for being seen and for not noticing Blaise being there. But I had not known either and I'm positive that my father now thinks me unworthy of having a Nimbus 2001, seeing my actions at the start of the year. I sigh and read on.

 _ **As Harry … if that…"**_

"And there he goes again." Sirius shakes his head and father goes on: "I might not be a Gryffindor, but even I noticed him trying that every year I was at school and all throughout my years as member of the Board of Governors." I wonder what they could be on – together with many others not in Gryffindor – and read on.

 _ **"Hello, Nick," … to agree.**_ _He almost asked Nick how it was like, but the mental image alone made him turn back to the window if only to hide the green color his face had surely turned.  
_ _ **"I mean …**_ _ **Patrick Delaney-Podmore.'"**_

This confuses me and I ask: "What on earth does that have to mean?" And Harry answers: "Nick tries to get into the Headless Hunt organization every year. Or at least he did until that year. I told him just what I thought of him and that Headless bunch of Nobodies." Ronald and Hermione snicker at the thought and I read on.

 _ **Fuming, Nearly … dungeon five.**_

"Third years?" Charles, one of the only two Weasleys I actually consider deserving of Malfoy respect, asks and he laughs as he goes on: "I would have thought them to be the twins." But then Hermione, showing a secretive smirk asks: "What lesson hour was that, Professor?" And the man answers: "The third, Mss. Granger."  
The girl nods, the smirk growing slightly and then, with a sweet tone and her hands clasped together – as if trying to portray an innocent student asking a question to a teacher – she asks: "Professor McGonagall, what class did the twins have during the third hour?" The woman looks confused, yet interested and says:  
"My class, Mss. Granger and they were missing too. Something that occurs rarely, even for them." She nods and then turns to the twins as she – with her sweet act dropping and changing into a wicked witch pose – says: "I wondered all year how you two were able to make such a good aging potion a few months ago."  
The two turn white as they realize what she says and it only takes me a second longer. I look at the girl in question and think: "From know-it-all, to innocent school-girl to wicked witch." I then turn to my best friend and whisper: "I really hope you know what you're doing, Blaise, cause it seems you got your hands full on her."

I then look at the twins shocked and Hermione chuckles, but the twins say: "Low, Hermione, real low. We'll have to –." But the girl clears her throat and asks: "Harry?" And when I see the gleeful smirk on my cousin's face I, like the twins, whiten and they quickly back down, to the shocked, wide eyes of the teachers.  
Then Ron asks them: "What? You heard how Harry can fool even Peeves and he has yet to be ever pranked by the twins since that incident in our first weekend at Hogwarts. Trust me, they know Harry and his facial features as well as we do." The teachers now smirk at my cousin in pride and Mr. Weasley says:  
"Never thought I'd see someone who could keep the twins under control." Harry shrugs and says: "I also often make sure they don't go too far in their pestering and teasing of Ron and of course, me keeping them under the thumb currently is because of my genes." And he winks at his parents, who smile at him and I read on.

 _ **He's been … me, Potter!"**_

"Wait a minute, that almost sounds as if he's going to punish Harry for all the mud he and the other students have been spreading over the castle. How is that even fair?" Sirius asks and I mumble read the sentence again, realizing he's right. I look shocked and the teachers share a glance – and a blanket – before I read on.

 _ **So Harry … to themselves.**_ _One cabinet confused him as it didn't have a name of a student on it, but rather a group – a group called The Marauders._

The twins shine with glee and happiness as they hear that name and then Harry lies back with his hands behind his head as he says: "You know guys, Ron, Hermione and I discovered who Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs really are." The two look shocked and ask in amazed chorus: "Really? You did? Who are they?"  
But the first name already makes me know and I look at Remus, my uncle in bonding looking back at me and smiling, nodding subtly. I smile and Harry says: "Well, I actually told you during a chapter of the 4th book and that you forgot makes you have to wait until we discovered their true personalities in Third." The twins pout and I read on.

 _ **A highly … the ceiling.**_ _Harry wasn't stupid, but he was scared Filch was going to use him as an example to make sure other students wouldn't muddy his floors anymore and looked at the manacles with a slight shiver.  
_ _ **Filch grabbed … form… yes…"  
**_ _This proved Harry's theory, but to stand up to someone who had the same evil ways of punishing as his uncle was like trying to freeze water with your hands above a hot fire; Harry just didn't dare do it.  
_ _ **He retrieved … said Harry.**_ _He instantly cringed back in his seat, ready to turn it on its back, roll over his back, jump back up and run out of the chamber if Filch even so much as reached for the manacles, further punishment be damned._

"You can do that?" The new man named Axel, who I was told had been stuck in the Phoenix form of that old codger, asks and the boy in question sighs as he says: "Before Madam Pomfrey gave me a full physical I could, but that was because the Glamours gave me a high sense of endurance." The man nods and I read on.

 _ **"It's only … bated breath**_ _– and trembling hands holding tightly onto the sides of his creaky seat –_ _ **for his … alongside him.  
**_ _Peeves was the school poltergeist, a grinning, airborne menace who lived to cause havoc and distress._ _ **Harry didn't … from Harry.**_ _Harry wondered if the Poltergeist had discovered that it had been him who tricked him the year before, but waved the idea away as that would have meant he would have been pranked much earlier in the year.  
_ _Of course Peeves had still tried to pull pranks on him, Ron and Hermione, but they now all used his old technique, quickly looking around, finding someone they knew things about and selling that information out to Peeves in exchange for them not being the prank-subject. Afterwards they always warned the new prank-subject of what Peeves was planning and so it came that everyone believed that they had an eye on Peeves and kept the Poltergeist from getting out of control. This year, one young Hufflepuff first year had even made the comment that one of them might be the descendant of the Bloody Baron himself._

Said Hufflepuff – now a third year – blushes as the entire beach rumbles with laughter, the waves crashing on the beach floor a little harder than normal by the loud sounds and Sirius says: "Trust me, Harry is not a descendant of the Bloody Baron. My ancestors checked and the Bloody Baron died unmarried and without kids."  
Then Axel asks the Million Galleons question and asks: "Do any of your ancestors also know how he died?" But Sirius shakes his head and says: "My ancestor did a nickname heritage spell, long lost by the way. It showed anyone with that nickname, where they lived and what happened to them. The Baron died alone in the woods of Albania."

The man nods and then Riku says: "I don't want to interrupt, but there is 1 thing you should all know. We were able to provide you with lunch, but if we have to provide any more meals, we'll be out for the rest of the week. So before dinner, we'll travel to another world. Is that alright with all of you?" We all look at each other and Sora says:  
"Rest assured that every world we go to, we are friends with everyone there. Or at least all the good guys there. We have visited many of the worlds when we were young and know them inside out, so getting lost or losing sight of each other is impossible as we and our friends will be able to find you." The students nod and I read on.

 _ **Thinking that … the desk.**_ _He really wanted to flee and get out of the terrible office, but would only do that if Filch's punishment had anything to do with the manacles or the Forbidden Forest. Then again, he wouldn't mind getting another shot at star-gazing or finding that Unicorn mere again. Deciding not to think of that experience as what happened afterwards still gave him the creeps, he looked at what was on the desk.  
_ _ **There was …**_ _ **Beginners' Magic.**_

"Kwikspell? What the heck is that?" Nella Diggory asks and her husband answers: "Something our Aurors, in December that year, discovered to be completely fake and nothing more than a serious case of embezzlement." To which Harry mutters: "Wonder if Filch ever found out about that." Before I read on, not really caring.

 _ **Intrigued, Harry … coming back.**_

"Harry, can I ask of you why you looked through Filch's mail?" Remus asks, his tone clearly reprimanding and the boy sighs and says: "The whole letter incident with First year made me have a need to read all the letters and other forms of communication I could get my hands on. I later lessened it to just the newspapers."  
Remus nods and asks: "Ron, did Harry ever read along your mail or read it without you knowing it?" Ron shakes his head and says: "I always get my mail in the Great Hall. I'm also aware of this, Lupin. I made sure he first asked me and then, when my letters got less and less – that woman's work – Harry went to only newspapers."  
Remus nods and asks: "Were there ever any other cases you read someone's mail?" And Harry answers: "I read with Ron when he has mail, but he and I often sit opposite each other if we do. Otherwise I never again read mail without others knowing and only – every so often – read the papers." Remus nods and I read on.

 _ **Stuffing the … my sweet —"**_

"That's not true." Harry mutters and everyone turns to him as he says: "I did a little research in the month we were – ahem – otherwise occupied and discovered that not even the Headmaster can get rid of ghosts who died at Hogwarts grounds. And even if Peeves is a Poltergeist he stays a residential at Hogwarts by free will."  
"So there's no way Dumbledore, Filch or anyone else can get rid of Peeves?" But Harry shakes his head and says: "I heard him talking to himself once, while further looking into this. Apparently he died somewhere secretive and only if we find his body and bury it outside Hogwarts grounds can we force him to leave.  
Otherwise it has to be of his own decision. Heck, we could device a spell to touch ghosts and poltergeists, grab Peeves by his back and throw him through the gates ourselves – if we don't throw his body with him or bury it outside Hogwarts grounds is it Peeves' own decision whether he stays or goes." Everyone nods and I read on.

 _ **His eyes … lied quickly.**_ _Filch was giving him a chance not to – possibly – be held by those manacles and he was definitely going to take it.  
_ _ **Filch's knobbly … didn't help.**_ _Was he onto Harry now – should he have told the truth? What exactly was a man, who might not be a proper wizard, capable of doing. Harry's eyes shot at the manacles and back again.  
_ _ **"Very well … school record.**_

"It would have been, Mr. Potter, had your crime not been so insignificant." Professor McGonagall tells my cousin and Harry shrugs and says: "I still did something my dad would be rolling over in his grave over if he knew. I've never been sent to Filch office – except that time – and even then I wasn't punished. And that for four years straight."  
The woman smiles at him, something I've rarely seen her do and then Sirius wraps an arm around him and says: "While I should feel terrible that you have yet to get in trouble with Filch, am I currently glad about it, seeing all you have been through just last year. I do not want to know what he would have done to punish you for those things."  
Harry whitens and says: "Filch never reads along with these things, understood?" His parents and the students nod all in agreement, some of those that had sat around Harry and had heard what Sirius said as white as my cousin and McGonagall says: "Don't worry, Mr. Potter, I will see what I can change about Filch and his methods." Harry nods and I read on.

 _ **"Harry! Harry! … great height.**_

"Why do I get the feeling we better keep this memorized?" Axel asks, now leaning against the Seaside shack with his legs crossed and his arms crossed over his chest. All students shrug and shake their heads to show they don't know either and Harry says: "It might hold some kind of importance during the books about the future."  
The man nods and lifts his right hand with his forefinger up and – to my shock – with fire writes the words _**remember; Vanishing Cabinet**_. He moves his hand around the words a bit, aims his finger at me and moves his hand some more before he says: "There, now this will show up every few chapters, starting Fifth book, to remind us."  
"How'd you do that?" A hyped-up Second year Hufflepuff asks eagerly and Riku says: "I'll just go over all we told you once more, alright?" The exited boy nods and while I feel glad not to have to read as my throat was getting a little dry, I sit down, lie the book open on my crossed legs and listen as Riku speaks and says:

"Every heart is born in light. But the older you get the more easily the Darkness can control your heart and if your heart is lost to the Darkness, you literally lose your heart. It will turn into a creature known as a Heartless." To this Axel coughs and when everyone looks from Riku to him, he smirks and snaps his finger.  
A vaguely humanoid body with black skin, a round, spherical head with circular glowing yellow eyes, 2 long twisted antennas and hands with three clawed fingers, while the feet lack any discernible digits. It wiggles and squirms its body as it looks around, but all in all the sight of the creature creeps me out.  
Axel snaps his fingers again and the same black smoke that had made the creature appear makes it disappear and Riku goes on, saying: "What you just saw was a random and very common Heartless named a Shadow. It comes from those with weak to medium strong hearts. Of course the stronger the heart, the stronger the Heartless.  
But if you do have a strong heart and your soul is as strong as your heart, your body won't disappear into the Darkness and it won't be just the Heartless that can return your body. Here too the strength of the combo is of essence on how your body looks after your heart was lost to the Darkness." Axel again snaps his fingers and a new creature appear.

The creature has a thin body, a large cylindrical head with a flat top that is emblazoned with some kind of symbol that is made of several intermingling lines and which is imprinted on the top of its head, while its body seems covered in a light grey jumpsuit, allowing it to look thin as a straw yet also proving its flexibility.  
It moves around a lot more flexible than the Shadow did and I am amazed at the dumbfounding way of how it moves and waves its entire body. Then it looks at me and I barely keep a scream in – others like those younger than me not being able to – as I see that its mouth is actually a zipper, opened to reveal grey, sharp teeth underneath.  
The creature itself appears to have a few muscles here and there, even if the arms and legs are very thin and the sides of its body are outlined by a black line. I look further and start to believe that the flexibility is because the hands and feet are pointed and lack digits, while its hands each sport two black bands around them.

Axel snaps his fingers and the creature disappears again before Riku says: "That is what is called a Dusk. They are also the most common among their kind and their kind is called Nobodies, with a capital N. It's those that have lost their hearts, but have hearts strong enough to keep their body, even if some are no longer recognizable."  
Axel then takes over and says: "Now there was a large group of Powerful Nobodies, named Organization XII, that worked together to get their hearts back, but they went around it the wrong way and – well, Number XIII, my best friend, went against them, returned to his original self and me wanting him back made me a renegade too."  
Riku nods and says: "And that is how Axel is able to work with fire so well. His power is control over the fire and the other twelve members each have had their own powers. I will tell you all another time what happened to them. Let's now get back to the book." I quickly stand up, scrape my throat and continue reading.

 _ **"I persuaded … on tenderhooks.**_

"He tried the same with us in our Fifth." Sirius laughs and Harry asks: "Did you go?" Sirius shakes his head and says: "That was on the same night as full moon and we had just finished our Animagus transformation training. We just had to support Remy the minute we could, so we sadly enough had to cancel with Nick."  
Harry nods and Ron says: "Well, if yours would have been anything like ours, then trust me – you wouldn't have missed a thing." And he shudders, but then Hermione whispers something in his ear and he shudders even harder, before muttering: "You're right, the aftermath was even worse." We all get intrigued by this and I read on.

 _ **"No," said … of course," said Harry.**_

"Why would he even want Harry to say that? It's not even true?" Lovegood asks and Harry answers: "It's probably the highest honor to ghosts if living ones think you scary and dare to talk about it." I tilt my head and ask: "Living ones?" And he waves his hand, still lying down, and says: "Just read on." I nod and do as asked.

 _ **Nearly Headless … to me…"**_

I look up as Harry suddenly shoots up, looking at Ronald in pure shock and then he says: "Okay mate, that whole Troll thing during the Sorting Hat chapter last book was one thing, but this?" Ron shrugs and says: "I don't know what's going on either." And Hermione says: "Let's just keep an eye out." The three nod at each other and I read on.

 _ **Rain was … a salamander.**_

"Fred! George! That was totally uncalled for!" Charles shouts at his brothers, but then Ron shoots up and takes the elder Weasley with him to a far-off corner. He seems to whisper a few things to his brother, making Charles look at Ginerva, before he nods, sits back down and says: "We'll talk later." I feel confused, but read on.

 _ **Fred had … Harry's mind.**_

"Well, that's something, right?" The twins chorus with careful smiles aimed at Charles, but the elder Weasley brother glares at the two and simply goes to sit with Ginerva, whispering something to her that makes the girl whiten. He then hugs her tightly and while I wonder what could be going on, do I continue reading.

 _ **By the … the entertainment.**_

"Don't worry, Harry, there were no skeletons. Professor Sprout forbid it after she discovered that three of her First years feared Skeletons above all else and that one of her Second years had lost someone on Halloween." Neville tells my black-haired cousin, who cringes and says: "I know the feeling." Before I read on.

 _ **"A promise … the dungeons.**_

"Who had the most trouble with that? Harry, Ron or Hermione?" The twins laugh, but then Ron says: "Guys, don't! This is a majorly important chapter." The twins look confused and Ron asks: "Don't you remember, the first message came on Halloween night." The two whiten, obviously catching on and I read on.

 _ **The passageway … a freezer.**_

"That's because of all the ghosts present there. The body temperature of a person drops to below zero when he or she turns into a Ghost and that effects those around them, like when you walk through one. With so many ghosts around their body temperatures mix and spread through the room." Susan tells us all and I read on, amazed at her knowledge.

 _ **"Shall we … said Ron.**_

"Talk about a change of subject." The twins snicker and Ron coughs, before he says: "Actually, I already saw the food when we turned away from the Bloody Baron. I just mentioned it when I saw how uncomfortable Hermione felt about talking about Myrtle." The girl in question smiles at him appreciatively and I read on.

 _ **On the … OCTOBER, 1492**_

Suddenly Harry whitens and says: "Wait a minute, October 31st?" And only then do I realize what that date means and a single tear falls down my cousin's cheek as he whispers: "My parents died on the same night as Nick. How could I forget?" He gets hugged by Sirius and Remus and I lower the book and my head, everyone following my example.  
For a minute we all hold silent and I feel myself appreciating the sound of the waves softly hitting shore and of how the seagulls craw, but even they no longer do that, as if knowing how important our minute of silence is. We then all raise our heads and Harry smiles at me in gratitude, me smiling back at him before I read on.

 _ **Harry**_ _knew there was something about that date that was on the tip of his tongue, but then his attention drafted as he_ _ **watched, amazed … said Ron.  
**_ _And he wasn't the only one. Harry didn't tell this to his friends, but whenever they hadn't been studying or trying to find out about Flamel and the Stone, Harry had used his Invisibility Cloak to find the kitchens. He really wanted to get his hands on a spatula again and help whoever was cooking such amazing meals._

"I can imagine." Ron smiles and then he says: "I still don't understand how you got her out of the kitchens a few days into your stay with us." Harry snickers and says: "Simple, I used the Hurt Puppy dog look and kept part of the truth from her as I said that I always sold cookies and other yummies at Privet Drive.  
Not telling her that I actually cooked for those Muggles, but still admitting to have cooked for years, made her give me a chance and after that I just let you guys constantly pick who you wanted dinner from." Everyone laughs at the sneaky manner he worked and Ron says: "No less than she deserves." Before I read on.

 _ **They had … Harry cautiously.**_ _Here, there was no one he knew who he could use to make sure he wouldn't be pranked and he really didn't want his reputation broken.  
_ _ **Unlike the … moping Myrtle!"**_

"Is it really that hard for her to imagine why? I mean, has anyone ever seen her smile?" A Seventh year Hufflepuff asks and then he holds up his hand and says: "You guys don't count." I look at who he's talking about and see Ron and Harry smile proudly, before Harry says: "It's all about the questions you ask her.  
We found the right one and cheered her up. Do regret it now though." And he shudders, before he asks: "Can I have all Prefects here, please?" Sixteen confused students walk over and Harry whispers something at them, before sitting down again. They look at each other and Harry says: "Trust me." They sit down and I read on.

 _ **"You've forgotten … Nick stiffly.  
**_ _Harry remembered what Nick had said about the man and just by the way the ghost was behaving towards Nick was Harry starting to understand why Nick hated the man so much.  
_ _ **"Live 'uns!" … say that!"  
**_ _Harry thought it stupid he even tried and instead said, "So Nick's not frightening, at least he knows how to be polite and help those kind to you. Such as those kind enough to invite you to an important party of theirs."_

"Wow, Harry bites back." Sirius laughs and says: "I have a sharp tongue and even sharper claws, not to mention quite the short fuse. So try and insult or hurt my friends and I bite back harder than you'd like." Everyone smiles at this comment, but Harry just shrugs and lies back against his parents' sides as I read on.

 _Sir Patrick's actually dropped his head at this and Harry send him an evil glare, showing with his eyes how badly he wanted to step on his head right there. Nick defused this plan by speaking up.  
_ _ **"If I … blue spotlight.**_ _Harry decided to show how much he meant his anger against Sir Patrick and while he turned to the Gryffindor House Ghost he tried to step right next to Sir Patrick's head, but the head and body were gone.  
_ _ **"My late … mention hungry**_ _and plain furious_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"I can't … Harry agreed.**_

"Wait, wait, wait! You first insult Sir Patrick, try to stand next his head to show him your anger and glare at him when you can, but when he interrupts Nick's speech, you just leave?" Sirius asks, but I have read ahead and say: "Not so fast, Sirius, there's more and it's good." Sirius smiles widely at me and I read on.

 _But he wasn't done yet and said, "Just one more thing." He walked over to where the Headless Hunt was playing Head Hockey and asked a ghost in the crowd, who seemed to be a killed hunter, if he could borrow his net. The thing in itself felt as bad as when one of the ghosts would touch them, but he held strong and used the net to catch the head right out of the throw._

"You actually stopped them from playing? What, did you stay all speech with that head in the net?" Remus asks and again I read ahead, just the first paragraph and then smirk and say: "Oh no, better. It's the sharp tongue attack again." Harry shrugs, his hair being caressed by Viktor and I smirk at my cousin before reading on.

 _He then walked over to the stage and said, "This might be the famous Headless Hunt, but Nick still having his head on his neck has one benefit. His heart is still connected to his brain, so he still has the common sense to be friendly and a good host even to those mocking him. You Headless jerks lost your common sense together with your necks. A good day."_

Everyone is silent now and Sirius mutters: "I do not want Harry against me like that." And everyone shakes their heads. Harry turns red and says: "Oh come on, like you haven't said the same things to people hurting those you like or love." They then smile at each other, most of them nodding and I continue the chapter.

 _And with that he joined Ron and Hermione, the second who was beaming at him.  
_ _ **They backed … black candles.  
**_ _Harry turned to one of the angry glaring men of the Headless Hunt and said, "You can't have Nick in your group, that I understand, but you can at least accept him as someone to help you find more Headless Ghosts, seeing how well known he is. Too bad your head being thrown, hit and whatever not you did when playing games messed up your brain and common logic." Before he closed the door._

"Good plan, nice insult." Sirius smiles at his son and Axel says: "I'm getting the feeling that Luxord and Larxene would have really enjoyed being around Harry right there and then, don't you think Sora?" And the boy answers: "I know Luxord would, but who's Larxene?" And while I wonder what they're on about, does Axel say:  
"Right, Naminé took your memories of Castle Oblivion when she restored your older memories. I forgot. Larxene was nr. XII. She controlled Lightning and wasn't all too kind to Roxas." Sora seems to go into some kind of trance at that and then shudders and says: "No kidding." Before I continue the story, totally confused.

 _ **"Pudding might … entrance hall.**_ _Harry saw him look at him worriedly and smiled at how the boy had tried to defuse his anger. He decided to go and see if his suggestion had been taken into action the next time he saw Nick.  
_ _ **And then … tear… kill…"**_

"Oh sweet Merlin, no! Not that voice again." Sirius moans and I whiten as I never knew what the Basilisk was really after when it struck. Understanding how Harry thinks this a punishment, I look at my cousin and nod at him, the boy nodding back to show he understands that I received the message. I then clear my throat and read on.

 _ **It was … to kill…"**_

By now my hands are trembling and I mutter: "How can he stand hearing that?" But Harry's voice is suddenly dead as he says: "Trust me, the next book will be even worse." Instantly Ron and Hermione are at his sides, as if they know what he speaks of. Remembering the Dementors, I feel a shiver of dread go down my spine.  
I look around and see how almost everywhere Fifth, Sixth and Seventh years are sitting together with First or second years and how Ginerva is almost burying herself in her father's embrace. Wondering how this could be affecting the young girl so, I wonder if it's because of the last attack the Heir caused, but then focus back on the chapter.

 _ **The voice … pounding footsteps**_

"Why do I get the feeling, just from hearing about you two having bewildered faces, that Harry was the only one able to hear that terrible voice?" Mss. Crenson asks and Hermione sighs and says: "Because he is. And with good reason. You'll find out soon enough." The female ex-teacher nods and I read on, trying not to shudder.

 _ **Harry hurtled … HEIR, BEWARE**_

"THE WHAT?" Sirius shouts and he goes on: "My father told me all about that monstrous Chamber! What the hell is it doing opened up again? I thought after the last murder it would be closed for good! I thought they –." But then Harry hugs him and whispers: "Not now, Sirius. Please." And I see him looking at Ginny, before I read on.

 _ **"What's that … the floor;**_

Again Harry, Ron and Hermione look at each other and Hannah Abbott, a girl I sometimes considered to be potential bride material over the last year, asks while sounding scared: "Like the train?" Harry nods and says: "This is, not in the way of the element, an important way to find out what the Monster really is. Just listen carefully."  
Hannah nods, while many students go to sit together and start to whisper about what my cousin could be talking about. I myself wonder how else but the element the water can be any evidence, but instead of thinking about it, do I read on, wanting the chapter over with and already knowing I will screw up before it's over.

 _ **Ron and … and staring.**_

"WHAT IN THE WORLD?" Sirius shouts, but then Harry interrupts him and says: "Listen carefully. These last parts held three important clues. The location, the facial features of the cat and the water. Think about that and I'm sure you'll find out." And under the buzzing of many people whispering excitedly, do I read on.

 _ **For a … both ends.**_

"Can your luck get any worse?" Sirius asks his son, but then Riku asks: "Would anyone mind if we hold a very short break after this? I have to make a quick travel to another world for something important." The teachers nod and McGonagall say: "We'll take half an hour break every 2 to 3 chapters from now on."  
Everyone nods and Sora asks: "Where are you going?" And Riku answers softly: "To ask Hercules that question we wanted to ask him. About those Monsters and Malificent." The young caramel-brown haired boy nods, smiling at him in a way that makes it plain obvious to me he's head over heels for Riku and I read on.

 _ **The chatter … Draco Malfoy.**_

This makes me hit myself on the head and Uncle Sev stands up, looking at me murderously, before he almost hisses at Sora: "Can I use some water from your waterfalls to make some more potions, please?" Sora nods and the man marches away furiously, making me sigh as I never wanted to anger him like that and I read the last sentence.

 _ **He had … immobile cat.**_

"Mr. Malfoy, care to explain me what you thought exciting about a possibly dead cat hanging from her tail on a torch bracket?" Professor McGonagall asks me sternly and I sigh, answering: "Professor, it wasn't the cat. I was arrogant and believed the monster purely there to take out Muggleborns, thus felt safe enough to insult them."  
The woman nods and says: "Seeing that your parents will not punish you till we have reached the date of the Third Task in the fourth book, will I see this through the fingers – for now – but I will take a note of it, so that we can remember just what you have caused between that date and this one, is that clear?" I nod and sigh.

I then sit down and McGonagall says: "Professor Flitwick will keep the book with him until Riku has returned and Professor Snape has finished his potion. Until then will you have the entire island to yourselves, but do keep yourselves to the rules Sora and his friends will set up as we are here as guests on their island."  
The students nod and Sora says: "We don't really have any rules. All we ask is that you don't fish, drink too much from the fresh water pond and don't pluck our fruits. If any of you is hungry, we'll go the main island and buy some food. Is that all clear to you?" All students and the foreign guests nod and smile at this.

Then Riku leaves the group and asks: "Axel, would you mind making a portal to Olympus Coliseum?" The red-haired Nobody shakes his head and says: "As long as you don't mind that I'm not using it. I want to explore the world You and _**Sora**_ grew up in." The Nobody winks at the name Sora and Riku turns his eyes skyward.  
The man then opens the same portal as Sora before and Riku steps through, before Sora walks over to Harry and asks: "Want some more Keyblade training?" Harry nods and Axel asks: "Can I watch?" At which Sora says: "Sure." Making Axel smile widely before they leave the group and this part of the island, the rest of us breaking up as well.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Okay, so there wasn't much edited as Harry is slowly but surely healing and thus is capable of making small walks here and there as long as he keeps resting through the rest of the reading and I did want to create a new character, but not one I would really want to full develop and bring into the story, just some side stuff.  
**_ _ **Now I will admit that it was a lot of fun writing about how the "Fans" could potentially see Harry and his fame, yet the idea of someone who loves Harry for being both famous and human isn't something I ever really came across in the canon, so I thought that it could be fun to try and create one of my own.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **PS. I also hid a shout out to Ralph somewhere down the chapter. Care to try and find it?**_


	45. He'll Be Here Soon

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Wow, incredible! I didn't really think that I would be able to give you more than 12 chapters max and here we are at thirteen chapters. I know it's only one more than I originally intended, but I really didn't think I could get this much work done, especially with the new text layout and all, in the course of the last month.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas, all,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 44  
**_ _ **He'll be here soon**_

 _ **Riku's POV**_

Olympus Coliseum was a world I have never travelled to before and now I regret it. The place is huge, large enough to probably fit that Darkside I had to fight in my memory of Destiny Island back at Castle Oblivion and how they were able to put those gigantic soldier statues in this amazing courtyard, I'll never understand.  
The doors are made of wood with golden clasps and are at least seventeen if not twenty times my size. The pillars on both sides of the door opposite me are about one and half times the size of the Great Hall and the walls on the sides have windows every one feet or so, looking out over the clouds and into the vast sky.

All in all the Coliseum is amazing.

I walk over the soft sand courtyard and hear a gruff voice asks: "You here to train, rookie?" I look down and see what looks like a brown colored goat with orange furred rear legs and a curled goatee that can surprisingly enough stand on its hind legs alone as his rear legs actually have hands instead of hooves along with a human face.  
I shake my head and say: "No sir, I'm looking for Hercules. There's something important I have to ask him." The goat-man humps and asks: "What's so important it makes you not want to train at the famous Olympus Coliseum?" I sigh and say: "It concerns a new friend of mine. A Keyblade wielder to be exact."

The man looks shocked and then a kinder voice asks: "Did I hear the words Keyblade Wielder?" And I see a strong muscled man with rust-colored hair that is held back by a reddish-brown headband, save for a single bang that falls over it. He has beautiful blue eyes and a kind smile as he wears a metal sort of armor.  
He walks over and says: "Hi, I'm Hercules. Are you a friend of Sora's?" I smile at the man, glad to finally meet Hercules and say: "Yes, I am. My name's Riku." To which the goat-man says: "So you're the famous Riku. Sora was looking for you every time he came here, you know?" This makes me lower my head in shame.

Hercules slaps me on the shoulder and says: "Hey, don't mind Phil, he's just pissed I finished the training so quickly and that he has no new material for me." I smile at him and say: "Well, if you're not training, maybe you can answer me a few questions me and my friends have. They concern Hades and Maleficent."  
The man turns grim and asks: "What do you want to know?" And I explain him everything. How an older friend of mine knew Harry as a teacher, how they lost sight of each other, how they reunited and how we discovered he was a Keyblade Wielder and abused terribly by his relatives, even so far as locking him in his room on his birthday.  
Hercules has his lips thin and his muscles are showing more than ever as he tenses them in anger. He then suddenly turns around and hits one of the pillars with what seems to be all his strength, the pilar carving itself into the stone structure of the Coliseum. I look flabbergasted at this amazing show of power and he asks:  
"So what do you want to ask? And what does all this have to do with Hades?" I shrug and say: "We know a woman, actually a witch, who's just as bad as Hades and we were wondering if Hades would be enough to punish those three. Sora wants to do both of them, but I don't want those two joining forces again."

Hercules tilts his head and asks: "Again?" I nod and say: "They joined forces when Sora first came here. When he helped you beat Cerberus and all. Maleficent tried to join forces with Oogie-Boogie the last time, when Hydra destroyed the Coliseum, but I don't want her joining forces with Hades. With Pete, she's bad enough."  
Hercules nods and crosses his arms, apparently calmed down from his anger as he says: "I'm not sure if Hades is even willing to go out there and scare those people, but sending them here and then leading them to him might work. Then again, I know he has three helpers that can predict when someone is to die; they tried to cheat on that with Meg once."

I nod and ask: "Think they'll be willing to slightly cheat with that again. Not totally – to kill them or anything – but to make them feel how badly their health really is. Two of them have the size of a human whale you see, so it would be interesting to see them realize how badly their health really is." But then Phil steps in and says:  
"You want a human whale to feel the bad affects of his condition? You don't need Hades for that." We both look at him and Hercules says: "Phil, you wouldn't." But the goat man waves him down and says: "Hell yeah, I would. I hate it if a Keyblade wielder or a young hero can't get to the full of his ability thanks to some jerks."

This alone shocks me, but it also proves how this being became the famous Trainer of Heroes. He then turns around and while waving at me, he says: "Just send those fools my way and I'll let them sweat worse than I do Herc on a bad day. And Herc, you make sure they don't take advantage of my height and try to scram, you got that?"  
Hercules nods at the goat-man and then he turns to me and says: "We'll handle this. Just leave it to us and tell Sora I said hi." I nod and leave back for the portal, wondering what exactly I just left the Dursleys with. I take one last look at the coliseum as I step through and again marvel at the beauty of this amazing place.

 _ **Axel's POV**_

Having gone with Sora and Harry to see him train was just an excuse. An excuse to watch Sora and see my beautiful Roxas in that caramel-brown haired boy. The bone structure, height and way he talks and moves every now and then don't diminish the idea of him being Roxas either and I remember the day I realized I loved Roxas:

 _ **Flashback:**_

 **It was a day after we had finished Castle Oblivion. Vexen, Zexion, Lexaeus, Marluxia and Larxene are all destroyed – Vexen being the only one to have died by my hand while the other four were killed by either Sora, Riku or Riku's Replica – and I'm standing one floor lower than where Roxas and I usually meet.  
** **The way I felt right after I let Naminé, the girl that – under Marluxia's orders – controlled and changed Sora's memories, go still bugs me and I wonder how I could have enjoyed what I did instead of just remembering how it felt to enjoy something. I remember telling the girl: "We Nobodies can never hope to be Somebodies."**

 **I shake my head and think: "Was I wrong? Is there still a chance? Has my meeting with Sora –." And there realization struck. Sora had a Nobody – a Nobody I was in constant contact with. And according to everyone I heard talking about Sora, he has a special influence on those connected to him. Could the same apply to Roxas?  
** **I think back to the days I joined in on missions with him and remember how we took down the Guardian together. I had, back then, believed what I was feeling was a memory of how it felt to be proud as it didn't feel all that different yet. But now, having met Sora, the emotions seem to grow stronger the more I think of both of them.  
** **I look up, wondering if Roxas is sitting just one floor above me and think: "I just betrayed members of the only group he knows. Everyone keeps everything from him as long as – the project is yet to finish and I was told to do the same. But the longer I hang around with him and meet with him after missions, the harder this gets.**

 **This makes me realize that yes, like Sora, Roxas has a special influence on those around him, those connected to him. While the poor bugger is probably still without heart himself, has he given me one and I didn't realize it until I started helping Sora by letting Naminé escape and then laughing at what her escape could cause.  
** **I look back up again and whisper: "You are really something else, Roxas. Even from the person you are born from." I then look at the sunset and realize something. Roxas really gave me a heart, but not one to just care for him. The heart he gave me, he immediately stole as I fell head over heels for my little Roxy.**

I smile at this flashback and whisper: "I really hope to see you soon again, Roxas. Missed you just so much." And for a minute I see Sora move his head my way as he parries and attacks Harry with his Keyblade. Wondering if those deep blue eyes I saw were Sora's or Roxy's, I smile hoping with all my heart he'll be here soon.

 _ **Sora's POV**_

I'm working with Harry on his skills and Keyblade movement when suddenly Roxas comes up and makes me look at Axel for just a second. I even feel my body change, as if the aura of another person is wrapped around me with body features and all and realize something as I focus back on the fight and parry Harry's uppercut blow.  
Axel coming back gave Roxas a whole new reason to demerge with me. My Nobody is after all completely head over heels with the older boy and we had after all agreed to demerge already, even if it was only for my chances with Riku. And now – now Roxas has the same kind of chance with Axel and he wants to take it.  
I jump back from the fight, knowing I would have gotten a headache from Harry's last blow had I not and whisper: "Come out when Harry meets Fawkes, that's who Axel was turned into. It will prove your loyalty to him." And again the aura comes over me and I feel my head nodding, making me smile as I jump back into the fight.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I don't really know what's going on between the new older boy Axel and my new friend – and current teacher – Sora, but I get the feeling it has something to do with that whole Nobody thing they told us about. Especially since Sora told me he had a Nobody himself that he merged with and Axel himself is also a Nobody.  
Wondering if Sora's Nobody and Axel knew each other, I fight Sora as hard as I can, reminding myself of the training I went through for the Patronus charm and the last tasks of the Tournament, but also minding my body. Then, as I want to strike Sora, I see him moving his head and for some reason do his looks change for just a second.  
He jumps back and I see him whispering something I can't hear. He jumps back to me and – while he seemed to have been slacking since I saw him turn his head – does he seem all back into the fight now and I push myself even harder, wanting to move with my Keyblade as well as he does. All throughout the rest of the fight all I notice is Riku coming back.

 _ **Severus' POV**_

Working on the one potion that was and always has been a real challenge to me, I wonder if the plants and other flora here could help me improve the conditions of the Wolfsbane Potion, maybe even improve the conditions of a werewolf himself. Knowing that if I can, I can sell the potion, I decide to go and see how the twins are with their Jokeshop.  
After all, we teachers aren't stupid and I have noticed them working harder and harder on their regular work – even if their test results are slacking off – since their Fifth year, since the Career Day. Wondering if Minerva has anything to do with it, I decide to do what I know Molly Prewett never did; ask the twins how they plan their Jokeshop construction.

Of course I'm quite well aware that I'm just thinking of random things I can do while on this island and that I'm trying not to let my anger get the better of me as Draco will still have two years before we get to where we are now before we can rightfully punish him, but the thought of him using the M word twice in 2 months keeps my anger high.  
I sigh and stay working at the far west of the waterfalls, between a thick bush of greenery and just behind a part of the first waterfall, where people can barely see me and I have just enough light not to disturb some of the ingredients and still see what I'm doing perfectly, the greenery and waterfall causing exactly enough light.  
Using tools created out of my surroundings also help a lot and make me feel all the more satisfactory of my work as I work with things I made myself. All in all pushing my thoughts of what Draco did away, thinking of things yet to do today and working with ingredients taken from the Island's flora make me feel quite well about myself.

 _ **Minerva's POV**_

The break is nearly over and I see that Severus is still quite busy on his potion. The man seems to draw his ingredients more out of his surroundings than from the Potions kit he took along and I wonder whether this will aid or trouble the man. Knowing it's best not to disturb him, as hearing that word twice in a single half an hour must be hard on him.  
I then look further around and while the Bulgarian students have sought refuge in the higher platforms and the French have gone to the shade near the cove Harry and his family had sought refuge earlier, are all Hogwarts divided between surfing on wooden planks, swimming and sunning on the beach. All in all they all seem to enjoy themselves.  
This makes me smile and I look at the far west platform, created between a large, thick tree and the mountains and see Axel, Sora and Harry, Axel leaning against the tree and Sora and Harry fighting. Harry seems to really improve the more Sora pushes him and I wonder how the boy's life would have been had Sora been his friend all along.  
The boy in question seems to not just improve in his skills with the blade, but also his health and while I can easily see that Poppy is worrying over him, does Sora seem to really take into account how much he thinks Harry's body can handle as, even as he tries to hide it, it's still obvious that the experienced fighter is holding back.

I then see Riku coming back, something which Axel seems to notice as well as he uncrosses his arms and makes the Dark Portal – that still gives me the creeps – disappear before he crosses his arms again and smiles slightly as he watches Sora and Harry train. Riku soon joins him and leans against the opposite tree.  
I look at the three newcomers and wonder what other worlds they can show us. They after all told us that there are loads of different worlds and all of them with life being different from each other and I think: "Wherever we go, I hope they will keep helping my little Godson. Merlin knows he needs it with all that bastard put on him."  
I then sigh and continue watching over the students, with Naminé and Kairi sitting on the edge of the platform where I stand and happily chatting with each other. Next to this platform Narcissa and Andromeda seem to have found each other again and the fact that the sisters Black are reuniting makes me smile a small, relieved smile.

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

The Bulgarians have sought refuge in the higher platforms, the French are in front of us on the shady part of the beach and Remus and I are back in the cove we were in when we first came here. We're both looking out for our little one and Remus says: "He's showing the same determination as with the Patronus lessons."  
This makes me smile and then I turn to him and say: "You know, it might have been Hermione and Harry doing all the work, but if you hadn't taught him that spell, we would have all been dead." The man shudders and says: "I know. I still have nightmares of that night. Not being able to control myself and being so close to pup in that form –."  
The man shudders and I quickly hug him, offering him my comfort and whispering: "You didn't do nothing, love. You didn't attack us, you didn't get near us and you didn't bite any of us. You were of no danger to us and you don't have to fear so any longer." The man sighs and hugs me back as he bitterly replies:

"Sirius, even now that I see Moony as a way for me to have gained a family and to stimulate you into Animagus, is there still the fact that I'm dangerous – a menace even – and nothing will ever change that." But then Riku, who walked by on his way to Axel, Sora and Harry, says: "Nothing, except for your own heart."  
I look at him and he says: "Your heart decides whether your werewolf side is light or dark and if you let your heart be controlled by the darkness you believe your werewolf side to be, you could very well lose it and become one of those creatures we showed you. And then – there is only a 1% chance of you ever coming back."  
Remus and I blanche and Riku climbs up a ladder before I turn to Remus and stab him with my finger, saying: "You will not lose that beautiful heart, you hear me? That is one of your attributes that I fell in love with and like hell that I will let you lose it. We've been through too much to let Darkness break us apart now."  
Remus smiles at me, tears in his eyes and I kiss his lips, feeling my resolve weaken as those soft lips turn strong and demanding and I give into my Remus yet again, hiding us in the deeper parts of the cove and trusting in Viktor to keep an eye on Harry – and on his privacy wards to keep our actions secret to others.

 _ **Collin's POV**_

I just know that somewhere in the chapters soon to be read, the attack on my person will be mentioned and because I never told Dennis about it am I now trying to have as much fun with him as I can, making a castle on the beach and playing in the water with him, just to make him enjoy the last few moments before the story will turn dark.  
Of course, I'm sure my little brother has noticed how hard I'm trying to keep him from worrying, but Dennis was always the fun, easy-going kind of kid and I really hope that will last when the story comes around to my time as a stone statue. Luckily enough was Justin Flinch-Fletchley, who was also petrified, willing to help me with this.  
So whenever Dennis seems reluctant to play with me, Justin steps in and gets the boy to play water-tag or hide and seek or something of the like. This is such a moment and while hiding from Dennis, who has to find us, do I look at Harry and his training, feeling feeling quite both troubled and grateful that the secret will be revealed.  
Of course my moment of not looking out for my brother comes back to bite me in the ass as Dennis finds me and I laugh, shocked that he found me this fast as Dennis was never good at Hide and Seek. I then go help him find Justin and try not to think of the time of my First year that I just can't remember – as it was all black that I saw.

 _ **Hermione's POV**_

I know my time being Petrified is not for a long shot, but the thought of reading about the Chamber and its problems alone scares the hell out of me as I felt restless with fear of what on earth could be causing the victims to be petrified and I can now vividly remember how the thought I would be next was constantly going through my mind.  
All in all does this make me even more grateful to have Blaise by my side as he barely speaks about it and we just talk randomly, sometimes about issues that have been bugging me, sometimes about absolutely nothing, as we sit at the same spot as before. The dock is currently a little more crowded, but with Blaise around, I barely notice it.  
I never really knew how it felt to fall in love, but if it means you feel free, yourself and can talk of things that you never knew about but don't want to ask that person his ears off and just want to listen to the sound of his voice, then I guess being in love really is an amazing thing – and Blaise Zabini really an amazing person.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So this chapter wasn't really the longest and it really was just a bit of a transition between one CR chapter and another, but personally I am hoping to implement more chapters like this as just CR stuff chapter after chapter after chapter after chapter – yeah, like this, that gets repetitive and I really don't want that for this story.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	46. Axel Talks A Lot

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **I love this chapter. Just the title alone makes me giddy and that while I don't even remember what the chapter was about. Guess that just goes to show how much I love certain characters, though I do plan to use this story as much as possible to also branch out to lesser used characters and newly created characters, my OC's.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 45  
**_ _ **Axel talks a lot**_

 _ **Leona Poreon's POV**_

When I signed up to be a possible contestant for the Tri-Wizard Tournament and represent Beauxbattons in the event, I never expected even half of all that had happened. The crazy tasks, the gorgeous dancing at the Yule ball, the unexpected Fourth Champion and the Time spell that has kept us at Hogwarts longer than planned."  
There is just so much that happened that feels like it goes all over my head, that I actually feel glad for the crazy reading as even the reading voices of total strangers often gave me a sense of peace, a feeling that is actually quite dangerous for a young woman of my age, especially considering that my family doesn't live too prosperous.  
Yet even though my father is endebted to several other families thanks to a mistake his mother, my grandmother made, and though for us every earned Knut, Sickle and Galleon has counted, have I never had it as bad as Harry, who came from a rich and powerful ancient family, but was raised by the greediest, most selfish Muggles ever.

"And yet he is still so kind and helpful. I can't believe anyone can come out so good and loving and accepting after going through what he went through. And all those things he feared and constantly worried about. How could it be possible that he hid those from so many who so obviously love to just utterly destroy him?"

Is what goes through my mind as I watch the boy in question, who is actually ignoring his healing process just to learn a new skill and I mutter: "He really never gives up, does he?" And Fleur, who has come to sit with me and has taken to watching the boy as well, shakes her head and says: "No, but he does seem mindful."  
I look at her and she says: "Sora is obviously holding back on how hard he fights the kid and how much power he uses behind his attacks, but Harry seems also mindful of what his body can and cannot handle in regards to movement. I do think he will be exhausted at the end, but it doesn't seem as if he cares for this."  
This makes me sigh in concern and then Fleur says: "You know, when he walked through that door on Halloween last year, I never expected that he, the unexpected, unwanted fourth champion, would be the one to save us all from having this Tournament ruined." And I smile as I say: "I guess he's just special that way."

Yet at this I look around at the other Hogwarts students and say: "And yet, all of these other students just seem to take it for granted that he is that special. That his incredible being and person being a student at their school is just to be expected. How could they take something like that for granted?" And Fleur sighs, not knowing either.  
"At least they'll get what they deserve." Another voice suddenly says and we look up, seeing the third member of our foursome of friends and young Mariah Florius comes to sit with us as she says: "They've believed they could hurt him without punishment for years and now they get proven wrong. That's a good thing."  
And my friend and I smile at each other as Mariah has always been the most vindictive of us, while I have always been the most caring – a bit of a mother figure even though I am also the youngest – Fleur was always the most talented and Kalleigh Leonas was always the strictest. Together we are Beauxbattons' finest.

 _ **Pomona's POV**_

I know this upcoming chapter, and the chapters that follow, will be terribly hard on all students of our school, especially those that were petrified. Personally I believe they will find relief in them having been petrified when they hear what was actually happening to the school, but I still feel the need to keep a close eye on them.  
Collin Creevey worries me the most. He seems a bit forceful in wanting to play with his younger brother and I wonder why he tries to have the hyper, happy-go-lucky kid – who's easy attitude sometimes reminds me of the Marauders – be so carefree during a sudden break. Then that reason becomes clear and I feel like hitting myself.  
Collin never told his younger brother what happened to him. As far as Dennis knows Collin had a reasonably normal First year and that thought must have already taken a turn for the worst when he heard of the petrified cat. I sigh and think: "Well, the cat's out of the bag now." Before silently snorting at the stupid pun.

I then look up as Severus comes back, potion in hand and noticed by all students around us. Instantly they all stand up or jump down from the platforms and gather around on the large beach. Only Harry, Sora, Axel and Riku are still missing and when I search for them, I find the first two struggling to push the other back.  
Their Keyblades are crossed against each other and each has one leg bend to the front and the other spread behind them, pushing against one another and obviously not willing to give the other a single inch, even though Harry seems to struggle more. I shake my head and then Axel looks up and says something that makes them look up.  
Sora smiles and jumps over the railing down to the sand, landing and slipping. He yelps and falls, his face almost getting buried under the soft sand. Everyone laughs and Sora stands back up, shaking his head and looking around before he too laughs at his own idiocy. I shake my head at this and then he joins Kairi and Leon on their blanket.

Harry in the mean time seems to have finally reached his limit as he sighs and leans against Axel, the ginger keeping him up until Riku manages to lift the youngest of the three boys on his back and while I can almost hear the young boy apologize for his tired body, does Riku seem just not to care as he helps Harry back to his parents.  
Sirius seems to be lying there quite contently as if he just won something great and Remus is lying next to him on his side, swirling his index finger over the man's chest, something that actually causes Sirius to purr. All in all do their actions – together with Krum twirling his wand – make me realize that ignorance is bliss.  
Yet while the two seem to be in a blissful state all of their own, do I feel amazed over how well they instantly straighten up and help Harry off Riku's back as the boy approaches, Remus sitting side to side with Sirius, who pulls a slightly drowsy on his lap, Viktor actually surprising them all with yet another enchanted gift.

The gift itself is quite gorgeous as it is a bracelet made of seashells that obviously come from the island itself, yet they are also enchanted to have the same glow as that of rare gems and Viktor says: "Consider this my apology for missing on my morning task. I hope it is acceptable." And girls coo at the gifts beauty as Harry smiles and nods.  
I then scrape my throat and say: "I'll read next, if no one minds." All students shake their heads and Minerva hands me the book as we had agreed she could keep it on her during breaks. I then quickly look at young Ginny, who has Ron right next to her, his arms showing he's ready to comfort her when needed and smile as I start the chapter.

 _ **The Writing on the Wall**_ _ **.**_

"Great, so we'll go even further in on that terrifying message?" Fleur Delacour asks while her, her parents, Cedric and his parents all share a blanket and Cedric says: "I don't think it'll be just us, Fleur." And he looks at Hermione, while Ron seems too focused on Ginny, yet it is Harry who intrigues me the most.  
Sirius, while holding his son, has gone back to the purring he was doing under his mate's earlier ministrations and it seems that this is helping Harry calm down, ignore how severe this chapter has started off and seems to actually help him heal from his earlier exhaustion. All this, together with the purring, makes me read on intrigued.

 _ **"What's going … on Harry.**_

Instantly the purring, that had become a nice background tune to the story stops and Sirius growls: "He better not try anything." But Harry mutters: "Actually, he did and it kind of unleashed something that made me look like a culprit." Sirius look at him weird, now lying down with his son encased against his own form as he asks:  
"What'd you do?" But Harry shrugs and says: "I think it might be something that can be connected to my powers as a Keyblade Wielder, but I'm not completely sure. It's just really weird what happened and I've never been able to do it again. And not because I didn't want to." The man nods and I read on while feeling quite intrigued.

 _ **"You!" he … you! I'll-"  
**_ _But the man seemed unable to find words and ran at Harry instead. Harry's eyes widened as the man looked like a rampaging rhino, something that reminded him so strongly of his uncle he acted in seconds.  
_ _He pushed Ron and Hermione away, pushed himself against the wall and slammed his hands against it on both his sides. Not really believing anything would happen, but hoping the stone wall would break Filch's hand and stop him from trying to hurt or worse, kill him, he was as surprised as everyone else at what happened.  
_ _The wall behind him trembled and he could feel strong magic flowing through it. Hundreds of spells and enchantment flew into his mind, finding a place to settle and keeping themselves there to later be investigated. At the same time did more stone walls push themselves out of the wall behind him and encase him like a cocoon – with only his head still visible._

Everyone looks shocked, the students obviously having forgotten this had happened and Harry, who has actually gone to hide his face in his mother's embrace as if embarrassed, says: "As you can see, I have no idea what happened. I just wanted to dodge his blows and next thing I know, I'm encased in that stone structure."  
The students look at each other and while I can barely believe that Hogwarts told Harry about her charms and enchantments can I now understand what Harry meant with this showing him as some kind of culprit as only an Heir of the Founders must have been able to do so. I wonder what heritage Harry could have and read on.

 _Filch was no longer able to hurt him, but the man was apparently too crazy for the loss of his cat to notice. Harry ducked his head, ready to dodge a blow when he heard a shout,_ _ **"Argus!"  
**_ _ **Dumbledore … the scene,**_

"Please tell me he wasn't alone? Him alone with Harry is as bad as Lockhart together with my son. Speaking of which –." He turns to his son and asks: "The book said you left his office feeling dazed. Do you remember anything that could have caused that?" But Harry shakes his head and I read on, feeling resigned and relieved at the same time.  
Resigned as the boy not remembering could mean we have barely to not enough evidence against Lockhart to get him arrested, yet relieved as Harry doesn't deserve to remember anything awful like that when he's already been through enough as it is. I sigh and hope Naminé really can help him recover of everything he's been through.

 _ **followed by … Miss Granger."**_ _Only then did he seem to notice how Harry was encased in stone and his eyes widened slightly behind his half-moon spectacles, but Harry simply hang his arms back against his sides and the stone protection merged back into the wall behind him.  
_ _Dumbledore nodded and_ _ **Lockhart stepped … said Dumbledore**_ _, not paying attention to how Harry had whitened at the man's words.  
_ _ **The silent … to smile.**_

"I was quite amused at what the idiot was trying. The words he sprouted started long before we entered his office and none of them made any logical sense, so it was quite comical, together with how his portraits reacted." My colleague comments on this and the three students nod in agreement before I continue the story.

 _ **And Lockhart … for sure.  
**_ _And what made it worse was that every so often, he saw Lockhart coming closer and then moving further away from him, his eyes having that same strange, disturbing look. Harry kept moving his chair back until it was against the wall on the other side of the office.  
_ _ **Dumbledore was … said Lockhart).**_ _He shot another disgusting look at Harry and Harry felt the need to again encase himself with the stone wall.  
_ _ **"But how … Dumbledore firmly**_ _, not even noticing how far Harry had distanced himself from the rest of the group_ _ **. "It would … any good.**_ _Was Snape going to reveal how he felt about Lockhart? Had he noticed his fear for the man? And was that even such a bad thing?_

"I'm sad to say that I didn't notice, Mr. Potter, just like I never noticed the overly obvious signs of your abuse. I was too high-strung on the belief that you were just like your father and my anger for him constantly made me blind for your other two sides." This intrigues Harry enough he looks up from where he hid his face and asks:  
"Other two sides, sir?" Severus sighs and says: "The side that reminds me of your mother. Her need to have a talent and show it and her unyielding sense of loyalty to what she believed in and her friends. And your own side, that which makes you different enough from your parents that it should amaze us we even try to compare you to them."  
Harry smiles and says: "I like hearing stories of my parents; of what they did; of how they lived; how they fell in love, but –." And Sirius ends: "Being constantly compared to them has led you to believe that if you're not like them we won't like you anymore. That you won't be a person anymore." Harry nods, Krum hugs him and I read on.

 _ **"Potter and … he said.  
**_ _In a way it was true. He had been tired of the disrespectful way the Headless Hunt had behaved at Nick's party and he had wanted to warm himself from the cold down in the dungeons._

Severus hits himself on the head and says: "Unbelievable, that boy." But most students laugh at the sneaky way Harry made his words true and the twins chorus: "I can understand why the Hat wanted him in Slytherin." Making Harry look at them shocked, before he smiles at them gratefully and I continue reading.

 _ **"Without any … be honest."**_

"Wait a minute. Harry was being truthful. It was Ron who really lied. Harry after all had a back-up story to prove his words." Sirius says and Harry mutters: "And that isn't even the worst of this chapter." Sirius looks worried and I see my Puffs starting to look guilty again. Wondering why that could be, I quickly read on.

 _ **"Really, Severus," … being X-rayed.**_ _At least it was better than Lockhart.  
_ _Then suddenly Harry saw that Lockhart was no longer with the teachers and looked around, not finding Lockhart anywhere.  
_ _ **"Innocent until … butted in.**_ _Harry jumped and screamed, shocking the group. Lockhart had somehow managed to get behind Harry and him speaking scared the boy more than anything he had seen all night. Lockhart actually jumped back, but before he could further react Harry had thrown his chair to the other side of the room and had ran at it, making sure the chair was close to Dumbledore and McGonagall. As little as he trusted the two, he knew Lockhart wouldn't try anything if he was near his superiors._

Minerva sighs and says: "We really should have seen more in his sudden fear for Lockhart. We just thought he had been startled and that the fear of being removed from Quidditch made him as twitchy as he was." But Harry's shaking again and Sora mutters: "The minute we move, Naminé can start healing him."  
Everyone nods and then Naminé stands up and sits down next to Harry, a wooden basin with water next to her. She moves her hand over the surface and it starts to move along with her movement and starts to shine as if made of silver or some other kind of metal. Wondering how she could do something like that, I hear her ask:

"Harry, do you trust me?"

Harry nods and she moves her hand up, the water moving along and then moves it in a circle around his head. A case of almost transparent silver appears out of the swirling water around Harry's head and she says: "I will fill this case with water, like I did when I healed Sora's memories and you will sleep while I see what I can do, okay?"  
Harry nods, his face barely visible but a grateful expression is still visible as Naminé moves her hands up and down and I see water coming up from Harry's neck and going up to the top of the case. Harry closes his eyes and so does Naminé, one hand still on the case. Deciding to leave them to themselves I clear my throat and read on.

 _ **"I must … awkward pause**_ _in which Harry saw Lockhart send another look at him that made him almost hide behind McGonagall's robe.  
_ _ **"You may … actually running.**_ _Harry still felt Lockhart's eyes on him until after he closed the door – even if maybe he did it a little too hard._ _ **When they … I heard?"  
**_ _He brought this topic up because he could see on Hermione's face that she wanted to know why he did what he did when he discovered Lockhart was behind him, but he didn't even want to think about the man being that close without him knowing anymore.  
_ _ **"No," said … a snigger.**_

"Ronald." Arthur says and Ron says: "Sorry, it was a combination of several things. You see, Harry wasn't the only one who often heard her complain about people. I just heard her complain about Squibs one night before I went to Hogwarts for my first year and to hear that Filch, who hates us all, was one just made me snicker at it all."  
Arthur nods and then asks: "Has any of you ever heard her complain about something?" All Weasley siblings nod and Bill says: "Being Pregnant of Percy." And Charlie says: "Your Muggle obsession." Percy then says: "Me playing with my brothers." And the twins chorus: "Your low job." And finally Ginny says: "Me not dressing in dresses and skirts."  
Arthur sighs and whispers: "And I missed all that." But then Ron says: "All that and more, dad. Trust me. I'm not saying anything yet, but I think we might have something against her that can actually get her arrested. I just have to be sure first, so we'll have to wait until the next book." His father nods at him and I read on.

 _ **"Well – it's … "He's bitter."**_

"Bitter, he may be, but that doesn't excuse the ways he scares the students and his ways of punishing them." Minerva says and then she goes on and says: "Amelia, please keep an eye out on Argus through the books and if he does anything, write it down." The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement nods and I read on.

 _ **A clock … something else."  
**_ _The rest of the night Harry barely slept and that had several reasons. First was that he studied some of the potions they had been working on over the last two months, just to get his mind off of how Lockhart had looked at him. The other was that, while he was working on a cure against inflammation, his mind was processing all the spellwork and enchantment Hogwarts had given him. He was – in his own mind – reading about spells and enchantments he never thought he would learn about and even found a few passageways that he was sure even the twins and Filch himself didn't know about.  
_ _Only the ability of letting the wall encase him was something that seemed to have slipped his mind, or perhaps it hadn't even been one of his own abilities. Perhaps Hogwarts had realized in what kind of trouble Harry was and had reacted to the cause herself. Harry had always had the small belief that Hogwarts was actually sentient, seeing how the moving staircases seem to have a mind of their own; now he wondered if that belief had been true and with that question he fell asleep, a whole new cure bottled and in his hand._

"A new cure?" Severus asks and looks at the sleeping Harry, who lies peacefully in Krum's arms. Then Naminé says: "I found the memory you speak off. He was tweaking the recipe a little and experimenting with it, while processing all the spells and enchantments Hogwarts taught him." Severus nods and asks:  
"And all those Potion bottles? Surely his trunk should be overflowing with them by now." Naminé seems to work on this and then reaches out to his robe. She taps it just under his Gryffindor symbol and to my shock, another robe appears under his own. She pulls the outer robe away and a whole array of filled potion vials are shown to us.  
Everyone looks shocked and Filius says: "Ingenious. A cloning and merging spell. He must have learned it from the spells he got from Hogwarts." Naminé nods as she focuses back on Harry and the pod around his head. Deciding not to disturb the girl anymore, I quickly bring everyone's attention back to the book and read on.

 _ **For a … "looking happy."  
**_ _Harry had started wearing his Invisibility Cloak whenever he saw Filch approach or when he saw he was coming in contact with the man and Hermione and Ron were seen more and more often as if it was only them leaving for a certain class. Harry didn't dare face Filch just yet as he knew he couldn't count on Hogwarts to protect him like she did before again and he didn't want to face the man, knowing Filch still thought he, Harry, had Petrified Mrs. Norris._

"That is so not the reason James would have wanted him to use the Cloak." Sirius moans and Remus comments: "No, but it still is a good reason to use the Cloak as it protects our little cub." Sirius nods and then with a sneaky smirk he asks: "Don't you mean, one of our cubs?" And while Remus and I look at this news shocked, does the man stutter:  
"A-are – are you – are you sure?" But Sirius shakes his head, making Remus sigh and he says: "No, but seeing that Severus needed at least two and a half hours – a time you used quite pleasurably if I may add – I'm quite sure the chance is there." Then he lowers his head and says: "If Azkaban hasn't taken the chance away, that is."  
But Remus hugs Sirius tightly and whispers: "No way. There is no way Azkaban can do that. I believe you can be pregnant and so does everyone here. As soon as we have a chance I'll let Madam Pomfrey check you for child." Sirius smiles at him widely at this and while feeling ecstatic for the young couple do I read on.

 _ **Ginny Weasley … Ginny blanched.**_

Ron sighs and then he turns to Ginny and whispers: "You can leave if you want to." But while I wonder why – the only thing I can remember is her being taken down to the Chamber much later – does the girl shake her head and instead Ron pulls her on his lap and do her brothers join him, Bill and Charlie looking confused, as I read on.

 _ **The attack … find out.**_

The girl in question lowers her head and says: "I was scared. The message made me know that Mrs. Norris had been just an accident, it was the Muggleborns the monster was after. I just didn't want to fear what I didn't know so I tried to find out what it was." The students around her nod at her in understanding and I read on.

 _ **Harry had … opposite direction.**_

Now Justin flinches with a guilty look on his face and suddenly I realize why my Hufflepuff Fourth years all look so guilty, they must have all believed that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin. But then I look closer and see that there seems to be more that fuels their guilt and while feeling that I don't want to know, do I read on.

 _ **Harry found … own homework.**_ _He was still barely paying attention to his schoolwork – which had caused the incident that made him get Snape's detention – as he was now processing each and every enchantment Hogwarts gave him individually and it took a lot more of his concentration than he had thought – then again some of them were still quite a lot more interesting than a tongue-thickening draught._

Now Sora snickers and asks: "A what? A tongue-thickening draught? What is that good for?" And to Severus' shock does Neville say: "The stinging nettle essence of the draught makes whoever gets drowned in this draught get a terrible itch on his tongue, which is then thick enough to fill his entire mouth, but not enough to choke.  
It was, during the 1800's often used by the Purebloods to keep rivaling families off their own properties and a small essence of it is still embedded in Longbottom Manor in the south of London and the Bottom Shack of my family in the far west of South Carolina where gran and I like to go to for the summer holidays."  
Everyone looks at him shocked and he mumbles: "Might mess up my potions, but I always get top-scores on my essays you know." And I see that Severus realizes that the boy is right before a reluctant, proud smile appears on the man's face. I myself beam with pride at my top-student and then continue reading the chapter.

 _ **"Somewhere over … so great-"**_

"Truer words never spoken, little brother." The twins chorus, but Ron had grabbed his wand and was looking at it. Wondering what he could be on about as he seems not to even hear his brother's words, he suddenly speaks and the deep concern and hatred that come through in his voice shock me deeply as he says:  
"You know, I always felt glad that my wand stopped Lockhart when he tried what he did in that certain tunnel, but now that I know what Lockhart was causing Harry –." The boy shudders and mutters: "I really don't want to know whether or not Lockhart hadn't tried it before on Harry – or on any other students."  
He then looks at Harry worried, but his words make no sense to me and I look at my fellow Heads of House. Only Minerva seems to understand what Ron is talking about and her wide eyes looking at Harry worriedly make me slightly fear what they could know. Hoping that, whatever it is, Naminé can heal Harry of it, do I read on.

 _ **Hermione emerged … Lockhart books."**_

"I wonder." Sirius says and he goes on: "Lockhart must have done something to get fired or else Remy here would not have taken over. So what happened to his books?" At which Ron smirks: "Let's just say that that was the first time ever that we held an inter-house party." Sirius looks intrigued and Ron says: "Inter-house Bonfire night."  
The man looks shocked and Minerva mutters: "So that's why there were four gigantic fires on the grounds that night." And I snicker as two of the fires had been under supervision of the Head boy and Girl and the other two had been overseen by Hagrid, thus making us teachers decide to just leave it be. I smile at the memory and read on.

 _ **"Why do … slightest since.**_

"Very true!" Sirius shouts, yet with his eyes aimed for his son in concern as the boy lies asleep in his lap and his voice tempered and Minerva says: "Indeed, Mr. Black, and something that would be high on our list of changes required to Hogwarts school." This makes many students smile at each other excitedly as I continue the story.

 _ **Today was … her hand.**_

"Really?" One of the twins asks and the other asks: "In History of Magic?" They then ask the girl together: "Why?" And she answers: "I really wanted to know more about the Chamber of Secrets." And Ron snorts: "Yeah, we found out more, alright." Smiling at his sister, who seems to smile back gratefully. I smile at the two and read on.

 _ **Professor Binns … his desk.**_ _Harry even put away his small book on the actions he had taken to change the cure for inflammation, wanting to know this as well as it seemed to be an important part of this school's history.  
_ _ **Professor Binns … "Miss Grant?"**_

"You're kidding, right?" Axel asks, leaning against the Seaside Shack and with an elegant eyebrow raised at me as he asks: "Four sentences and he already forgot her name?" I nod with a resigned sigh and he asks: "What, is that man obsessed with the last class he taught before he became what he is today or something?"  
I look up at him and say: "Mr. Axel, that might just as well be the whole reason of his terrible teaching. If I recall correctly the students on the 1800's were the worst in history of Magic that Cuthbert ever taught. The year before his death only one student made it to the N.E.W.T.s; he failed those the same year Cuthbert died.  
That must be the whole reason he never passed on. He's determined to get a full class to the N.E.W.T.s and to let them pass." This makes the man snicker and he says: "Well, with that teaching style he won't ever cross." And Minerva answers: "A problem we will surely discuss with Cuthbert first chance we get, I assure you."

Axel nods and says: "Good, after all. Quite a few little ones look up to their elders for their life lessons." Smirking at the crew of Sora and friends. The boy then seems to, somehow, change appearance for a sec as the aura of a young blonde haired boy seems to wrap itself around Sora and he asks angrily:  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Before Sora himself looks shocked, a small smile grazing his lips a second later and Axel nods, before he mutters: "So they really are different. This will be interesting." And even from this distance, I hear Sora whisper: "You have no idea." Intriguing me as I focus back on the story.

 _ **"Please, sir … of Secrets…**_

"You actually got Cuthbert off his usual program?" Minerva asks and then she goes on: "That might be the solution. If one student a month picks a certain history topic they can expect for their exams, brings that up with Cuthbert and other students show interest in it. That will make sure they learn and that his class stops getting bad grades."  
Everyone looks shocked and Axel says: "Wow, I guess logic isn't high-rated in your world." Minerva glares at the man and Sora says: "Don't mind him, it's his dark Nobody side. Must be the fact he's still without Roxas and all." Making Axel huff as he looks the other way, thus missing Sora's sneaky smile as I read on.

 _ **"You all … Salazar Slytherin.**_

To my shock the Gryffindors wait until all Houses are mentioned before starting to cheer loudly for their own and my Puffs and the Ravens soon follow, while only half of the Snakes go wild – the other half simply claps or nods in pride and the other school students look on in amusement as this transpires before them.  
Only the students around Harry seem to keep quiet and I see that Naminé is still working valiantly, her eyes still on Harry's closed eyes and her hands still on the pod around his head, moving in patterns she seems to be the only able to see. Wondering how long it will last before the girl is done taking the poor boy's fear do I read on.

 _ **They built … much persecution."**_

"Just a question." Axel asks, his hand raises slightly and his head tilted to the side as he seems genuinely interested and when he sees me stopping, he asks: "How is that your world isn't filled to the brim with Heartless and Nobodies, seeing all the evil and dark dudes and babes you've had over the last millennia?"  
We all shrug and say: "To be honest, Mr. Axel, have we never even heard of those terms until your friends, Sora, Riku and Kairi came here." And Leon answers: "I guess there's a Keyhole somewhere on that planet that keeps Darkness at bay enough for dark hearts not to be lost to the Darkness like in our worlds."  
Sora nods and says: "Yeah, I guess so." And then Hermione asks: "But we've had several cases of Darkness over the last century alone. We had the Muggle First World War, the Second, the Great Wizarding War against Grindlewald and the Great Wizarding War against Voldemort. So – does that mean – could the Keyhole be weakening?"

We all look at her and Ron says: "Damn, I hate it when she's right about bad stuff like this." And one of my Puffs, a Muggleborn Fifth year says: "But she's still right, though. Those first two Muggle Wars alone are enough to unseal at least a part of the Keyhole, let alone all the terror Grindlewald and Voldemort caused."  
"Then Sora and I will go and look for that Keyhole once we have finished this book. Once the doors open and time starts running again, we'll start our search." Riku says determinedly and then Leon says: "Good idea, but that world is still Harry's responsibility as he is that world's Keyblade Wielder." The silver-haired teen nods and I read on.

 _ **He paused … the school."**_

"Sorry to interrupt." Axel says and he goes on: "But really? After years of building that school, endless summers of finding those students and years of teaching them, they let a single argument break them apart? I don't wish to show disrespect or something, but did they even try to find a middle that they could all be happy with?"  
All students look at each other and shrug, while I personally feel as if the man has quite the right idea about what should have happened. He then moves his forefinger in an addressing way as he says: "Take this from me, everyone, always be honest and never hold things back from your friends. It bites you in the ass."  
Before he sighs and lowers his head, muttering: "Got it memorized?" The students nod, but I can tell that Axel doesn't notice this. Wondering if he speaks from personal experience, I look at Sora, who mouths: "Later." Making me nod. I then send one last worried glance at Axel and return everyone's attention to the story.

 _ **Professor Binns … nervous looks.  
**_ _Harry's mind was working at top speed and he asked, "Professor Binns, if the chamber was made to only open to Slytherin's Heir, does that mean Salazar Slytherin had a gift the Other Founders didn't?"  
_ _Binns sniffed and said, "Yes, Mr. Pesterfield, Slytherin was known for being Parsletongue, while Ravenclaw was known for making jewelry with her intelligence and Hufflepuff was known to make plants grow beautifully with her kindness. Gryffindor, finally, was known to have amazing courage, shown by the many trophies he was able to gather over the years – trophies that have been lost over the years."  
_ _Harry wondered what a Parsletongue was and knew if he found out, he could find out how to find the Heir and stop the monster. He also had a feeling the monster had a link to that ability, but he couldn't for the likes of him, figure out how._

Ron and Hermione look at each other shocked and McLaggen asks: "So Potter was Parsletongue without knowing what a Parsletongue is? How can he not know?" And Ron answers: "Wait till the Dueling Club chapter and you'll find out." The Fifth year huffs and I shake my head at his attitude, before reading on.

 _ **"I tell … verifiable fact!"**_

"Just a question." Leon mutters and I see that Axel is still down with whatever was bugging him before. I turn my focus back to Leon and he asks: "How can he believe the Chamber to be a Myth after that attack a few weeks prior?" I shake my head and say: "Cuthbert is known for his stubbornness. Especially when it comes to History."  
"Understandable, I guess." Leon admits and then Dennis pipes up: "And besides, that probably wasn't the first class that asked about the Chamber and interrupted his class. He must have been pissed students were more interested in it than in his Goblin stuff." I smile at the intelligence of the young Lion and read on.

 _ **And within … usual torpor.**_

"Sounds like Vexen when he works on one of his experiments." Axel mutters and Sora happily comments: "You said it, Axel." Before looking shocked. He then lowers his head and while unable to hear what he's saying, do I see his lips move every now and then. Wondering what he could be doing, I look onto Axel.  
The man seems happily shocked that it was Sora who responded and asks: "Getting closer to the surface, are we?" Confusing me, but then Sora moves his head up again and with a wide smirk, he says: "You wish." Making Axel huff, turn his head and again miss the sneaky smile on Sora's face as I decide to just read on.

 _ **"I always … dropped unpleasantly.**_

Now the two in question cringe and Hermione says: "We really have to talk things through before speaking our opinions so rudely." But I shake my head and say: "It's not your fault. It's those monsters, the Dursley, who are at fault." The two nod with grateful smiles at me and I happily smile back as I read on.

 _ **Harry had … in disgust.**_

"Seeing the lie Harry gave us the year before." One of the twins says and then the other goes on: "And how easily we fell for it." They then both hang their heads and chorus: "That is sadly enough way too true." And other students also lower their heads, while I feel disappointed at how many of those are of my own House.  
"And that year was no better." Hermione huffs, but then Madam Pomfrey: "Well, at least I only had him in my Hospital Wing for that Bludger incident." The girl huffs and says: "Good, so the students didn't try to curse him this year. Guess they do learn something of their actions." I can tell she's still furious and read on.

 _ **The crowd … a corner**_ _, Harry thinking very hard what kind of connection a monster and an ability could form_ _ **and found … for clues.**_

Sirius and Remus shake their heads and Sirius mutters: "Please tell me it stayed with looking for clues." But Minerva shakes her head and says: "I still don't really understand how they did it, but those three actually solved a millennia old mystery, Mr. Black." The two men groan in desperation as I continue reading.

 _ **"Scorch marks!" … said Harry**_ _, knowing perfectly well just how spiders acted thanks to his many years in the cupboard,_

"Wait a sec." Leon says with a rough edge to his voice and he asks: "Thanks to his WHAT?" And Sora growls: "Yeah, that's perfect evidence of the Darkness in those bastards' hearts. They made a cupboard under the stairs his bedroom for the first 10 years of his life." The man seems furious at this and spats: "Excuse me a sec."  
Summoning his Gunblade and leaving our group through the cove Sirius and Remus stayed in during the last break. Sora then says: "He and Cid are really protective of kids. They even saved Donald's Nephews when their world was taken over by the Heartless." I smile at the great character of the man and happily read on.

 _ **"have you, … legs and…"**_

"Wait, I didn't do that." Fred says and he goes on: "That bitch put me in Ginny's playpen to cool off when she realized how angry I was. She said it was to make sure I didn't do accidental magic I would later regret. I never even got near your teddy." Ron looks at his brother in shock and asks: "But if you didn't do it, who did?"  
And Bill growls: "Who do you think? Just another way for her to break our family apart and make us all depend on her and her alone." This makes me grab the book all the harder as I try not to let my anger at the horrid woman out on the students and then Fred calms me down and changes the topic slightly as he hugs Ron and says:

"Besides, it wasn't mine. I just found that broom and claimed it. I was five years old; I claimed whatever I could. I don't know who's broom that was." And to my shock, Percy says: "It was mine. Dad secretly bought it for my birthday and I accidentally dropped it out of my window while looking for the dictionary she wanted me to study."  
Ron lowers his head and says: "I'm sorry I broke it." But Percy shrugs and says: "It was a broom for 6 year olds. Besides, I saw you were flying way too high with it; it would have kicked you off and flew off like it did anyway. Just too bad it flew up against that old tree she wanted dad to cut down." The brothers laugh and I read on.

 _ **He broke … the subject**_ _as Harry had had plenty enough opportunities where he had woken from a nightmare and thought the spiders in his cupboard to be terrifying himself_ _ **, Harry said, … girls' toilet."**_

"Wait what?" The twins chorus and they turn to Ron as one of them says: "But the year before you went with no argument at all." And Ron retorts: "Yeah, after locking the door and without, first knowing it was a girl's bathroom. It was the troll I went after, not the room description." The twins shrug and I read on.

 _ **"Oh, Ron, … a look."**_

"You go see her again? What? Is she important to this story?" Axel asks and Ron says: "You have no idea." He then turns to Harry and says: "I know you can't hear me, but I repeat. We were really stupid not talking to her more often that year." This confuses me and I wonder what he could be on about as I continue reading the chapter.

 _ **And ignoring … its hinges.**_

"Wow!" Kairi says and she goes on: "And that ghost girl actually lives there?" All the Hogwarts girls – except the First years – nod at this and the young boy named Tidus raises his wooden stick onto his shoulder as he says: "Man, no wonder she's constantly depressed." To which the young girl Selphie hits him on the head as I read on.

 _ **Hermione put … damp floor.**_

"Saying you wanted to explore Hogwarts on a free day would have been better, don't you think?" Sirius asks the girl and she says: "Yeah, and I was actually motioning for the things that looked the least dirty or broken." Everyone cringes at this and Axel says: "Lost cause, there and then." Before I read on.

 _ **"Ask her … said Ron helpfully.**_

"Helpfully? Well, maybe to you, but not for that situation." Axel mutters and Ron groans: "Yeah, Myrtle showed us that, I can assure you." He then shakes his head and says: "I swear I have never worn that robe again since." Wondering what he's talking about this time, I read ahead, shiver and then read to the students.

 _ **Myrtle gave … the U-bend.**_

This makes everyone shudder and Ron says: "Yeah, I almost got punished by that bitch for ruining those clothes. Had it not been for me saying the investigation – well, let's just get to the end of the story quickly. You'll understand then." And to end his speech, he quickly hugs Ginny again as I continue the story.

 _ **Harry and … Mrs. Weasley.**_

Percy cringes and says: "Please tell me I never did that again." Ron shrugs and says: "It doesn't really seem that way to me, so I can't tell you. We'll just have to wait and see what Harry thinks." Percy sighs and they both look at Harry, still asleep and still being healed by Naminé. I too spare the boy a short glance and then read on.

 _ **"Get – away … Ron's ears.**_

By now both Weasleys have their heads down and Ron seems to be trying to keep his mind of his shame by hugging and softly caressing Ginny's hair as if drawing comfort from the girl. Ginny herself seems shocked that the two brothers had that kind of fight and I see the twins share a careful, but meaningful glance with each other.  
Wondering what they could be up to, they chorus: "We know this isn't the right time but –." One of them then says: "If those two start fighting like that." And the other, while looking at Percy worried, says: "Then I fear for their relationship in the future books." Percy nods at this, his eyes aimed for his wringing hands and I read on.

 _ **Harry, Ron, … of Hogwarts?"**_

Instantly Draco hits himself on the head and says: "I really should learn to keep my mouth shut." And his father spats: "Yes, you should. I really thought those 2 years of etiquette lessons before Hogwarts had taught you well, but apparently, I better go look for a new teacher." The boy sighs and then shocks us all as he says:

"Well, at least I didn't learn the whole M-word and Muggle hating from you." Lucius hits himself on the head and says: "Of course. Should have known it was his work." Draco looks confused and asks: "Of course it was. What did you think, father?" And the man answers: "Showing up to our reputation and having lack on your uncle's rules."  
Draco hits himself on the head and Lucius turns to Sirius and asks: "Seeing how my son is half Black, want to help me sue that teacher for putting racism in his etiquette lessons?" And Sirius smirks and says: "It would be my pleasure. But it will stay between you and me; no other members included, is that clear?"

And his look at Remus before turning back to Lucius says enough, making the aristocrat sigh in defeat and say: "Guess that will be another 8 years where I'll need to work hard and earn a friend's trust." Sirius shrugs and says: "Not 8 years, I'm sure. I just don't trust you around my lovely Remus, even if he's my Dominant."  
The blonde Head of Malfoy nods and says: "Fair enough." Then Axel asks: "What exactly happened that made you distrust him?" And Sirius says: "Sorry, but the students already know and I'm not putting my lovely Remus through that reminder again." The red head nods in acceptance and I continue the story.

 _ **"Let's think," … evil enough."  
**_ _Harry knew there was more behind the Malfoys than they showed and was slightly doubtful of Draco being the Heir himself, but the fight in Flourish and Blotts was still fresh in his mind and he couldn't deny that Draco could easily send a monster out at people he didn't like if he had bodyguards like Crabbe and Goyle._

"Aye, fair point." Draco groans and then Axel says: "But it's not your family, is it?" Draco looks up and asks: "You knowing that or asking that?" And Axel answers: "I know it. Your behavior in the book makes you too obvious, you're obviously some decoy. And if you were the Heir, you wouldn't be here right now."  
Draco looks shocked and Axel holds up his finger again, making me wonder how the man would do as a teacher as he says: "Recon rule # 3; never go after the most obvious culprits, unless you want to know what they're up to. If you want to find a villain, look for someone you would never suspect." I nod at this and read on.

 _ **"They could've … to son…."**_ _He was almost sure the Parsletongue ability might have something to do with the Monster, but if Slytherin was really as famous and well known as he was, he must have been pretty rich too and must have had something – like a key – to open and close the Chamber. No way would he use the ability of Parsletongue for both the monster and the chamber's entrance._

"Wow, he sure thinks fast." Leon mutters and the elder boy named Wakka, who has a volleyball in his hand he just won't throw away, says: "This sure is an interesting story. Do they get to question that Malfoy kid too?" And Ron says: "Yep, we did." Making Malfoy look confused and I wonder how they did it as I read on.

 _ **"Well," said … Ron laughed.  
**_ _Harry would know as he had, sometimes, dreamed of using the Invisibility Cloak to find the other Houses common rooms. Only his respect for their privacy and the fact he barely knew anyone other than Ron and Hermione had kept it to dreaming._

The other Houses smile at this, while I feel slightly bad that Harry, being as kind and polite as he is, only had two friends in all of Hogwarts. Then one of the twins says: "I bet Harry finds all common rooms before he graduates." And the other says: "I bet he finds two of them." And they shake each other's hand as I read on.

 _ **"No, it's … muttered Ron.**_ _Harry did of course write everything down that Snape told them, but that was only because he was currently dreaming of one day making his own potion. He was already experimenting with potions they made last year, but they barely showed any room for change or improvement._

Severus smiles at this and Filius says: "Following his mother's footsteps." Severus looks confused and says: "I thought Lily became your apprentice after she graduated." My colleague nods and says: "She did, but Horace was already planning his retirement. Had Lily lived only a year longer, she would have found refuge at Hogwarts."  
Severus looks shocked and then lowers his head, lying it in his hands and muttering: "I ruined the one job Lily could have had for her only son. What on earth possessed me?" I want to go over and comfort him, but know I have to stay with the book and smile at Charity as she takes the job herself. She smiles back at me and I read on.

 _ **"It transforms … a teacher.**_ _Harry knew he could use his Invisibility Cloak to get the recipe, but after that incident with the screaming book he would never do that again._

"Good to know." Remus smiles, now having Sirius curled up in his lap, while leaning against a pile of sand he made into a sturdy mountain and then I read on and say: "Not quite, Remus. There's a small sentence I almost missed." The man looks confused and I shake my head with a snicker before reading the sentence.

 _At least not before learning a Silencing spell – which stupidly enough was not in Standard Book of Spells volume 2._

Everyone laughs and Cedric says: "I vote Harry learned the spell and has copied millions of recipes." To which Fleur says: "I vote he hasn't. Madam Maxime says that spell is terribly difficult. Even our Fifth years have trouble with it." Remus smiles and says: "Sorry Fleur, but I go with Cedric." Before Gabrielle says:  
"Then I go with Fleur." And Amos holds up his hands and says: "Okay, okay, enough voting. How much is the wager? And give it to me, then I'll just keep the money until we reach the end of Fourth year." Cedric smiles and says: "One Galleon each." And the four people give Amos their Galleon before I read on.

 _ **"Hard to … the potions."**_ _Harry was no longer really into the conversation. He wanted that book. The need to learn a Silencing spell just got a whole new level.  
_ _ **"I think," … really thick…."**_

"LOCKHART!" Everyone shouts and Sirius groans as he says: "And here I was thinking we were rid of the guy." To which Remus asks: "You do know he was their teacher?" And he retorts: "Yeah, I just didn't think he'd last all year." We all laugh at this and Draco says: "So they used Polyjuice Potion to question me? When did they do that?"  
I shrug and then Hermione giggles. We all look at her and Ron asks: "What are you laughing about? Harry and I were the ones questioning him, remember?" And she says: "I know. It's that sentence about Harry wanting that book. I finally understand why he kept asking me if he could have another look at the recipe."  
Everyone looks at each other and slowly smiles, snickers and giggles start to overcome us all. But then Sirius shoots up and says: "Wait a minute. If you plan to use Lockhart to get that book, then Harry will have to come near him again." And he looks at his sleeping, healing child in fear – just like the rest of the students, teachers, locals and guests.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **I loved this chapter. It was simple, needed barely any editing and got us one step closer to Harry getting healed, which means I might be able to close of that Arc a little faster than was planned in the original. Which is not to say that it won't be mentioned from time to time – just that mentioning it will lessen over time.  
**_ _ **Also, I am very proud of all this. When I took the break at the end of November from work, I had originally planned to use that for the editing of all these chapters, but then saw that I had way more than I had expected and feared that I wouldn't even reach a full dozen. Now – I am just giddy with excitement to see how far I can get.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	47. Coincidence Or Planned

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Sorry, no new POV this chapter. Instead, we will get a bit of an update on Naminé and her progress with Harry. I will admit that I will probably have to do some editing, cause I had to do so last time when Harry approached the blanket and got hugged by Sirius and Remus instead of being snogged senseless by Viktor in the original.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 46  
**_ _ **Coincidence – Or Planned?**_

 _ **Harry's POV**_

Having Naminé splash around in my mind is the strangest sensation. Never before have I been so conscious of my own thoughts and how they are strung together, like one large chain; one memory closely connected to the other and almost all of them seem connected somehow, as if the chains are all tangled together hurriedly and untidily.  
Luckily does Naminé seem to know exactly what memories to look for and while she seems to keep them from me, do I slowly feel her magic seeping into them, making me curious. But that's just it. The more I feel curious for the memory, the more it seems all my emotions are weakening. This makes me realize what Naminé does.  
Instead of breaking the chain, releasing the slot and tying the rest together, is she draining the emotions from the slot, so I can view the memories without getting overwhelmed by the emotions I felt back then. This makes me feel relieved as Lockhart played an important role in my 2nd year, no matter how scary he was.

 _ **Naminé's POV**_

Working on Sora and his memories – memories I juggled up and changed while under the threat of the Organization – was a lot harder than doing this and while I feel this might take till tomorrow, do I feel relieved that most of the memories have already been dealt with. This makes me smile at the black-haired boy under my care.  
Harry really is a special child and while he seems unable to disconnect one memory from the next, is his knowledge and the memories of all he has learned vast and strong. There are also, shockingly enough, colors added to some chains and I have already discovered some of the more obvious ones while looking for Lockhart memories.

Pink chains were of course chains of love and seem filled with memories of Sirius, Ron, Hermione, Remus and Viktor. Blue were happy memories where Harry was laughing; most of these had the twins in them. Red were painful memories where Harry was hurt; his first Quidditch match was one of them. Black were the worst.  
All of them were of the Dursleys and one of the first – and the only one I checked – was of Vernon putting Harry's hand in the toaster for toasting the bread when he wanted sandwiches. I had quickly left and had not touched any more black chains in my search for memories of Lockhart. Luckily I found those quickly afterwards.

Working on these wasn't hard as fear was the main emotion I sensed every time I touched one of the slots. I had also looked deep into the memory of Harry's detention with Lockhart and had luckily enough not discovered a thing, until I looked deeper into the physical part of the memory. That had shocked me senseless.  
Harry had, of course, worn the string with balls during the summer and had probably taken it out while with the Weasleys at the Burrow, but Lockhart had put an invisible collar with his initiations on Harry's neck and apparently it had some kind of spell on it. Harry had just been too dazed and scared by the voice and Lockhart to notice.

I quickly leave this memory and decide to inform Madame Bones and Harry personally once I'm done. Then I focus on the other memories and find most of them easily as they are not only chained together, but also are most of them the color soft blue – which to Harry must be the color of fear for some reason.  
In the mean time do I listen to the story, wanting to know where and in what times to look so that my work will speed up and I can let Harry enjoy most of the rest of the book with no worries – after telling him of my findings of course. I then decide to check and look around me, hoping that no one is looking at us.

Everyone seems too interested in the story, except Axel, who looks at me while having his head slightly tilted downward. I move my hand and motion for him to stay quiet. The elder teen nods and I move my hand from Harry's temples to his neck, focusing the magic of the water onto the area there. And indeed the collar appears.  
Crystal blue with peach colored balls embroidered on the leather, I can almost feel the magic coming from those balls and have to push myself to the end of my self-control not to scream as the magic is focused on Harry's mind and ass. Lockhart wanted to curse Harry with a self-activating mind-spell and rape him.  
My eyes widen and I frantically focus all the water in the tank on the clasp on the left side of Harry's neck. The water twirls and tugs on the material and to my relief the clasp comes off and the collar hits the bottom of the tank. I then go back to work on Harry's mind and completely forget one thing as I continue healing him.

Harry is lying in Sirius' lap.

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

For a minute I had thought that Naminé was done when her hand had moved to his neck, but then the water became focused there and I saw the most horrific thing yet appear around my lovely angel's neck. A slave collar, the crystal blue color showing what kind of and the magic proving this was not done by Dursley.  
Instantly realizing who else could have had this chance I feel fury unlike any other coursing through me and want to pull Harry even further in my lap in comfort and affection, but Naminé seems to have totally forgotten my presence as she goes back to Harry's temples, indicating that she's still working on his memories.

Allowing her to forget about me, I start to think on how to use this and then realize something. Lockhart lost his memory during the time where I was still in Azkaban and even now only the students of the three Tournament schools, Fudge, Amelia and a few of her Aurors know of my innocence, yet haven't announced this yet.  
This means that, once we get back and Naminé goes to heal Lockhart's mind, I can easily convince Fudge to tell Lockhart about me adopting Harry, but not about my actual innocence. And if Lockhart is as idiotic and arrogant as he shows off to be, he will think he needs to save my son from my supposed dark clutches.  
"And when he does, he's dog chowder." Goes through my mind, wondering if I need to contact the Potter or Black attorney to make sure I won't get in trouble for probably killing the bastard, but then I spot the unchained collar and think: "Could he get a death sentence for trying to rape a celebrity?" And this thought makes me smirk.

 _ **Axel's POV**_

I don't know exactly what is going on over at Naminé's, but she must have discovered something terrible in Harry's mind to want to work on something secretive as she had asked me not to draw attention to her. I had nodded, but while I had seen her hand move to Harry's neck, had his father's frame kept me from seeing why.  
Instead I focus back on the most important person in the group, slightly confused at the current situation. Sora had told me, once I had de-transformed from Phoenix form, that he and Roxas were soon to demerge and now many signs were showing it, yet Sora kept denying these facts every time Roxas seemed to come out.  
Wondering if my lovely little Light of Destiny – a nickname I made for him from the nickname Key of Destiny, which was what Xemnas and the others called him – will really come out or if this is just another phase Sora and Roxas have to go through to fully merge together, I lower my head again, thinking back to our days.

 **!Flashback!**

 **That weird little elf had just sprinkled the both of us with some weird, glittery golden dust and Roxas had actually been able to lift his entire body off the ground. He had even gotten me to do it, not aware that you need to feel the belief you can fly to actually do it. I'm looking at the ground and then back at Roxas.  
** **The boy is just a little bit higher than me and the sun shining from behind him gives him a look more beautiful than I usually see him when we're eating ice-cream. The hallow around his frame makes him look thinner and more lean, accentuating his body beautifully and making me fall for him all the harder.  
** **His hair blows softly as he moves up and down just an inch every now and again and his eyes actually shine with the happiness of the both of us flying. It's plain obvious he has been wanting to show this to me for ages and to now fly next to him, so close to him and all alone except for the elf makes it hard for me to keep my urges in.**

 **Roxas is way too young, having only been a Nobody for a couple of months, perhaps half a year at best. I personally have been a Nobody since I was a teen, I'm pretty much used to it. Besides, Roxas thinks emotions are for regular people and as he has yet to gain a heart of his own it will be foolish of me to attempt to steal it.  
** **Yet the urge to fly over, grab him and fly high enough even the elf can't reach us before kissing those pale, soft pink lips is almost overwhelming and I quickly focus back on the mission. Still, in my heart I vouch to take the two of us here as soon as Roxas has his heart and to then come true to my urges. A plan that makes me smile.**

 **!Flashback!**

This makes me smile, but then I grimace as my own stupid actions, constantly listening to Saïx while I no longer believed my friendship with him to be real, caused me to break with Roxas again – and when I reunited and tried to get him back, that bastard DiZ made my little Light of Destiny forget all about the two of us.  
Not wanting to admit to that, as I remember just fine how that made me feel and what that made me do – attacking Roxas while he finally seemed to have remembered everything – I sigh and whisper: "Heartless or not, Nobody or not, I really wish you were here with me again, Roxy." Before focusing on the reader.

 _ **Pomona's POV**_

Knowing what will be the start of the next chapter, I ask: "Who here can resist their urges not to kill Lockhart? He's what the next chapter starts with." And to the pride of Severus, Blaise Zabini sighs and stands up, saying: "Might as well. That bastard sickened me enough that I lost reason to care about him back then anyway."  
To this a lot of students nod and Hermione hugs him lovingly, making me smile as it's obvious the tanned boy is doing everything he can to win the girl's heart. Riku then looks up and says: "I think we can do 2 more chapters and then it will be better if we change locations. I'll go see if Hercules will allow us into the Collisseum for tomorrow."  
He leaves through a new portal Axel creates and while he does so, does Blaise reach our Teacher's blanket. He takes the book, checks the title and while walking back, strangely enough casts a quick Silencing spell at Wood. But then I remember the actual title and send the tanned boy a grateful smile as he sits down.

 _ **Blaise's POV**_

The feeling of having Hermione close is absolutely blissful, but I'm not stupid and the minute I saw the word Bludger I knew I had to take a quick precaution if I wanted to start reading properly. Thus, on my way back to her, did I cast a quick Silencing Spell on the most fanatic Quidditch Player of all, Wood looking at me confused as I read

 _ **The Rouge Bludger  
**_ _ **Since the … to class.**_

"Wow, he actually learned something?" A Seventh year asks and I snicker: "No, Draco just whined about the right thing for once." Making said blonde send me a short glare before going back to sulk about his stupid actions over the last couple of chapters. Really hoping this story can change him for the better, I read on.

 _ **Instead, he … dramatic bits.**_

"Why does that not sound good?" Sirius asks with a slightly whiny tone and Remus growls: "Because Lockhart and dramatic scenes instantly equate to him involving Harry. And we all know what he wanted with our cub." And we all share a glance at the sleeping boy with the pod around his head before I read on.

 _ **He usually … a werewolf.**_ _He didn't know why, but this was actually something he would enjoy. Halfway from the back of the classroom to the front he realized it; he had read that the werewolf had first tried to viciously attack Lockhart, something Harry would love to try as well, if only for payback for all those touches and humiliation moments._ _ **  
If he … believe it, "**_ _Harry didn't, but he knew what would come next and he was actually awaiting it, ready for revenge._

Now Naminé smiles and says: "That was the last time Lockhart ever called Harry forward again." The Fourth years all share a glance and Seamus says: "She's right, it was." And Dean laughs: "I can't wait to see what that devilish mind comes up with." Now everyone gazes from Naminé to me and Hermione and I read on.

 _ **I pounced … a man."  
**_ _Harry took his shot the minute Lockhart spoke about the piteous moan. The fact that Lockhart was now on top of him and was holding one of his legs on both of his own while the other was slowly getting closer to his privates was the final straw Harry was willing to take.  
_ _With the power he often used to press down on the accelerator of his Nimbus, he pushed his leg up and straight into his own teacher's privates, joining his own piteous howl with that of Lockhart to hide the man's pain and his own revenge._

Everyone's mouths are wide open and Dean says: "Oh, I wish I had been sitting somewhere else that day." And a snickering Ron says: "Me too, mate. I didn't even know Harry was planning anything." Then Naminé makes us all feel better and says: "That's actually a Lockhart memory Harry doesn't feel bad about."  
Everyone smiles and Viktor asks: "You done soon?" She nods and says: "Probably before the Quidditch match will be read about." To which Wood shouts: "Alright!" But then Fred asks: "Should you really cheer?" And George ends: "Seeing what you told him?" The ex-Captain whitens, I feel intrigued and read on.

 _ **The bell … his feet.**_ _Harry could see that the way he was pulling his cloak together was only a way to lie a hand on his pained testicles and quickly used the Sad Puppy Look to keep people from realizing what he did._ _ **"Homework: compose … were waiting**_ _, trying not to grin victoriously as it would only set Hermione off_ _ **. "Ready?" Harry muttered.**_ _He had, at first, only agreed to cooperate with Lockhart today if Hermione would do the rest of their plan. Payback was fine, but he still hated Lockhart dearly._ _ **"Wait till … behind her,**_ _although Harry made sure to be one step behind Ron himself_ _ **.  
"Er - Professor … at her. **__Harry was pleased to note he was spared that disgusting glance._ _ **"Possibly my … and Hermione.**_ _He wondered if he would have to repeat his revenge some more, but just when he wanted to leave, did Lockhart call him again and said, "Oh, and don't expect any more detentions or reenactments, Harry. I – I don't think you're quite as fit for it as I first believed." To this Harry quickly had to leave the room or Lockhart would have seen his overly overjoyed grin._

"Glad to know there are enough braincells in there for that doofus to learn his lessons the hard way." Sirius snickers and Remus asks: "And he never asked for another detention with cub? Or walked him to his classes or anything?" All Fourth years shake their heads and Seamus says: "No, avoided Harry like the plague." Remus smiles and I read on.

 _ **"I don't … underfed vulture.**_

"I'll never get a good description, will I?" The woman in question asks in a defeated voice and Ron asks her: "Did any of us get one then?" Making everyone laugh and making the woman send him a small grateful smile. I then spare a look at Harry and suddenly see how the water seems to be draining out of the tank.  
I smile at Naminé and she says: "I just need to let the rest spell last a little longer or the chains will go all awry. It might even create false memories." To this Axel sighs and says: "Take all the time you need, Naminé. God knows we don't want that happening again." And while wondering what he could be talking about, do I read on.

 _ **"Moste Potente … the test.**_

Now the woman smiles and says: "That glass is made by the same people who made your eye, Alastor." This makes the awful looking man look even more awful as he smiles and says: "Good to know." Before letting his magical eye roam over his flask and taking a careful sip of it. Feeling for the ex-Auror, I read on.

 _ **She stalked … too guilty.**_ _Harry himself was an expert at that, but he had to pat Hermione's hand several times as her eye twitched in guilt a couple of times before they left the library._ _ **  
Five minutes … some privacy.  
**_ _Harry didn't even mind the place. Sure it was a little more filthy than his old cupboard or his new room before he gave it a good sweep, but it was also bigger than both and it was just as quiet and, because no one came here, was a little like a sanctuary for him. Somewhere he could be himself without getting judged over it by hundreds of student eyes.  
_ _ **Moaning Myrtle … she them.**_ _Harry did vow to himself to try and find a way to get Peeves to lay off Myrtle; he was considering telling her about his technique, but he knew he had more pressing matters at hand.  
_ _ **Hermione opened … her head.  
**_ _Harry shuddered and hoped that books like this would never appear in stores his Uncle could go to.  
_ _ **"Here it … their faces.**_ _He was used to pain, but that didn't mean he would just go headfirst into something that could cause him pain; he wasn't that crazy.  
_ _ **"This is … the recipe.**_ _Harry agreed with her wholeheartedly, but that only made him all the more determined to learn how to make it. He vowed that before he would be in his final year, he would have made this Potion himself at least three times._

Now Professor Snape smirks and says: "The determined mind of a true Master. Lily would have been proud." Then Naminé, for some reason, lets the tank fill with water again and says: "I will try and see if I can bring up some of his happier memories of his mother. Maybe I can –." But then she hesitates, her hands halfway off of the tank.  
Sora and Axel go to sit with her and she says: "I can tell what Harry hears when creatures named Dementors get near him. I want to change those memories to the good memories of his time as an infant, but – but I –." She trembles, while I wonder what is holding her back and Axel lies a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he says:

"Naminé, this is nothing like when Marluxia and Larxene were threatening you. You were then forced to make Sora forget everything but you. You were forced to make fake memories in his mind and chain those to his real memories. This is nothing like that." The girl looks at him questioningly, while Sora asks:  
"She was really forced to do that?" And while Kairi seems to explain this to him, does Axel say: "This is just putting bad memories somewhere he will never be able to get to in his mind no matter how hard he tries and replacing those with the good memories he would otherwise never be able to remember. You're doing him a favor."  
The girl smiles and thanks him, but then Sora slams his left fist on his right open palm and says: "Oh, so that's what that message was about." The girl looks at him and he says: "When we woke up, we all wondered what that message in Jiminy's journal meant. It was for us to remember that we had to thank you for fixing us up."  
The girl smiles and then lies her hands back on the tank. Then Sirius asks: "So Harry will be able to remember his parents by thinking of his adventures with the Dementors?" Naminé nods and with a determined voice says: "Yes, but this will also mean I will have to work a little longer. He'll have to miss hearing about the match."  
To this Sirius shrugs and while lying down with his body supporting Harry's, Harry's head in Naminé's lap and Remus lying next to him, does he say: "Oh well, I always wanted Harry to know everything about Lily and James, so this is much better and much more important. Take all the time you need." Naminé nods and I read on.

 _ **"Lacewing flies … change into."  
**_

Now Ron laughs and with his hands behind his head he says: "Seriously Hermione, the way you were saying it, it was as if you were asking me to go get some human skin at Diagon Alley or something." The girl turns red and says: "I just thought it obvious seeing the purpose of the potion." Everyone nods and I want to read on.  
Then the sound of something swooshing interrupts me and when I look around, I see Axel closing off the portal Riku used. He sits down with Sora and says: "Herc and Meg are already gathering clouds from the sky to get us some comfortable beds. We'll be allowed to spend the night, but Phil does want some of us to train under him."  
Sora nods and a young first year asks: "Clouds?" And Riku explains: "Our next destination will be halfway up the Olympus Mountain and our friend is say, the son of the Lord of the Gods, so he's friends with all other Gods there and they were willing to let a predicted storm pass for the week so we could use those clouds as beds and seating."  
The first year looks shocked and Hermione asks: "When you say Herc, do you mean Hercules, the Son of Zeus, who was stolen from his home as an infant, became mortal by Pain and Panic and then, when he was a teen, trained under Philoctetes, met and fell in love with Meg and through her untimely death regained his God-like state?"

Sora nods and says: "Yeah, but apparently." And she ends: "He gave up his God-like state because he didn't want to live an immortal life without Meg. He got to keep his powers, but lost his immortality. Is it also true that Hades, Zeus' brother, once used Meg to make Hercules lose his powers for a day and then send the Titans out on Olympus?"  
To this Sora shrugs and says: "All I know is that Hades is a lousy cheater, uses Meg to get Hercules to do whatever he wants and that we, with help of Hercules and Auron, once pushed him into his own trap." Hermione asks: "Auron? Who's that?" But Sora shrugs and says: "A good friend." Before I decide to read on.

 _ **"Excuse me?" … than usual**_ _, but that also meant Harry could much easier read them and the fear he saw in them worried him_ _ **. "I don't … book again.  
**_ _He could finally realize why she was so determined to know whether or not it was Malfoy, even though he personally thought it would sooner be Malfoy Senior. She wanted to have a culprit she could either scrap off the list of suspects or that she could hand in to the authorities, so she would no longer have to fear for her life.  
_ _Harry felt terrible for not realizing this, but like Ron having forgotten he had grown up with Muggles at the Burrow, did he often forget Hermione was Muggle-raised as well with how much she knew and how much he was able to do._

The girl smiles at her sleeping friend and Ron scratches the back of his head and says: "Got to admit to the same, Hermione. If it weren't for your parents being dentieth or something like that, I would constantly forget the same. Well, that and Malfoy and other Purebloods harping you on it, of course." The girl groans, everyone laughs and I read on.

 _ **"Well, as … by then!"**_ _Harry faked to let his elbow slip on the greasy wall behind him and poked Ron hard in the side, whispering: "Muggleborn, remember?" From the tip of his mouth, making Ron whiten in realization._ _ **  
But Hermione's … broom tomorrow."**_ _But Harry hissed: "And let him feel the same fear I did last year? No chance." His best friend nodded and while Hermione kept her eyes on the book, did Ron check the coast and did Harry lead her and Ron far away from the corridor long before anyone else passed through it._ _ **  
Harry woke … could buy.**_

"As if money and good brooms mean anything with Potter around." McLaggen hones and Ron asks: "Sorry, but since when is my best friend not allowed to worry like we all do before something important?" The Fifth year scowls at the red-head who challengingly glares back at him before I continue reading.

 _ **He had … since August")**_

To this Andromeda Tonks asks worriedly: "Surely one of you cast Drying spells every time you arrived at the castle, right? Or did health check-ups every now and then to make sure you were fit enough to play, right?" But all players looking at each other shocked stupid is her answer, making her groan as I read on.

 _ **"- and we're … die trying,**_

"MR. WOOD!" McGonagall thunders and she shouts: "THAT IS NO WAY TO TALK TO A 12 YEAR OLD! AND ESPECIALLY NOT SOMEONE WITH MR. POTTER'S DETERMINATION! YOU BETTER APOLOGIZE FOR THAT WHEN HARRY WAKES UP, YOU HEAR ME?" Wood nods and whimpers.  
Then Fred asks: "Is it any consolation when I say that was the last time he put his foot in his mouth like that, Professor?" And the woman spats: "It would have been, had I not known that it was not, Mr. Weasley." The twin looks confused and McGonagall says: "Mr. Wood made an equally stupid comment after Christmas a year later."  
This makes both said twin and Wood hit themselves on the head and Ron asks: "A year later after Christmas? Oh, must have been after we told him of the Firebolt. Was it, professor?" The woman nods and says: "Yes, Mr. Weasley, it was. And it has a lot to do with that year's first match." Ron groans and I read on.

 _ **because we've … was necessary.**_ _Harry shortly wondered if there was more than Quidditch rivalry between the two, but then focused on his own rival; a smirking Malfoy standing in front of him._ _ **  
"On my … to reply**_ _, other than a pitying shake of the head_ _ **. At that … it passed.**_

"Ah crap. That rotten title." Dennis moans, but I have already noticed how Collin has been pale white since the morning has been described and know he is reliving the last moments before he was petrified. Wondering for who this chapter will be harder, Harry's family or Collin, I spare the boy more worries and read on.

 _ **"Close one … full speed.  
**_ _He was flying so fast he had to hold onto his broom with both hands and so couldn't grab his wand from his robe's inner pocket to perform a spell-detection charm on himself – a spell he taught himself after his first Flying match a year ago.  
_ _He was also much too focused on swirling in between players, around towers and high enough over stands that the students weren't endangered that he couldn't try and find a quick spell or enchantment in all the stuff Hogwarts gave him.  
_ _It was just flying, dodging and making sure he didn't get hit – and all the while his hands and feet were on his broom and his eyes were all over the field, trying to find ways to throw the Bludger off his course and hopefully to spot the Snitch in the meantime._

"And trust me, as it weird as it looked to see that Bludger constantly follow him, as awesome was it to see him do all those tricks and moves. He even flew through one of the hoops of Gryffindor just before one of the Slytherins scored." Ron proudly boasts to those not having been at that match and everyone looks impressed and I read on.

 _ **It had … Wood anxiously.  
**_ _But Harry said: "No, it can't have been them. Malfoy is the only of them really hating me and he would never be able to get to that office – not with Crabbe and Goyle around him all the time."  
_ _ **Madam Hooch … his own."**_

By now all of the teachers, both of our own school and the foreign ones, look greatly concerned. "We really have to do something about that Slytherin-Gryffindor Rivalry. With people like Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy on the team we'll have dangerous games no matter who of the teams play." McGonagall says and Snape nods as he says:  
"I believe the best course of action would be to first minimize the hatred between our two Houses to the Quidditch pitch and games alone and to then put up the most strict rules on what to do and what not to do when playing. And maybe look further into Mr. Thomas's advice of that Red Card Idea." The others nod and I read on.

 _ **The rain … Golden Snitch.  
**_

Now Draco hits himself on the head and says: "So if I had just kept my big mouth shut, he might have never seen the snitch." And his team mates glare at him, while Mr. Malfoy and Severus shake their heads in regret, but while I read on, I hear Ron whisper: "It's not like it's the first time his big mouth gets him in trouble."

 _ **It was … his side.  
**_

Now Madame Pomfrey sighs relieved and says: "Am I relieved he broke his arm. It made the Skele-grow repair both his elbows." But then Sirius asks: "But why use Skele-grow? You can fix bones like that in a second." And the woman sighs: "Yeah, broken bones, I can. Bones vanished from the arm is a whole other story." And I read on.

 _ **The Bludger … he fainted.**_

"And woke up in the Hospital Wing, right? Just like the last chapter of the last book, right?" Sirius asks, obviously worried over the bones vanished comment and Hermione sighs as she lies against my side and says: "Sorry Sirius, but some idiot was detaining him." To which Sirius whitens, already realizing who she means and whispers:  
"No, not him. He couldn't have detained my baby. He needs to keep away from my son. Someone keep him from my son." But then Remus growls: "Sirius, unless you calm down and realize this was 2 years ago, will I keep you away from pup's first match reading in his third year, clear?" The man nods and I read on.

 _ **He came … he moaned.**_ _He had a good arm he could easily use to hit the man with from every angle possible, but for that he would have to release the Snitch and his other hurt too much to even move. Just like with his uncle, fear started to grow inside him and he was frantically looking around for other teachers._ _ **  
"Doesn't know … terrible. He**_ _saw Lockhart move a little closer and glared at him, moving his leg in a kneeling position and instantly the man backed off, Harry no longer feeling bad for having ruined his secret payback plan. Then he_ _ **heard a … Lockhart soothingly**_ _, while Harry could detect a faint hint of annoyance in the man's voice_ _ **. "It's a … clenched teeth**_ _, even though the clenched teeth were not from the pain_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"He should … terrific fight.**_ _Harry wished they could put up the same kind of fight to get Lockhart away from him._ _ **"Stand back," … a bit."**_

"You know, with what we now know of that creep's obsession with Harry, I'm kind of wondering if he didn't do that on purpose." Ron growls and then Collin gasps and says: "I – I remember something. I remember seeing him. Seeing him walking back a passageway that led the same way as mine did. I called out to him, but then –."  
The boy shudders and instantly Dennis seems worried, while Ginny and Luna go sit with him, both hugging him comfortingly from either side. Then Sirius growls: "So he did do it on purpose. He must have just heard or seen something that made him change his mind about going to visit Harry and do whatever he wanted."  
To this Ron and Hermione share a glance with each other and Ron says: "Thank Merlin for Dobby." Everyone looks shocked and Mr. Malfoy asks: "Dobby? What does that weird elf have to do with Lockhart not fulfilling his disgusting fantasies?" And Ron says: "You'll see." But while I read on, do I hear a soft groan.

 _ **As Harry … removed them.**_

"YEP! HE DID IT ON PURPOSE, ALRIGHT!" Remus shouts and he says: "I'm quite the healing spell master, seeing all the injuries I have to heal myself from after every full moon and all, and so I know all the after-effects of bone-healing spells and no failed bone-healing spell can do that." We all growl and I want to read on.  
But then I hear a groggy voice asks: "Hey, where are we?" And we all look to see Naminé sit a few seats away from before and that Remus and Sirius have sleepy-looking Harry lying between them, the boy blinking his eyes against the bright sun. Ron then smiles and says: "Lockhart had just removed your bones, mate." The boy groans and I read on.

 _ **Madam Pomfrey … Harry desperately.**_ _He already knew it was pointless to tell her it was not his idea to let this happen._ _ **  
"I'll be … inept teachers,**_

"At least you knew who to put the blame on." McGonagall tells her and Pomfrey says: "Well, I did, of course, hear Mss. Granger defending Lockhart and seeing all the idiotic things I remembered him to have come to me and my precessor for, it wasn't hard for me to realize who was really to blame." Everyone laughs and I read on.

 _ **Madam Pomfrey … Hermione darkly.**_

"You thought it was me?" Draco asks her and she says: "It was more my fear of the Chamber speaking there. I was so sure it could or could not be you and to take out 1 of the 2 people who could protect me against your monster only caused for my fear to grow all the more, so I didn't really think before I spoke. Sorry about that."  
But he shakes his head and says: "I was an ass that year, and the year after. And with the fear you must have felt, it's perfectly reasonable. I would have done the same, I'm sure." The girl smiles at him slightly and says: "Guess there is hope for you." He scowls playfully and Ron spats: "Just wait with that a few chapters more."  
She looks at him and he pulls her close as he whispers: "After you were petrified. Trust me, it still makes my blood boil." Before Draco suddenly yelps and when Ron looks from the boy to himself he winces and says: "Sorry, instinct." Draco looks confused while rubbing his stung bottom and I snicker as I read on.

 _ **"We can … that moment**_ _, just when Harry wanted to tell Ron and Hermione of his hate-theory concerning Malfoy and Quidditch_ _ **. Filthy and … Out! OUT!"**_

Now Harry groans and McGonagall says: "Poppy, please tell me you let him have at least some of those snacks." And she says: "Of course, he had three pieces of treacle tart by the time I bursted in to stop them. He was trying to use the wrong arm, after all." Everyone laughs at this and Harry turns red as I read on.

 _ **And Harry … limp arm.  
**_

This makes the matron wince and she says: "Although maybe I should change my no-visitors rule a little." And Harry asks: "Like setting a time-limit of how long a patient can have guests? With the worse the injury the longer the visit?" The woman nods and Harry smiles widely, but then Sirius coffs him over the head and says:  
"That is no excuse for you to start looking up dangerous pains, young man." And Harry says: "Of course it isn't, Sirius. But with how danger has been able to find me for the last 4 years am I pretty settled for a comfortable set of company during my future stays there." The man groans, everyone laughs and I read on.

 _ **Hours and … then, "Dobby!"  
**_

Everyone looks shocked and then Ginny says: "Collin, you better come and sit with us. Dennis, Luna, you coming too?" And she escorts a pure-white, almost zombie like Third year, a worried Third year girl and a confused First year boy to the group of Weasleys, who all – most of them just as confused – sit around the poor boy.  
Knowing pure fine this will be when Harry either discovers Collin's body lying in the Hospital Wing or maybe even when his body is carried in, I myself and Hermione also join the Weasley family, together with Harry, Viktor, Sirius and Remus. We all sit around them and I pull Hermione close to comfort her as I read on.

 _ **The house-elf's … strangle you."**_ _He of course didn't mean it, he hated violence to others and someone like Dobby – no matter how crazy he thought the elf – didn't deserve what he didn't either._ _ **Dobby smiled … the pillowcase.**_

"Why are you even doing that?" Hermione suddenly snaps at the Malfoys and she spats: "What did Dobby – or any of your House-Elves – do to deserve that?" Lucius sighs and says: "It's stupid if you think of it, really, and we always feel bad afterwards, but –." He seems to contemplate his answer in front of my angry girlfriend and says:  
"There is this unexplainable, beyond ancient Wizarding Feud between the Weasleys and the Malfoys and to make sure we don't let ourselves fall victim to that feud in society, we kind of treat our House-Elves like we would treat the Weasleys would we reign supreme over that feud." This seems to really piss of my girl and he goes on:  
"Like I said, it's stupid, but it's almost a second nature to us Malfoys, mostly because our reputation has, over the years and generations, become as important to us as having a Son for a First born. I admit, now that I know that my House-Elves could easily overpower us were it not for their curse, I feel even worse, but we –."  
The girl sighs and asks: "Naminé, once this book is over, can you fix the Malfoys so they no longer feist their feud urges out on their House-Elves. I'm asking you to do it at the end of the book, because I really think it's then that we will need your powers the most." The girl nods, while her friends look worried and I read on.

 _ **"But mostly, … once more -"**_

"Wait, WHAT?" Most of the students who were present that year shout and a Third year Hufflepuff asks: "What does he mean, once more? Did it – did it happen before?" Harry nods and says: "And the same mistake as all those years ago will be made again, only this time by someone else and for a different reason."  
The girl looks confused and then Harry asks: "Is being seen doing something still that important to you, Minister?" And Fudge whitens, while this gets me no closer as to what he could have to do with a mistake that happened all those years ago. Wondering if it could have to do with reason the Chamber was closed the first time, I read on.

 _ **Dobby froze … been opened -"**_

"And the fact that I am Muggleborn, let alone Harry's best friend, will soon be lost on a whole lot of people." Hermione grumbles and I pull her closer, glad I was never part of the idiocy that was students claiming Harry as Heir of Slytherin. We then both send a worried glance at a trembling Collin Creevey before I read on.

 _ **"Harry Potter … it, too**_ _, his years of being locked in pure darkness making his senses exceedingly sensitive_ _ **. There were … a bed.**_

This confuses all First and Second years along with the Beauxbattons and Durmstrang students, but all others either look worried or pitying and most of those looks are aimed at Collin. But I had already noticed this and had made sure there was a protective, comforting circle of people sitting around the scared boy before I read on.

 _ **"Get Madam … of sight.  
**_

"Wait, they carry a statue inside, lie it on a bed and then Dumbledore asks for Madame Pomfrey?" A Second year asks and then Dennis gasps and while Collin closes his eyes in pain, does Dennis whisper: "Didn't – didn't you – didn't you say you – you were visiting Harry in the Hospital Wing that night, brother?"  
And Collin, his voice thick with pain and fear, says: "I never made it there. Not consciously at least. I went to talk with him, saw Lockhart leave, tried to follow him and next I know I'm waking up in the Hospital Wing and the entire year is over." His little brother turns white and while the two brothers hug each other, do I read on.

 _ **Harry lay … visit Potter."**_

Dennis grabs onto Collin a little more tightly and asks: "Will this take any longer?" I shake my head and say: "Only another page. We're almost done." The young boy nods and Collin whispers: "I never wanted you to know. I just didn't want you to know, Denny." But for some reason, do I get a bad feeling in my stomach and I read on.

 _ **Harry's stomach … might have ..."**_

Now Remus and Sirius share a suspicious look and Sirius asks: "Do you really think he was only there for some hot chocolate?" But Remus shakes his head and says: "The closest way to either his office or the kitchens are in a hallway on the other side of the castle. He was up to something, just like Lockhart, I'm sure."  
Mss. Bones writes this down and says: "I will be sure to add this to the list of questions that bastard has to answer. Mr. Potter, I know you're groggy, but could you tell us how long Dumbledore was there that night?" And Harry answers: "Only to make sure Collin was put on a bed. He left right after." The woman nods and I read on.

 _ **The three … plastic. "Melted,"**_

"Wait, all my pictures?" Collin asks and Hermione asks: "Why? Were there any important ones there?" And Collin sighs, before he nods and says: "One of Luna and Ginny in front of Hogwarts. It was on one of the best hills Hogwarts has. I wanted to send it to dad as proof of how happy I was, that I had friends and all."  
To this Ginny wraps an arm around the boy and Sora says: "You don't have to worry about your pictures. Our most important memories are in our hearts and that is what connects us all to each other. Through the memory of that picture, your friendship with Luna and Ginny will last forever." The boy smiles at Sora and I read on.

 _ **said Madam … he did.**_

But this, for some reason seems to turn Harry absolutely furious and he hisses: "That bastard. He knew. He knew it was – it was him. That dirty lowlife knew something that belonged to that killer was controlling one of his students and just because he didn't know who or what, he just endangered us all, just to let him find out who and how."  
Everyone looks shocked and Harry sighs, before he turns to Ginny and says: "You're really being amazingly brave, Ginny. Not giving into your trauma like this." The girl smiles and says: "Collin needs me more now. To comfort him is kind of comforting to my own pain and guilt." Harry nods, but Collin – and most of us – look at her confused.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So it really was just like I thought. I had to do a bit of editing on where Harry was and who was responding to things happening to and around him, but other than that the chapter was just fine and while part of me feels that Naminé should have taken longer with the replacing of the Dementor thing, am I still proud.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	48. Their New Residence

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Sorry, again no new POV. To be honest, I'm not even sure I'll be creating a new POV for every chapter as that will create a massive amount of characters and I don't want to do that if after they get introduced, they just stop having a purpose. So I guess some chapters will just have familiar canon interactions before the reading.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 47  
**_ _ **Their new residence**_

 _ **Hercules' POV**_

For the last few minutes have Phil, Meg, Pegasus, a few Air Gods and I been working on changing the storm clouds the Air Gods have wanted to use for several small storms over the next week into proper seating and cushioned beds and sleeping bags for our upcoming guests, of which Riku told us it would be more than 200, at least.  
The Air Gods bring them, me and Pegasus – my brilliant, white-colored flying stallion with the intelligence of a bird – then push all the water and rain out of them and finally would Meg shift their looks into chairs, love seats, family seats, couches, cushions, single and double beds and sleeping bags respectively which Phil would then move.

They are now all located inside the Grand Courtyard of the Colliseum, around the Training Court and on the Podium around the arena and the doors of the small lobby in between are open, making sure that we can house them in both locations without anyone missing a thing of what will – in the next few days – be read; whatever that means.  
I sigh and say: "I just don't get it, Phil. What are Sora and Riku reading that makes it so important they are reading it with more than 200 people?" But the small, brown-furred, satyr shakes his head and says: "I don't know either, Herc, but I can't really say I like it either. I just hope this reading won't cut in on our training program."  
I shake my head in amusement as Phil has been pushing me twice as hard since Sora, Donald and Goofy became Real Heroes, honored by my father by having a picture of them hanging in the stars. That had been Phil's dream when I first met him, and now four of his students had made his dream come true.

Then the same dark portal that Riku has been using twice to get here shows up again and I suddenly understand why he needed so much space as at least 150 teenagers, all black robed and divided by four differently colored trims are in the lead of another large set of group, different looking in many ways, from old to young, from warm to coldly-dressed.  
A large set of adults, some of them looking like teachers and others seemingly just guests or parents, are around the group of black-cloaked students and four teachers divide the students in their four groups, while a gigantic lady and a crooked man call together a group of teenage girls and a group of teenage guys respectively.  
The rest of them are obviously Sora and his friends, together with other people who they must have met thanks to this reading thing and I happily walk over to the young brunette, shouting: "Sora, over here!" Over the loud exclamations of OOH'S and AAH'S and other words of amazement that sound from all over.

One young blonde haired boy with red trim on his black cloak and with a lion, I now see, etched on the left chest side of his cloak, then bravely starts pressing down on some of the clouds around him and he says: "This is amazing. I never touched a cloud before in my life." And looking behind me, I see Phil smirking in pride.  
I shake my head and walk over to Sora, grabbing his hand in a manly hand-shake as he says: "He-ey Herc, thanks for letting us stay here. I'm really sorry, I didn't know it would be this busy. It seemed to fit perfectly back on the Island." I smile at him and say: "No problem, Sora. This reading seems important, so I'm happy to help."  
Then Phil sounds from right behind me and says: "Against acceptable prices, of course. You come here, you train here. Or at least some of you. I can already see quite a few with quite the potential among all of these groups." Making me and Sora look at each other before we both turn our eyes skyward in disbelief.

Then Meg comes over and with her wonderful smooth voice, asks: "So, why is all this reading so important?" And Sora says: "Harry, the boy we met a few days ago, wants to save the future of going all Dark and Warlike and so he used a Time Reading Spell, but now we all have to read all 7 books or else – well, he'll die."  
The woman looks shocked and intrigued and Riku says: "It's also us wanting to help them with this because Erica here came to our world and some of yours and is apparently from Harry's world and was even Harry's help when he was younger. When he kind of experienced the same as we did the first year of Sora's travels."  
The woman nods and I feel shocked that someone can experience something close to the darkness that was eclipsing and overtaking Riku back when the boy was just twelve years old. I ask: "So who of these kids is Harry?" And Sora aims for a small black-haired boy with messy hair and quite the amazing emerald green eyes.

The boy, together with a small group of other people, are all standing in the far right corner of the Entrance Courtyard and are all looking around as the rest of the groups divide themselves and seem to be looking around. I look from the boy who caused all of these people to get together to the group he seems to be with.  
One of them is dressed in the same thick robes as the small group of 17 year old boys that the elder looking man has with him, another is a young man with a yellow trim on his black robes and a badger on his chest. The thickly dressed boy seems to have his arms around the younger lad lovingly and I look at the two elders with them.  
One of them is black haired with long hair and strong grey blue eyes, the grey looking around carefully while in the blue I can see hints of humor and amusement shining. The other man is brown haired with grey streaks in his hair and I almost feel shocked when I see the amazing amber brown eyes the man has.

I walk over to the group and say: "Hi, I'm Hercules. You're Harry, right? Sora told me you were kind of the cause behind all these groups getting together." The black haired boy turns shy as two women come over as the black-haired man says: "You can say that. I'm Sirius, Harry's adopted mother and these are Remus, Cedric, Viktor, Erica and Fiana."  
I nod and say: "Nice to meet you." I then look behind me and say: "Seems like not everyone will be able to fit in here. I better let them know of the extra room we have outback." Sirius nods and I see him grabbing a piece of wood from his pocket that he aims at his own throat. This makes me wonder what he's up to and he says:  
"Sonorus." Before, with a voice that seems magically magnified, he says: "Everyone listen! Hercules just told me there is room outback. So let's divide the six groups into three each and let's split up." Before he whispers: "Quietus." And his voice seems to turn back to normal as he puts the wood back in his robe pocket.

I look at his power in shock and then a strict looking woman with square glasses in front of her eyes and with a straight jaw says: "Alright, Beauxbatton, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, you can stay here. Durmstrang, Gryffindor and Slytherin, come to the back with me. Stay in order of your Houses and follow your Heads, please."  
And she leads the red-trimmed, the green-trimmed and the thickly-dressed groups out back. Then Harry asks: "If we divide the groups, how will we be able to read?" And I say: "Don't worry, the lobby in between is only a very small room and has quite the echo. The reader can go there and read, so everyone will hear him or her."

Harry nods and after about an hour the strict woman returns and says: "I've divided the Houses and Durmstrang. Viktor, you, Sirius, Remus and Harry can stay together, but I do want you in the small area we were able to arrange between Gryffindor and Durmstrang." The thick dressed boy nods and Sirius says: "Thanks, Minerva."  
The woman nods and that night, while I do my nightly routine of taking Phil and Meg back to Greece before returning back to the top of Mount Olympus to stay with my father for the night, while everyone else that arrived, use their sticks – or wands – to change the cloud seats into cloud beds and we all sleep peacefully.

 _ **The Next Morning  
**_ _ **Meg's POV**_

The arrival of all those people make me kind of quasy and worried as I have been with Hercules – or Wonderboy as I like to call him – for 4 years now and yet the big guy still has not made a single move to really prove how much he loves me – other than fighting Hades for my life and to keep my mortal body in tact, of course.  
Yet, constantly doing so makes it look kind of old and even, a few months ago, Hades officially decided he had enough of using me to make Hercules do as he wished. After that the signs Wonderboy liked me had gone back to shy, loving gazes, a kiss on the cheek for goodnight and holding my side whenever we walked together.

And now there are loads of students and people in the Olympus Collisseum, including a flock of absolutely beautiful girls that are at the courtyard in front of the lobby. Not wanting to lose Hercules to those beauty queens, I asked him this morning to land with the other group in the Stadium, a request he was kind enough to accept.  
We land on the midst of the stadium and Sora and Riku quickly come over to greet us, while Harry and friends look at Pegasus in shock, just like they did the night before when we left the stadium. The white steed of course happily takes in the awed looks and I shake my head, agreeing with Zeus that he has the brains of a bird.  
Then Herc asks: "So, how much of the story have we missed?" And my mouth drops when I hear everything the young black-haired boy has gone through. Abusive relatives, fame and mockery, a Troll, A Cerberus, deadly traps, a Flying car and even a moving, violent tree and a disgusting teacher that was after his virginity.

I gulp in shock and he says: "And that's about one and a quarter into the books." Making Herc and me share a shocked look before we look back at him, the boy turning red and lying a hand in his neck as we keep starring at him. Then Herc says: "And I thought my training to be a true hero was hard, but – but you – WOW!"  
And I nod in agreement, suddenly wondering who should be worried about losing who. Me about losing Wonderboy or Wonderboy about losing me. This thought sates a big part of my fear and I put my hands on top of my hips like I do quite often and ask: "So, what do you say we continue where you all left off? I'll read."

Sirius nods and I let my hand slip from Wonderboy's side, glide over his back and slightly down to his hard-toned ass – "Does he train that as well?" Goes through my mind as I feel it – before leaving to retrieve the book. The woman named Minerva tells me to call her McGonagall as she hands it to me and shows me the right page.  
I nod at her, wondering if the man named Sirius used a nickname on McGonagall before I leave for the lobby. There I hear the strength-improved voices of Sirius and McGonagall explaining the students in their own part that they will be continuing the reading and a lot of weird words come from both sides, making me wonder what's happening.  
I stick my head out the door to the Stadium and see the groups there changing their beds back into benches and other seatings. Sirius then aims his wand at my door and after casting some kind of witchcraft or something, he says: "There, now the sound of the Lobby will be intensified to be heard all over the place."  
I smile at him and then inform McGonagall of what Sirius did. The woman nods and seems to do the same, but I can tell that her wand is different from Sirius'. Wondering how they make those wands and whether or not Wonderboy can be charmed away from me with them, I press down on my fear and turn back.  
I look at the three trophies Herc shares with Sora, the Phil cup – a small golden cup – the Pegasus Cup – a square brown cup with golden lines at the four corners – and the Hercules Cup – a large Golden Cup with the Symbol of the Gods at the front – before sitting down on the small pedestal on the left and starting to read.

 _ **The Dueling Club**_

Instantly Herc and Phil join me and Phil asks: "Did you just say Dueling? As in Fighting? As in a club where you learn to fight and be a Hero?" I shrug and say: "I don't know if that's what the club was for, but that's the title, yes." The Satyr lies down on his front, his tail flapping excitedly and I shake my head and read on.

 _ **Harry woke … very stiff.**_

Wonderboy nods and says: "I know what it's like. That's how I feel whenever Phil lets me train for a whole day." And the Satyr says: "Something you're aiming for if you don't shut up. I want to know more about this Dueling Club." Wonderboy looks at me lovingly and shakes his head, making me smile before I read on.

 _ **He sat … weren't there.**_

To this the voice of one of the students sounds from the left of me and asks: "Where were you that morning? You sure left in a hurry and we all thought you wanted to go see Harry." And a girl's voice answers: "We did, but then we – well, I explained Harry in a few minutes in the story, so just listen, Dean." Which makes me read on.

 _ **Harry left … or not**_ _ **.  
**_ _He knew it was stupid; Madam Pomfrey was after all known for not having encountered a single injury yet that she couldn't heal, so that must have made his friends believe he would be alright anyway; but still, it hurt a little, no matter how stupid it sounded.  
_ _ **As Harry … they'd met.**_ _Harry looked around and saw nothing that could ruin the boy's mood and he felt relieved.  
_ _ **"Oh, hello … said Harry.**_ _He was happy to have made Percy proud, but the longer he was unable to find Ron and Hermione, the more he worried if it couldn't be possible that the Monster had made more victims than just Collin.  
_ _ **"No, I … locked cubicle.**_

This makes an elder voice, probably this Percy person, groan and he says: "Ron, really. Why on earth were you in there again?" And to this the girl answers: "Why are you asking us questions we actually explain to Harry in the story?" And when the elder boy holds silent, I smile at the girl's sharp tongue and read on.

 _He felt relieved and smiled as he came closer to where their voices were coming from. But right at the first step did he walk into a puddle of water and he decided to let them know who he was before they would try and hide away or something.  
_ _ **"It's me," … of Hermione's.**_

"Yes, I know." A sneering voice sounds from the Gryffindor side and the girl's voice squeaks in fear, but then silence rings for a few minutes and the sharp voice of McGonagall spats: "Severus, that was mean." Something which the man named Snape doesn't seem to care about as his side stays silent and I read on.

 _ **"We'd've come … get going -"**_

"Aaah." The boy named Dean says and Hermione goes on and says: "We were on our way to the Hospital Wing, when we passed the Teacher's Lounge and while the Gargoyles kept us away, was the door ajar and did we hear them talking. That made us turn for another route, so to say." I nod at her in understanding and read on.

 _ **"The sooner … on Colin."**_ _Harry really wanted to tell them about the same theory he had told his Quidditch match partners, but he could already see that this was quite like the Snape situation of last year and so, decided to just aid them – and in the meantime hope to gain evidence that_ _could_ _convince them Malfoy_ _could_ _be innocent.  
_ _It was, after all, to his imagination, more a possibility that Lucius Malfoy had met the Heir of Slytherin and introduced him to Draco Malfoy and that this was the reason Malfoy was as confident as he was, because he knew what no one else did – and Harry wanted to know too._

This time a more drawling, teenage voice sounds and says, in an exasperated tone: "And again he gives us good reason not to suspect the most susceptible and still give us a good reason behind his suspicions on said person. Unbelievable, how he does that." And many murmurs of agreement are my lead to continue reading.

 _ **"There's something … mouths open.  
**_ _Harry also took this opportunity – as Hermione was only paying attention to him and the potion – to quickly write down the entire list of ingredients and steps or preparations. That possibility of being someone other than Harry Potter was his, at last._

Laughter is heard all around me and then strong voices seem to cast spells that – to my and Wonderboy's shock – make the walls of the lobby vanish and making us see our crowds on both sides. Phil runs around, crying in shock and despair, but then suddenly he bumps into something invisible and falls down hard.  
The teachers seem to cringe and McGonagall says: "Sorry, we just cast disillusion spells on the walls so we can see our fellow readers. It's like draping an Invisibility Cloak over someone; he's still there, you just can't see him." I nod, amazed at their magic and after Phil has calmed down by these comforting words, do I read on.

 _ **"The Chamber … kill you."  
**_ _Harry only slightly agreed with Ron on both parts – both that Hermione read too much and that Dobby could, unintentionally, kill him if he didn't stop his acts of protection – but he also thought they were both wrong concerning Dobby and the creature at hand.  
_ _He didn't think the monster was really sneaking around, more that it was using a different form of transportation, like the Secret Passageways. He also didn't agree with Hermione about the creature able to disguise itself as no disguise would make it capable of not being heard by anyone but him – which was something he was still sure of had a link to Slytherin's abilities – somehow.  
_ _ **The news … behind statues.**_

This makes said twins hit themselves on the heads and one of them says: "Yeah, if you say it like that." And the other, to my shock, goes on: "It really was the wrong way of trying to cheer her up." And they chorus: "We're sorry, little sis." The girl nods, while the other brothers look at them in pride and I read on.

 _ **They only … having nightmares.**_

To this a balding red-haired man turns to Percy and asks: "And why didn't you?" And the boy answers smoothly: "Because inside Hogwarts, the Weasley Eldest Tradition rules and that says that the eldest member of the Family is responsible of his family when away from his Family Head for more than 250 miles." The man smiles in pride and I read on.

 _ **Meanwhile, hidden … the school...**_

"Was it, really?" The small, tiny man that had taken control of the group of black cloaked students with blue trim asks and just about everyone who must have been in school back then nods before he asks: "Were they any good?" To which one of his eldest students says: "Just listen for yourself, Professor Flitwick." And I read on.

 _ **Neville Longbottom … be attacked.**_

Now Harry sighs and says: "You know, I really think that whole myth only strengthened the public differences between Purebloods and Muggleborns." To which the girl named Hermione asks: "What do you mean, Harry." And the boy retorts: "I don't like saying it, but what monster has the ability to see a difference between that?"  
Everyone with black cloaks now looks at each other shocked and then suddenly I notice how the blonde haired man – that had taken a seat near the blonde haired boy with green trim on his black cloak and who shared quite a few similarities with the man – whitens as if purely terrified over what he has heard. Wondering why, I read on.

 _ **"They went … a Squib."**_

"Hey Neville." The red-haired man with black robe and green eyes with purple triangles shaped downwards on his cheekbones asks and he goes on: "No offence, but have you ever even felt as if you have reason not to doubt yourself?" I look at him shocked and the boy named Neville shrugs and says: "Sometimes, in Herbology."  
The man sighs and says: "Well, to be honest, I think you can do a lot more than you give yourself credit for. And really, had you been a squib, I'm sure Filch would have noticed by then." The boy smiles and while I feel relieved that this man isn't as hurtful and arrogant as he looked, leaning against one of the outer walls, he says:  
"No – no, I think it's some kind of outside force that is keeping you from reaching your full potential. And if you don't mind, I would like to find out why. Say, during breaks or maybe thanks to the training these guys here offer." Neville nods and I see Phil looking at him contemplatively, obviously trying to see if he is worthy of training.  
Then Wonderboy steps in and says: "Hey, you didn't want to train me or Sora, Donald and Goofy, and look where that lead you to. Just give him a chance, Phil." The Satyr nods and says: "Hey kid, you and Herc here will start some practicals right first break, you got that?" Neville nods excitedly and Herc and I share a glance before I read on.

 _ **In the … very suspicious**_ _– especially seeing the comments about those staying home Malfoy had made last school year_ _ **.  
**_ _ **The holidays … his office.**_

This makes a small proud smile be shown on the sour looking man with greasy hair and Harry kids: "Still think so, and this time I actually fought that thing." The man's grin widens and the red-haired boy Harry seems friends with says: "Harry, you'd rather face a dragon than ask someone out, so shut it." Harry turns red and I read on.

 _ **"What we … the eye.**_ _In fact, he'd rather face Norbert again than see what happened if Snape caught them on it._

I look at the boy confused and he says: "Norbert was Hagrid's Norwegian Ridgeback, one of the most poisonous and dangerous dragons of our world." This shocks me and I ask: "And you faced that?" But the boy shakes his head and says: "Send it off to a reserve. Together with Hermione and Charlie." I nod and want to read on.

But then a shiver running over my spine warns me just seconds before a large black cloud of smoke appears and from it – the devil himself. Blue flames for hair, bright yellow eyes with black pupils and a long black cloak – quite like the red-haired man – with curling tendrils of smoke rising from the bottom of the robe.  
Everyone looks at the Lord of the Dead in shock – some of them in fear – and Wonderboy growls: "Hades, what are you doing here?" And the man checks his long, spiderlike fingers as he smoothly says: "Oh, just coming to see why so many souls are gathering here and why you, Blunderboy, aren't training like usual."  
To this Sora, who has come to stand with us, draws his Keyblade and says: "Because we have guests. And because we are doing far more important things than training – or even your little tournaments." The Lord of the Death glares at him, but Sora stands his ground firmly as he spats: "Stay out of it, little shorty."

Now Sora snorts and asks: "Really, the same nickname you gave me when you gave me that ticket? Are you really that pathetic, Hades?" And Wonderboy smiles as well, while Riku comes over to stand right behind Sora, with a hand on his shoulder. Hades looks at the boy and I see his eyes catching Riku like they caught me all those years ago.  
"Well, well, well, long time no see." The devil then suddenly says before he humphs and asks: "Last time I checked you were trying to destroy this kid. Why stand by him, huh? Got bored with the simple powers Maleficent was giving you or something?" This familiarity shocks me, but Riku smirks at the devil and says:  
"Think again, Hades. I just found much better ways to use Darkness without succumbing to its allure or constantly losing like a certain someone else I know." And this actually angers the Lord of the Dead as he asks: "You think you're better than me, hotshot? Trust me, you're nothing. You were nothing then and you're nothing now."

Sora glares at this, while Hades seems to slowly cool down from yet another raging slew of insults before he says: "Trust me, brat, you have no idea what I'm capable of." He then looks down to Sora and I see him looking at the protective grip Riku has on his shoulders, before a victorious smirk appears on Hades' face and he says:  
"Oh yeah, I can crush you, no problemo." And while both Keyblade Wielders glare at the man and Wonderboy raises his sword, ready to strike, does Hades disappear in the same black cloud of smoke as he appeared in, while I have already gotten a good idea of what he plans to do to get back at Riku for his semi-insult.  
I sigh and Wonderboy says: "Seems that Hades is up to his old tricks again." He then turns to Riku and says: "Riku, keep an eye on Sora. Don't let Hades do to him what he did to Meg to get me into his Tournaments and all." Riku nods and the two return to their seats, while I feel relieved that Herc figured out the same thing.  
The red-head then comes over and asks: "Anything wrong?" Wonderboy shakes his head and says: "Just keep an eye on Riku. Hades will probably use Sora to get back at him and I don't want that to happen. I don't want him to hurt either of them." The man nods and says: "I will, and I'm Axel." We smile at him and I read on.

 _ **Potions lessons … large dungeons.**_ _Harry had never been in the smaller dungeons, but he suspected that the Common room of the Slytherins was there, because he sometimes saw some older Snakes go there while he was in the Entrance Hall._

This makes the elder teens with green trim to their black cloaks – obviously the Slytherins – turn red and Harry says: "Don't worry, I know your common room isn't there." This turns the embarrassment into shock and one of the eldest asks: "How do you know?" And Harry answers: "You'll see." Making me read on.

 _ **Thursday afternoon's … of ingredients.**_ _Harry blessed himself for having bought two sets of all ingredients as he now had an overdose and with that plenty of chance to experiment – something he knew_ _ **Snape**_ _would hate and thus only did in his bed. The man in question_ _ **prowled through … too runny**_ _, something he knew was due to the first few puffer-fish eyes he had been unable to block because he hadn't noticed them being thrown at first_ _ **, but he … watery potion.  
**_ _He just didn't care as he had already made a perfect Swelling Solution last weekend. The potion had been a test for him to see if he could, single-handedly, make the more difficult potions of several years – a test he wanted to pass for himself before he would try his hand at the Polyjuice Potion._

Now the man named Snape smirks at Harry in pride and the boy says: "Hey, I'm interested, not stupid." Making many laugh at his airy tone, while Sirius and Remus shake their heads. Harry then turns to the blonde haired girl that had come with Sora and says: "Thanks, by the way, I feel much better." The girl smiles and I read on.

 _ **When Snape … Goyle's cauldron.**_

This turns the proud smirk into an angry scowl and Snape stands up, his cloak actually billowing behind him as he does so and says: "Mr. Potter, I really thought you would know better than to endanger your fellow students with the dangers of an incomplete Swelling Solution." The boy looks confused and Snape sighs before he says:  
"Mr. Potter, the explosion of that firework caused many of my students to scream, the Solution, thanks to the fireworks showered everything. We were lucky nothing of that Solution hit the students tongues or those would have grown and could have allowed the students to choke on their own tongues. Now do you understand the danger?"  
Harry whitens and hits himself on the head, obviously realizing his mistake of that day. Snape sighs and says: "I know we're practically on holiday, but I still want you to write an essay on how the students appendages swelled and what the after effects of that could have been had I not used the Deflating Draught."  
Harry nods and then he stands up and says: "To all those that were hit that day, I'm sorry for my actions and for the fact that I endangered us without thinking my actions through." The Potions Master nods at this, together with quite a couple of the Fifteen year olds and when the boy has gone to sit back down, do I read on.

 _ **Goyle's potion … small melon.**_ _He finally believed his revenge on the boy for the M-word was complete._

Now the blonde boy named Draco hits himself on the head and while Snape groans: "Don't remind me." Does the blonde say: "Okay, in light of those events, I deserved it." He then smiles at Harry and says: "Just don't use my favorite subject next time, okay?" And Harry nods, sealing the agreement between them before I read on.

 _ **As half … bulging.**_ _He quickly sparred a glance at Snape and then used his wand to levitate Hermione's bag to her, telling her silently to put the ingredients there before Snape noticed her. The girl smiled at him and did as asked, Harry all the while keeping a warry eye on Snape being busy cleaning up his mess._

The girl in question sighs and says: "I really should have taken my bag with me. I just didn't think it would be that noticeable, until Harry levitated my bag up. The ingredients weren't all that big, after all, so I didn't think anyone would notice." To this Ron says: "Trust me, they would." Making the girl blush before I read on.

 _ **When everyone … sudden hush**_ _and Harry was glad he had held the thing with the sleeve of his robe as he didn't know whether or not Wizards knew of ways to track people by help of their fingerprints_ _ **.**_

"That's possible?" An elder man with pin-striped cloak asks and Harry nods, lifting up his forefinger and pointing at it with his other hand as he says: "The twists and turns of every circle that makes a fingerprint are always different depending on whose they are, Minister." The man looks intrigued and he asks:  
"And how can you exactly trace someone's fingerprint?" And Harry asks Hermione something, who then hands him a bottle of ink from her bag. The boy also takes some parchment from the girl and dips his forefinger into the bottle before pressing it strongly onto the parchment, leaving it there for about a minute.  
He then raises the parchment and everyone can see the circles and twisting lines of his fingerprint in the top left corner. He then says: "It can also be done by tape, flour and cocoa powder. Just anything that has a light substance, but is colored can be used to find fingerprints and only touching something leaves a print."  
The Minister seems intrigued at this, and so do a woman with a monocle and a blad tanned man and the three quickly go sit together, while the first man had, at first, sat a little more solitary and they obviously converse together about the benefits of this kind of identification. Then Hermione turns to Harry and asks:

"Harry, how did you know this?" And the boy, for some reason, lowers his head and says: "I often, when young, hoped the police would notice the differences between the Dursleys treatment of me and their treatment of Dudley and that they would do something, so I learned everything I could of them, in the hopes of helping them help me."  
The girl looks hurt and devastated and then Sirius hugs Harry close and whispers: "I hate how much you had to give up as a child to survive those Muggles. Even wanting outside forces to help you and then realizing again and again that even the authorities wouldn't help you." The man moans and hugs Harry close.  
The boy smiles and says: "I did have some help from the Authorities. Erica after all worked for the USA Army and they were very nice for me and kept me company even after her death. It did change into only once a month visits, but it was definitely reason for the Dursleys to lessen their terrible punishments by a lot."  
The man has tears in his eyes by this time, but a large smile on his face and whispers: "Thank Merlin for that." While I can barely believe what I am hearing. I share a glance with Wonderboy and he too has shock in his blue eyes that must be just as wide as my own. We then both nod, deciding to leave it be for now and I read on.

 _ **"If I … could tell."**_

Now McGonagall snorts and says: "Really Severus, for a sly, cunning Head of Slytherin House, you really were obvious and open in your hatred and detestment of Harry, don't you think." The pale faced man turns red and mutters: "Shut it, Minerva." Making a victorious smirk appear on the woman's face as I read on.

 _ **Hermione threw … these days ..."**_

This excites Phil and Wonderboy as much as it seems to depress Harry and he says: "Yes, yes it did come in handy. Obviously." And the boy who must have been named Seamus, a boy with sandy brown hair and strong blue eyes, turns red and mumbles a soft: "Sorry, Harry." But Harry shakes his head and says:  
"It's not your fault, Seamus. There was no way you could have known we might need those Defensive Skills in war in two to three years." My beloved and I now look shocked and Wonderboy asks: "You fought in a war?" But Harry mumbles: "Almost had to." Making me wonder what happened before I shrug it off and read on.

 _ **"What, you … be him."**_

"Wish it had been him." Quite a few of the students now mumble and Phil asks: "What's with all of you? You're all sporting muddy faces as if that Dueling club was the worst thing that could have happened to you." And Harry, lying back in Sirius' embrace, moans: "Not the club, Mr. Phil. The teachers Dumbledore assigned to the club."  
This confuses me and then Harry, who has one hand over his eyes, peeks through his fingers and says: "No offence, Professor Snape." And while already having an understanding on why the boy would hate the Dueling Club, if a teacher that hates him teaches it, does the man say: "No offence taken, Potter." And I read on.

 _ **"As long … usual black.**_

"Ehem, excuse me a minute." Axel interrupts me and asks: "Sorry for interrupting, but – who exactly put the grumpiest and the most flamboyant teacher Hogwarts has ever met together in something as possibly lethal as a Dueling Club?" And Harry moans: "Who do you think?" This makes the man hit himself on the head as he asks:  
"Dumbledore?" And Harry raises his finger as he says: "Dumbledore." This makes the redhead sigh and Phil asks: "So the Club would have been a success had it not been for this Dumbledore's bad choice in teachers?" And now, seemingly quite reluctant, most students nod, making Phil grin before I read on.

 _ **Lockhart waved … published works.**_

"Published works?" Wonderboy asks and Hermione moans: "Loserhead just likes bragging about things he hasn't done. Things he took someone else's credit for. He even went so far as to put it in books he sold, making it look like he was the one doing it all." This makes Phil and Wonderboy share a shocked glance and I read on.

 _ **"Let me … was curling.**_

"By that time he had already pushed me far enough I was already willing to do just that, Mr. Weasley." Snape growls, glaring at the book like Hades would glare at me if something didn't go like he wanted and I shudder a little while Phil moans: "No, Loserhead is ruining the Club." And he shakes his head while I read on.

 _ **Harry wondered … head irritably.**_ _It was obvious to Harry he saw the over-reacting of Lockhart as an insult to his Dueling skills and that he showed how little he respected the man himself by just jerking his head. Harry actually felt himself agreeing with the man, but quickly shook it off._ _ **Then they … cried: "Expelliarmus!"**_

"BEST SPELL EVER!" The Bulgarian boy sitting with Harry then suddenly shouts and everyone looks shocked, as he had obviously barely made such shouts before and Harry asks: "Why do you say that, Viktor?" And the boy says: "Because it saved your life, of course. At least in the books it did." To this Harry smiles and says:  
"I do like that spell a lot. The twins and I even practiced it when we left on the train back to London that year." Viktor now happily takes Harry on his own lap and Harry seems to happily cuddle in the elder boy's embrace, while Sirius looks at the elder boy contemplatively, as if wondering something. Not interested in what it can be, I read on.

 _ **There was … the floor.**_ _Harry instantly memorized everything he had seen of this spell to heart.  
_ _ **Malfoy and … her fingers.**_

This makes the girl in question sigh in shame and then the tanned boy that has Slytherin colors but still decided to sit with her, hugs her closely and says: "Hey, you were brilliantly intelligent in mind, you just needed time to become just as brilliantly intelligent at heart." The girl smiles at him, while I feel touched by his words and read on.

 _ **"Who cares?" … Ron together**_ _, while Harry had to shake off the idea of asking Professor Snape if he would join him in pranking Lockhart just for revenge_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Lockhart was … on end.**_ _Harry couldn't really say he liked this look better as it made the man look as if he just got out of bed and for some reason did that give him the creeps – perhaps because it reminded him of those disgusting glances Lockhart had been sending him.  
_ _ **"Well there … them see ..."**_

"Did that spell make the man hit his head too hard when he fell?" Wonderboy asks with a tone of disbelief coloring his voice and then the redhead twins come over and one of them says: "Believe it or not, Hercules my man." And the other ends: "But this is regular Lockhart behavior." This shocks the three of us and I read on.

 _ **Snape was … Miss Bulstrode."**_

This makes Harry ask: "Professor, I can understand why you put me with Draco, seeing how we were both the most popular of that year and our respective Houses, but why did you put Hermione with Millicent?" And the man answers: "To see if Mss. Granger could cast quicker than Mss. Bullstrode could punch, I'm afraid."  
Harry looks shocked and Phil says: "Well then, if that girl is that good in punching – Herc?" Hercules nods and asks: "Millicent Bullstrode, could you come over, please?" And a girl that would make Medusa look beautiful comes over. The girl has a large square build, heavy, jutting jaw and short black hair.  
She raises an eyebrow at my Wonderboy as she reaches him, having extended her hands shortly to feel where the opening from the Stadium to the Lobby was and Hercules puffs up his chest and says: "Show me how strong you are. Punch my chest with all your strength." The girl looks shocked and then an evil smile appears on her face.

I see Wonderboy setting his muscles tense with his power while the girl pulls back her fist and squeezes her hand tightly, before ramming it straight into Herc's chest. But then cracks are heard and a second later the girl is crying it out as she holds her hand to her chest, her knuckles bleeding and obviously broken.  
Wonderboy cringes as he sees this and says: "Whoops, guess I gave a little too much of myself." And a woman all dressed in a white apron with soft pink dress and with white head cap runs over, waving her wand over the girl's hand and casting some bandages to wrap around the hand as she leads the girl to the back of the Stadium.  
Wonderboy, by now, has his hand behind his head and is rubbing the back of his neck in guilt as Phil asks: "So Herc, how strong was she?" And Wonderboy says: "I definitely felt something, but I think you can compare it to a human feeling a few bugs landing on a part of their skin." The Satyr nods as Wonderboy sighs and says:  
"She definitely has potential and she can become quite the fighter, but she knows no basics about fighting whatsoever. Hitting something metal with your thumb inside your fist is bound to make you break something. Always hold your thumb next to your fist, not inside it." The Satyr smiles at him and I read on.

 _ **Malfoy strutted … not return**_ _and Harry wondered why Snape would put these two completely different souls up together_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Face your … each other.**_ _Harry might not hate Malfoy, but after that stupid attack on Ron last year Christmas – where it was obvious he had waited with pestering his best friend until he was sure Professor Snape was near – he didn't trust him anymore than you could hold a Bludger calm.  
_ _ **"Wands at … a saucepan.**_

"And again more proof that bint has used that damned Saucepan before the last mentioned summer." The man named Remus growls and Hercules asks: "You've been hit with a saucepan before?" Harry nods and says: "It was her favorite way to punish me if Vernon wasn't around to do it." This angers the both of us and I read on.

 _ **He stumbled … a mistake.**_

Now the blonde sighs again and says: "No, just a misunderstood sign of nobility. I thought you believed me too weak to fight now that I was laughing and because I couldn't see your wand arm lying by your side loosely, like your other arm was, I believed your pride made you gloat over me, so I cursed you back."  
Harry nods and says: "I didn't have it in my side if that was what you thought, Malfoy. I just didn't want to take any risks and still had my wand arm up. I just didn't know any shield spells, so I couldn't block your attack." The two boys, so obviously different in so many things, smile at each other in good humor and I read on.

 _ **Gasping for … in pain.**_

This makes the whimpering girl – still sitting with the nurse at the far back of the Stadium, blush in embarrassment and Snape says: "Definitely not my intention, but then again, I had my eyes only on Potter and Draco to make sure Potter wouldn't pull the same stunts as his father did to me when we dueled, so it was my fault too."  
This makes Harry turn to the two adults he sits with and he asks: "What does he mean, _pull the same stunts as his father did to me_? Did dad cheat when dueling?" And Sirius sighs and says: "No Harry, he just – he just liked dueling Snape with us by his side, something I now see is quite unfair, but I promise he had good reasons."  
Harry glares at this, making me see a fire I didn't expect to see burning in those emerald green depths and he asks: "What?" Sirius sighs and says: "I promise to explain you and Snape privately once the reading halts for a meal, okay?" Harry nods, but turns back to Viktor, pointedly ignoring Sirius and Remus as he does so and I read on.

 _ **Both their … he was**_ _, but luckily enough did holding onto a broom tightly while flying at high speeds give him a lot of strength and he was able to pull Bullstrode's arms far away apart for Hermione to slip out of the strong girl's grip_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Dear, dear," … quickly away.**_ _Harry could barely believe the man was stupid enough to not realize this before setting up this club, let alone think he could use Snape's assistance for this again._

Now Wonderboy asks: "Are you sure he didn't hit his head somewhere during the day?" And Harry says: "Trust me, he didn't. You'll get used to his ridiculous behavior soon enough though." To which Wonderboy asks: "He's always like that?" And Ron answers: "Sure has been for as long as we've known him."

Wonderboy looks shocked, but then a loud scream interrupts us all and we suddenly see a dark blue colored creature, with purple wings, two golden bracelets, a silver choker, blue jeans with metal kneecaps, black sandals with red straps and a white and blue striped bandana carrying a shouting Sora up in the air.  
"A Heartless!" Leon shouts while everyone else shouts: "SORA!" Riku seems to be the loudest and then Axel summons fire, from which a strange circular shaped weapon, made of red and white metal bands with black handles appear and he throws one of them at the creature, killing it with one strike and causing Sora to fall.  
Everyone screams at this, but then Riku runs at the boy and while those in his path jump aside to allow him the chance to get to the boy, does Sora suddenly bump into something invisible, before he grabs onto it, making Wonderboy and me know he was higher than the roof of the Colliseum when he started falling.  
Riku reaches him and with his arms open above his head, he shouts: "Sora, let go! I'll catch you!" Sora looks down, trying and failing to put his feet against the walls of the Colliseum and then he nods, before letting go. Most of the girls scream, but the silver-haired, chrystal-eyed boy seems to be stronger than he looks.  
Grunting a little when Sora falls in his arms, he slowly lets the boy stand on his own two feet again and Hercules growls as he says: "Hades! He's trying to kidnap Sora so he can get back at Riku for his semi insult." And I feel a new level of hatred rush through me as I think of the blue haired devil causing all of this.

Wonderboy and I then run at the two, making sure we don't run into the Colliseum itself and Herc asks: "Is everyone alright?" A stumbling Harry, Viktor, Sirius and Remus have joined us by now and Riku says: "Yeah, we're alright. Or at least I am." He then turns to Sora and the boy nods, leaning slightly against the toned boy.  
Riku smiles at him lovingly and I wonder if this could be my chance to get Sora back for that comment he made before his picture was shown in the sky above. Deciding not to, seeing how the boy was almost kidnapped, I say: "It was Hades. He's trying to kidnap Sora so he can break you, Riku. Trust me, I've seen it happen before."  
Riku nods and then asks: "Sora, can you stand?" Sora nods and Sirius and Remus are quickly at his side as he steps away from his obvious crush. Riku then suddenly summons his black and red colored Keyblade and says: "I'll be right back. Continue reading without me." Sora sends him a questioning glance and asks:  
"Riku?" But Riku smiles at the boy and says: "I'll be alright, Sora. You know me, don't you?" Sora smiles and nods and then Wonderboy lies a hand on Riku's shoulder and says: "Be very careful down there. Hades is quite tricky and can be very convincing when he wants something. Make sure you get the upper hand right away."  
Riku nods and leaves, using his Keyblade to get from the Stadium, through the Lobby and then through the doors at the other end of the Courtyard, down a staircase I know only too well. I sigh and while Harry and the others take Sora back to their spot, do I wish the crystal-eyed boy luck and do I continue reading.

 _ **"Let's have … them room.**_ _Harry suspected the man only agreed to get back in Snape's good graces – and seeing the looks Snape was still sending him, he couldn't blame the dirty bastard.  
_ _ **"Now, Harry," said Lockhart**_ _, not getting as close to Harry as he did when back in Diagon Alley but still with that disgusting look in his eyes_ _ **, "When Draco … little over-excited."**_ _Harry wondered if the man was really casting a spell or if this was something like the Pixie Fiasco.  
_ _ **Snape moved … at Lockhart**_ _, remembering Percy's words about Snape knowing a lot about the Dark Arts,_ _ **and said, … his mouth.**_ _No way was he giving into the taunts of his rival, no matter how his rational mind thought about it.  
_ _ **Lockhart … the shoulder**_ _, his hand lingering there for only a second too long in Harry's opinion_ _ **. "Just do … to strike.**_

Now Harry groans and says: "And here it goes wrong." This confuses me and Wonderboy asks: "I thought it went wrong when Lockhart entered the Dueling club." Harry nods and Ron says: "He means that now things concerning the rest of the book are about to go downhill." Wonderboy nods and I read on feeling concerned.

 _ **There were … the floor.**_ _Harry wanted to do the same – this was after all not the same snake he had spoken to when he was ten and he wasn't stupid enough to attempt to do it again when the snake was obviously pissed at being dropped like that. But then suddenly he felt the same amazing power as when he had pressed himself against the hallway wall and he realized he had part of Hogwarts protecting him.  
_ _ **"Don't move … angry snake**_ _, not knowing what was going on in Harry's mind as thousands of animal repelling spells suddenly showed themselves to his mind's eye and he was quickly looking for the best but least painful one_ _ **. "I'll get … do it**_ _, especially because he was still seeing only lethal spells in his mind's eye_ _ **. He wasn't … have explained.**_ _It was like the magic of Hogwarts inside of him somehow connected him mentally to the snake and that this made him know things he normally wouldn't have known – that was at least the only logical explanation he could think of.  
_ _ **He looked … and scared.**_

"And here I show just how loyal Hufflepuffs can be." The boy named Justin groans and he hides his head in his hands as he moans: "NOT!" Making me wonder what could be going on. Then Phil stands up and says: "Listen, I've been thinking of a schedule where we all get what we want and I think I've come up with something acceptable."  
Everyone turns to the small Satyr, held up by Wonderboy and he goes on: "We'll read three chapters and then take a break. During this break Herc and I will pick some of you runts and you will train with him and Sora to become stronger and, maybe, you can – while you're here – get the chance at the title of Junior Heroes."  
This makes the students look at each other and then a timid youngster asks: "Do we need to hit Hercules too?" But Wonderboy shakes his head and the young girl sighs in relief, before McGonagall says: "My fellow colleagues and I agree with this schedule, Mr. Phil. Thank you." The Satyr sits back down, while nodding and I read on.

 _ **"What do … said Harry.**_ _To him the last couple of minutes got more and more confusing the longer they increased in numbers.  
_ _ **"A Parselmouth!" … another language?**_

Now I look up and ask: "So Harry, you really don't realize you're speaking another language when you speak Parsletongue?" Harry shakes his head and says: "It was only later in the story that it started sounding a little different to me. Before that I just heard myself speak English." I feel fascinated by this and read on.

 _ **But – I … fell open.**_ _He had completely forgotten that Slytherin had this secret power that the other Founders didn't have. Instantly he remembered his suspicions, but if the gift of Slytherin was talking to Snakes, then what kind of snake could petrify people. Harry decided to research all kinds of snakes once he knew.  
_ _ **"Exactly," said … could be."**_

Now Harry turns to Sirius and Remus and the two smile as Sirius says: "Don't worry, son. James made a Family Ancestor Potion in his Sixth and it showed just about all the most important and most historical Ancestors he had in his line. Salazar Slytherin was not part of that list." Harry smiles at the man and I ask:  
"Adopted, right?" And Harry lifts his shirt, showing scars that actually write words on his front. I look at the scars appalled and he says: "Don't worry, they were for a Blood Adoption Ritual. They make me the son of Sirius and Remus. They also already seem to be fading." This reliefs me and makes me read on with a happy smile for the young boy.

 _ **Harry lay … Salazar Slytherin?**_ _Was that really how he had become a Parsletongue without knowing it? Because it had been in his family for generations? How could he find out?_ _ **He didn't … wizarding relatives**_ _and here there was no one willing to tell him – as if expecting him to know everything about the family he never got to have_ _ **.**_

This makes quite a few of the teachers cringe as Wonderboy and I look at them questioningly, McGonagall says: "Damn you, Dumbledore. Convincing us Harry would be raised in a way that would do Lily and James proud." But Snape puts a hand on the hunched shoulders of the woman as he shakes his head and says:  
"It's also partially our own fault. We believed, because he looked so much like James, that Petunia would tell him everything about the man he was the splitting image of and that made us hold back on information. And I did it just out of spite back then, but that's another story." The woman nods and I continue my reading.

 _ **Quietly, Harry … turned over**_ _pushing the voice out of his mind with the thought that, even though that was true, the Sorting Hat wouldn't have placed him in Gryffindor if he didn't fit even better in said House_ _ **. He'd see … have realized.**_

Now most of the school cringes, except for, apparently, all of the younger years and I realize that these must be the First and Second Years, who hadn't been present during this year. Looking around at those who look down as if feeling really stupid, I can barely believe how many of them there are and with a sigh do I read on.

 _ **By next … a badger.**_

Now I snicker and ask: "Can your magic really do that?" And as the teacher in question nods, does Riku suddenly walk out of the doors leading to the Underworld, shocking us all with how he looks. Instantly his friends are by his side and Sora asks: "Riku, what happened to you? You're all – all burned up. What did Hades do to you?"  
The silver haired boy, who has half of his hair on the right side of his face burned away, who has several nasty burns and circular scorch marks on his face, neck and arms and who is carrying the smoldering remains of his white and yellow sleeveless shirt, smiles and says: "Nothing I wasn't able to give right back at him."  
But this, of course, doesn't console Sora's worry and he says: "Nothing you couldn't give right back at him? Riku, I didn't want you to get hurt just because –." But then Riku grabs Sora's arm, while his hand had been softly trying to reach for the nasty burn around his right ear and pulls the boy close roughly as he says:  
"Sora, he tried to kidnap you. He almost got you killed by that fall and I will not allow it. Remember what I said, I will always fight the Darkness and return it to Light. I will always use my powers to protect what matters. And you matter, Sora. You matter. So I don't regret these wounds, they showed Hades what I'm capable of."

Sora has tears in his eyes by now and hugs Riku tightly, the boy tensing for a second, before he happily embraces Sora back, while I can almost see how loving the embrace is for both boys – and how neither of them realizes that the other's embrace is that loving. I shake my head and then see Sora mumble under his breath.  
Wondering what the kid could be on about, I see them part and Sora summons his Keyblade. He holds it over Riku's head, just when I see Snape and Pomfrey getting their bags growing from one of their pockets. Sora then whispers: "Curaga." And I feel a wave of gentle healing magic erupt from him as leafs fall down from his Keyblade.  
The leafs softly attach themselves to all the burns and slash marks on Riku's body, making the boy cringe for a second before they all soak into his skin, causing the skin to reattach itself and making the wounds disappear. Sora stops once he sees all wounds gone, but then still looks sad and softly lifts what's left of Riku's hair.

Riku looks at the hand with a smile and a raised eyebrow as Pomfrey says: "Just leave that to me, Sora. Riku, I want you to drink a cup of this every hour for the rest of the day. Then by tomorrow your hair will be back to the same length." With that she hands him a vial with dour green liquid swirling inside of it.  
Riku nods and the two return to their seat, close to Harry, who quickly pulls a group of clouds together to make a thick looking cushion. Riku smiles at the young boy and then lets Sora join him, the brown-haired boy still looking at him worriedly as he takes the first cup. He shudders afterwards and Harry snickers as he says:  
"Yeah, all her potions taste awful. But I've come to learn that the worse they taste, the better they work. I just personally like to experiment on how to keep that good working effect while taking away the chances of it tasting bad." Riku, Pomfrey and Snape seem interested in this, but I quickly pull their attention back to the book.

 _ **Resisting the … library first.**_

Harry sighs and says: "I really should have just waited another day." But then Sora seems to hear something none of us hears and he happily says: "Well, I'm glad you went and – well, you know what happened." The black-haired boy nods and says: "I do, but how do you?" And while Sora motions for Axel do I read on.

 _ **A group … be working.**_

Now said Hufflepuffs sigh and one of the girls, one with long blond hair that is slightly in a pigtail, but of which most is hanging around her face, says: "I wish we had been working. I really said terrible things that day." But then a stout boy lies a comforting hand on her shoulder, softly pushing her hair behind it as he retorts:  
"Not half as bad as what I said, and I even convinced you. I should have listened to you from the start, Hannah, then none of it would have happened." But then Harry says: "That's not true. You saying those things to Hannah was after you told Justin to stay in the dormitories. Neither of you was at fault that day."  
The two smile at Harry and the girl says: "You're always so easily forgiving, Harry. And that with the terrible treatment of those terrible monsters, I mean Muggles." Harry shrugs, but when the girl looks a little more serious, he sighs and says: "I just fear – slightly, instinctively – that if I don't, the situation will only become worse."

The girl looks at him sadly, while I'm amazed that they can hold this conversation with the length of almost half a regular room between them and then the Puffs all push their Clouds past the Lobby and over to Harry's side. Sitting across from where he sits with his family, the young girl lies a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
He smiles at her and she says: "We've really been prats to you over the years, Harry. I really hope in the books of the future we'll be able to make up for it. And don't say you've already forgiven us, we want to make it up ourselves." The boy laughs and says: "Alright, but don't overwork yourselves, okay?" The girl nods and I read on.

 _ **Between the … towards them**_ _in the hopes of being able to better identify them and see if Justin was among them_ _ **when something … Invisibility section.  
**_ _He hated it, but their tones intrigued him. They sounded angered, yet feared._ _ **"So anyway," … is it?"**_

Now many students raise their eyebrows in disbelief at the stout boy and Hermione whittingly says: "It might just be me, but wasn't Harry meeting Justin for the first time before the Dueling Club? And wasn't it also even months before we even knew of the Chamber being opened? So how does that count as evidence, Ernie?"  
The boy in question turns red and some of the other students want to open their mouths, probably to further harass him, when Harry asks: "Ehm, isn't it me who he insulted? And doesn't his guilty face say enough?" To which Sirius whacks him over the head and says: "Too forgiving you are." Harry grumbles in slight pain and I read on.

 _ **"You definitely … Serpent-tongue."  
**_ _Harry ignored the nagging feeling that Parsletongue was related to the Monster of the Chamber and listened further._ _ **There was … been attacked."**_

"Counter-evidence proving his innocence. His mother and best friend are both Muggleborn. Doesn't that mean he would attack me first?" Hermione spats at the stout boy, making him cringe at her angry tone before Ron pulls her back as she had slightly lifted herself of her seat. Liking her fierce attitude, I smile at the girl and read on.

 _ **"He always … by You-Know-Who.**_

"Then how can anyone lay any claim on that, for the good or the bad. All they know is that Harry did something to make this You-Know-Who guy disappear. Shouldn't they first try and find out how he did before they make any form of judgement?" Wonderboy asks and Harry grunts: "Wish they had, Herc, I wish they had."  
Wonderboy sighs at this and asks: "Want to go training after this? I know a few good manoeuvres that always help you lose stress and keeps your muscles nice, warm and strengthening." Harry smiles at this and says: "Sure, right next break?" Wonderboy nods, while I sigh, wishing he would give me that kind of attention as Sirius asks:  
"Are you sure of that, pup? You already did some extensive training earlier and you do still tire out quite quickly as you are still healing." To which Harry answers: "I'm sure, Sirius, just like I'm sure that this training will help me develop my weakened muscles back to normal." And the man accepts this with relief as I read on.

 _ **I mean … like that."**_

Now silence reigns as even I feel weirded out by this comment and Phil asks: "Eeeehh, can anyone explain me how a baby can be a powerful dark wizard? I mean, powerful wizard of itself, I can get, but how can anyone see if a baby's magic is light or dark at that age, huh? I don't get that?" And many people nod in agreement.  
Ernie then hits himself on the head and says: "I really said some ridiculous things back there." To which almost all of the students with blue trims attached to their black robes shout: "YOU THINK?" But then Sora asks: "Hey, can we keep reading? We're about to hit something good." Everyone looks at him weird and Harry asks:  
"Sora, do you even know how I first met Fawkes – or Axel, sorry? Or under what circumstances?" Sora shrugs and Riku says: "Never mind him. Sora has that strange ability to find the brightest part of anything and then to pull off miracles like there's nothing to it." This makes Harry smile and while I agree with the fellow do I read on.

 _ **He dropped … been hiding?"**_

This makes Harry smile and he says: "Well, with Dumbledore no longer breathing down my neck and Voldemort no longer trying to get me killed at the end of every year I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." To which Viktor pulls him close and says: "Yeah, you will. And I'll be right beside you to help you on the way."  
The two smile at each other and Harry softly kisses Viktor's cheek. Again I see Sirius looking at the two thoughtfully and Remus asks: "Sickle for your thoughts, my little pup?" And Sirius says: "I'll tell you later, Remus. I'm not even sure of my own thoughts yet." The brown haired man pulls his partner close and I read on.

 _ **Harry couldn't … Justin Finch-Fletchley."**_

This makes Sirius hit Harry over the head and he asks: "Didn't you say you get a clear head in troublesome situations?" And Ron laughs: "Yeah, and he loses it when he gets angry." Making Harry scowl at him while he rubs the back of his head and Sirius moans in defeat. Understanding the man's worry, I read on.

 _ **The Hufflepuffs' … try it."**_

"Not in a million years, Harry!" The boy in question shouts quickly and I ask: "Are they really that bad?" And Sora says: "Let's just say the thought of them and their treatment of Harry even gets me to lose my good mood." I look shocked at this as I had not expected there to even be anything that could do that and read on.

 _ **He turned … looking up.**_

"You walked into something very large and solid and instantly knew it was this Hagrid person?" I ask the boy and he aims for the amazing man who is almost the same height as Zeus himself. Looking the man over, I say: "Okay, I think I see your point." Making both boy and giant laugh. Wonderboy then sends me a loving smile and I read on.

 _ **Hagrid's face … the hen-coop."**_

Harry then sends a glance at the young red-head and whispers: "Thank goodness you didn't, Hagrid." The giant looks confused, while I see some weird pleading look in the girl's eyes as she looks at Harry and the giant asks: "How'd yah know?" And Harry answers: "Didn't sense anything next time I came by." The giant nods and I read on.

 _ **He peered … about him.**_ _The only thing slightly calming him down was the sight of Hannah Abbot still slightly biting her bottom lip with her teeth as he had left, obviously still trying to decide whether or not she would believe Ernie.  
_ _ **"It's nothing," … window pane.**_

This confuses me and I ask: "Is this vital in anyway?" Harry nods and says: "I think another strange sounding clue will soon make itself known, something else I spotted before I met Axel." I nod and Ernie says: "And it all goes downhill from here, all the way to hell." This makes me look at the large doors before I read on.

 _ **He was … the ceiling.**_

I look at this shocked and then Hercules says: "I didn't know Hades had send Medusa to that world." Everyone looks at the man shocked and he asks: "Medusa? The beautiful woman with snakes for hair, who turns you to stone if you look in her eyes? It wasn't her?" Everyone shakes their heads and Harry sourly mutters:  
"Had it been her. She would have been a whole lot easier to handle, I'm sure." But then Hermione snickers and says: "Actually Harry, you can use the same method for this monster as you can if you want to stop Medusa." The boy looks shocked and asks: "Hermione, where do we get a mirror big enough for that?"  
All the students look shocked and confused and then Percy asks: "Is that why there were mirrors on your and Penny's bedside tables?" Hermione nods, but then shivers and Ron hisses: "Did you have to bring that up just when we are reading about stuff similar to it?" His older brother flushes deep red and I read on, quite intrigued.

 _ **And that … to Justin's.**_

"Seriously?" Wonderboy asks and then he goes on: "What kind of monster are you all dealing with? Not even Medusa can attack ghosts." But then Hades appears again and asks: "Excuse me, was Blunderboy just insulting one of my finest associates?" And Wonderboy growls: "Associates? Really?"  
Hades seems to ignore the anger and asks me: "So what's going on in that apparently so very interesting book, Meg?" He spats my name and I flinch, before toughening up and saying: "Some kind of unknown monster just attacked and petrified a young boy –." To which The Lord of the Death yawns and interrupts: "Boring!"  
And I end: "And a ghost." Instantly I have the man's attention and Wonderboy asks: "So, can or can your associate not do the same?" A glower is his answer and Hades says: "Fine, she can't. But I'm staying here until I hear what kind of delicious, brilliant little beast we're talking about here." To which Wonderboy retorts:

"Fine, but your seat is by your own door." The two glare at each other and Herc hisses: "Don't worry, these fine guests of mine made sure the reader is heard all round the Colisseum. You won't miss a thing." Hades huffs and while he walks over, do I see that Sora seems to have taken a protective stance in front of Riku.  
He lowers his Keyblade as he sees the God walk the other way and Riku pulls him back on the seat, while on the other side, in the Courtyard, Hades of course enjoys the frightened and terrified faces he passes on his way to the door. He then growls and I see the Bulgarians glare at him, apparently not scared at all, before I read on.

 _ **Harry got … the bodies.**_

Wonderboy turns to Harry and the brunette says: "Yep, they were indeed trying to get through that loose window pane. And the scurrying was a lot more terrified than the last time on Halloween, a few chapters back." Again the Lord of the dead perks up and asks: "Halloween? My most favorite holiday of the year?"  
But Sirius growls: "Yeah, you'd love that holiday, wouldn't you?" I look at him confused and Hades asks: "Well, of course? Is there any reason for you to not love it, then?" And the man spats: "How about my baby losing his parents at the age of one, you monster?" The Lord of Dead looks shocked and I read on, feeling for the lad.

 _ **The only … with this?**_

"Only a day after that whole Parsletongue incident? While students were already suspecting you as the culprit?" I ask Harry and then snort and say: "Sorry kid, but not much chance." And he sighs: "Don't I know it." Then Sora asks: "So you met Axel, because of – an attack?" And when Harry nods, does Sora shudder and do I read on.

 _ **As he … shooting out.**_

"Oooh, a Poltergeist. My kind of ghost." Hades murmurs, while most others hit themselves on the head and groan. I look around and Phil asks: "That bad?" To which Sirius says: "Peeves is the kind of joker and poltergeist you want around all the time, except during an emergency." He ends with a cringe and I read on.

 _ **"Why, it's … LIVES! ATTAAAACK!"**_

Another round of groans is heard as I scream this and Hades seems to hit his feet on the floor in excitement as he says: "Ooooh, I love this guy." To which Wonderboy retorts: "Why does that not surprise me." Making the Lord of Dead glare at him, but Wonderboy finally seems to have only eyes for me and I read on.

 _ **Crash – crash … Nearly-Headless Nick.**_

"No wonder so many students came to my Infirmary with a cold later." The matron moans a little later, seeming to finally be done with the hand of the young Bullstrode girl and she walks back, the Slytherins having fluffed up her cloud to sit in. She sits down with a sigh and Wonderboy cringes as she nurses her hand before I read on.

 _ **Harry found … at Harry.**_

"Hey kid!" Phil shouts and the Ernie boy looks at him as he asks: "Did you even look at the scene?" Making the boy turn red and making a lot of people, probably everyone present back then, groan at his idiocy. Phil lies a hand on his forehead,while Hades seems to enjoy the current scene and I glare at him weakly before reading on.

 _ **"That will … at Harry.**_ _Had Harry not been as shocked and scared as he was, he probably would have send the Poltergeist the same glare Ernie MacMillan was now sending him.  
_ _ **Justin was … alone together.**_

"Oh good, are you going to comfort him, tell him you're his godmother and that things will be alright now, Minnie?" Sirius asks and McGonagall sighs and says: "I wish I had, Sirius. No, I did the complete opposite I'm afraid." But Sora seems not to hear this as he looks at me, his eager eyes telling me to read on.

 _ **"This way … McGonagall curtly.**_ _Harry dared a single glance at her face and was relieved he didn't see the same look on her face as when he had helped Hagrid take Norbert up to the Astronomy Tower to give him to Charlie, Ron's brother. This slightly relieved his worries and gave him the small belief that maybe this time he would be allowed to explain himself. Still, he feared what his explanation would cost him – especially as he thought about the Polyjuice Potion – and silently he turned his head away from his teacher and followed her meekly._

 _ **They marched … be amazed.**_

"And that's not even the most amazing part of the school. The chambers Hogwarts has added for mated couples and family members coming to stay a weekend or so are even more incredible." Sirius then tells Harry and the rest and Harry asks: "Really, why aren't they used anymore then?" And Remus sadly answers:  
"One of the Couple chambers locked itself up from the inside to preserve honor to your parents as they were the last to stay there before their deaths. A parental set of chambers did the same, to honor your grandparents as your grandfather, Charlus, died on Christmas Eve 1979 – the same night Lily told James she loved him."  
A small, bored smile I notice lies on Hades' lips and I glare at the fact that the man must love the idea of someone dying on Christmas, but must be bored by the romance and love being put in the tale. Harry in the meantime seems shocked as he asks: "My grandfather died at Hogwarts?" But Remus shakes his head and says:

"He died at home, Harry. He had only just gone to bed when the Dragon Pox he was having attacked his throat and made him cough. Your Grandmother tried to save him, but the combination of fear for her husband and her own case of Dragon Pox took her life as well. They died in each other's arms, in their own bed."

Harry by now has tears in his eyes as he hears Remus' voice end softly and the two men hug their son close, while I have made room on the pedestal for Wonderboy to sit there with me and the man has wrapped a loving arm around me, pulling me close and allowing me to seek comfort in his strong form and muscular form.  
But then, from the corner of my eye, I see Hades picking his ear and glare at the man. The man looks back and asks: "What? Interested in a new deal?" This makes Wonderboy pull me even closer and hisses: "Don't even think about it." The Devil shrugs and I see his eyes wonder over to Riku, quickly making me read on.

 _ **Behind the … Dumbledore lived.**_

"A place I should have never brought you to." McGonagall moans and Hades asks: "Ow, is he of my kind?" The woman glares and says: "Seeing how you are willing to use other people for your own gain, I'd say yes. He is exactly like you." This makes a large smirk appear on the Devil's face and he asks smoothly:  
"Pray tell where I can find this interesting specimen?" And Sirius growls: "Exactly where he belongs. Behind bars, that's where." The Devil seems shocked at this and then suddenly Sora runs over and shouts: "My turn!" Shocking us all as I had expected Sora to want to stay near Riku. And the large grin on his face confuses me even more.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Had to make a few changes here as, during the original writing of all this, I had forgotten that in Kingdom Hearts 1 Riku had met and been working alongside Hades. He may have never gone to Olympus Colisseum, but the two of them met plenty of times while in Hollow Bastion, which is definitely important to the plot.  
**_ _ **So to then have Hades treat Riku as if he never met the kid and believes he can turn Riku Dark for the first time doesn't add up. Sure the story might not fully follow Canon as Sora and Riku are probably older than they're supposed to be, but I still think I made a pretty stupid mistake there, so I went and slightly rewrote those parts.  
**_ _ **Also, if I have to be really honest/nit-picky, I didn't like how I wrote Hades' lines and interactions in some parts. They didn't feel like the Hades from the original movie/Kingdom Hearts game. Did I nail his image and behavior this time? Heh, not really sure, but I do think I did a better job at it. Do you agree or disagree?  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	49. Hello, Roxas

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Another chapter I am very hyped about and that I really hope I nailed right in the first version of this story. Also, did you know that, in the Kingdom Hearts series, Roxas is voiced by Jesse McCartney? He also voices Ventus in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, but most people know him for Theodore in Alvin and the Chipmunks.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 48  
**_ _ **Hello, Roxas**_

 _ **Sora's POV**_

It's exceedingly hard to keep in the happiness Roxas feels at the chance of separating with me and I whisper: "Just hold it in a little longer, will you? You're making me forget all about how Riku is still hurt." And the boy quickly draws back, taking sanctuary in the back of my mind as I take the book from Meg.  
I then open the book and when I see the title, I mentally ask: "Are you sure this is where Axel appears? I don't think he had anything to do with this potion." But Roxas sends me a reassuring boost of emotions and I shrug, muttering: "Just glad you finally get this chance to be your own person." And I happily start reading.

 _ **The Polyjuice Potion**_

This makes Sirius look at Harry weirdly and then he asks: "So first you have to go to Dumbledore for something that is against the rules, but that you didn't do and after that you still do something that is actually against the rules?" And Harry happily says: "Yep, we sure did." Making the man laugh before I read on.

 _ **They stepped … there, alone.**_

"Worst decision I made that year." McGonagall says and Sirius asks: "What, are you going to be making a terrible mistake every year?" Making the woman glare at him. He cowers at it and says: "Sorry, sorry, just protecting my son against other people's bad decisions. Sorry." Making everyone laugh before I read on.

 _ **Harry looked … right house.**_

"You actually doubted that?" A lot of students ask shocked and Harry answers: "Don't forget that even my own friends doubted whether or not I was Slytherin's heir. It was only natural for me to wonder whether or not the Sorting Hat had been right in its decision." This makes said students nod in reluctant agreement and I read on.

 _ **He walked … Harry muttered**_ _, gulping in anticipation_ _ **. "Er – sorry … in Slytherin."**_

This makes Sirius hit himself on the head and he says: "Not the thing my boy wanted to hear." But then Axel says: "Ooooh." We all look at him and he smirks as he says: "I think I know why Sora was so excited to read this chapter." We all look at him curiously, but he keeps quiet and I have to keep Roxas back from snickering as I read on.

 _ **Harry's stomach … half-plucked turkey.**_

Now Axel looks insulted and grumbles: "I hate those burning days." Making McGonagall gasp as she says: "Of course, you were Dumbledore's Phoenix. Harry must have met you there before he met up with Dumbledore." Axel nods and I whisper: "Just a few more sentences, Roxas. Keep a hold of yourself." And with trouble do I read on.

 _ **Harry stared … into flames.**_

This makes me smile and I whisper: "Now." Before feeling every part of Roxas come up to join with me every nerve. Feeling my body start to adapt to look like his, I feel the energy of the young Dual Blade Keyblade Wielder pour out of my veins and slowly but surely a small gust of wind flies away from my body.  
Everyone seems to see this wind and they all look at it amazed as it starts to take shape. Slowly blond hair starts to become visible and Axel gasps: "No, it can't be." But I smile as a young face with a small round nose and brown-blonde small eyebrows appears before me, the neck attached to it blending in with square shoulders.  
These shoulders are covered by a black cloak quite like Axel's and while the body of a boy almost 2 inches shorter than me appears before me, does Axel slowly move over, his eyes wide and his mouth agape in wonder. Finally the feet appear and everything of the spirit solidifies, making the young man a real person standing before me.

The dark blonde eyelashes tremble and a soft moan is heard from the back of the lad's throat as Roxas opens his azure blue eyes and looks at me, an easy smile appearing on his face as he sees me standing before him. He then looks down and softly touches the skin of his left arm with his right, obviously wanting to be sure he was really back.  
Then a soft, crushed voice asks: "R-Ro-Roxas?" And we look at Axel, standing a few steps away from us and having a look on his face as if his greatest wish and worst nightmare are coming true at the same time. This makes Roxas and I smile at each other and the boy says: "Told you I'd be waiting for you in the next life."

And instantly my Nobody is strongly embraced by loving strong arms and Axel whispers: "Roxas, you're – you're back. You're really here. You – you were right. Oh Roxas, I'm so sorry. I tried to keep giving you time to get your memory back, but Xemnas – he wouldn't hear of it. He ordered me, Roxas, he ordered me to attack you."  
Roxas nods and says: "I know, Axel. I know. I'm sorry, too. You were my best friend and I let DiZ walk all over me, erasing my memory and making me believe Hayner and the others were my best friends and all." Axel sighs and whispers: "Not your fault, Roxas. Not your fault." And the two friends smile at each other.

Then Riku comes over and asks: "Sora – but, how?" And I shrug as I say: "Axel's presence brought Roxas' presence a little more to the forefront of my mind and I agreed with him that he and I would split bodies again once we reached the part where Axel came into the story, Harry's 1st visit to Dumbledore's office."  
The boy looks at me shocked and then I remember all the amazingly romantic thoughts Roxas shared with me about Axel and I see my Nobody send me an encouraging look. Taking a deep breath, I nod and say: "Besides, him being part of me – and caring for Axel like he does – kind of made me hold back on – ehm – something."

I now feel the same nerves as when I first realized I was in love with the silver-haired crystal-eyed boy and he asks: "You held back? On what?" And after another look from Roxas, do I take a deep breath and say: "Something I have been – well – wanting to do since we reunited in the Stronghold of Organization XIII."  
The boy looks at me confused and asks: "You mean just crying tears of joy that I was back and we were reunited as friends wasn't your real reaction?" I shake my head and say: "Not what I – had it not been for Roxas and me being one – would have wanted to do, no." And he asks: "Then what did you want to do?"

I look at him, trying to gulp away the block of nerves that got stuck in my throat and know that the chance to play for time is over and when I see those amazing crystal blue eyes shining with curiosity and worry I feel the strong need to let them shine with love. No longer feeling Roxas holding me back, I slowly close the distance between us.  
His amazing face slowly comes closer to, obviously thinking I want to whisper it in his ear, but I keep my eyes focused on his entire face, on the triangle shaped nose, on how his silver hair lies over his forehead and mostly, on his soft, almost pink-colored lips shaped in a curious smile. This is the last thing I see before closing my eyes.  
Pushing myself forward a little further – while my nerves scream at me to turn around, run for the underworld and hide there – I feel myself touching him from shoulders to toe and softly grab his amazingly strong, muscular shoulders, pulling his upper body just those last few inches before finally our lips meet.

Instantly all that I ever dreamed would happen happens as my entire body feels on fire and on the same time put under an icy spell as every nerve in my body gets set aflame with excitement and fear at the same time. I then slowly move one hand from Riku's shoulder to the back of his head and a shudder goes through my body as I do.  
The feeling of those soft, long, silver colored locks twisting and turning around my fingers is pure heaven and I moan softly as I finally feel Riku relaxing of shock. He, to my absolute joy, grabs me from behind and holds me against his body tightly, kissing me with a fevor I always dreamed he would do when I did this.  
Clinging to his body and loving how my first kiss is with exactly the one person I have loved my entire life I can barely believe I ever thought of dating Kairi. But then thinking becomes impossible and all I can do is feel. Feel how Riku kisses me. Feel how Riku holds me. Feel how every inch of Riku devours me.

 _ **Roxas' POV**_

Smiling at the happy new couple kissing I hear Axel mutter: "Well, guess Riku didn't have to worry about a thing." I look at my one true love, the man who I know is responsible for giving me a heart and he says: "Riku told me he loves Sora when we were meeting in the small shack where the fishing equipment was stacked."  
The man then turns to me and says: "And he also made me realize that, heart or no heart, I love you too, Roxas. You made me realize that very early on in our friendship and Riku and I realized recently that you have a heart too, so I will do everything I can to steal it and make you mine, Keyblade Wielder of my heart. Got it memorized?"  
And just that catchphrase at the end of that amazing declaration of love is enough to make me pull myself up on Axel's broad shoulders and make me kiss his lights out, using all the love I have been feeling for him all this time to strengthen the beauty of our first kiss. Axel tenses, like Riku did, but then he too responds.

His arms wrap themselves around my smaller back and pull me all against him as his tongue slowly seeks entrance to my mouth. Opening my lips a little I moan as his divine tongue licks and explores the inside of my mouth with tenderness and love. Wrapping one arm around his neck to grab my other hand, I push myself closer to him.  
He happily lies a single hand on the midst of my back and starts to caress my hair with the other, his large hand covering the entire back of my head easily, something he quickly notices as he takes a firm grip on my head and turns his own a little to deepen the kiss, making me feel more and more of his delicious warmth and love.  
Finally we part and Axel pecks me on the nose one last time, whispering: "I love you." Making me smile and I whisper in his ear: "I love you too, Axel. I've been sharing my memories of all the times I knew I loved you with Sora the entire time he and I were here reading." Making the man smile at me as he asks:  
"Were there many memories you shared?" And I whisper: "Quite a few, yes." Axel's smile widens and he whispers: "I remembered a lot of times of when I knew I loved you as well." We both smile at each other, me feeling happier than ever that I can fully look into those amazing green eyes for hours on end.

Axel looks me directly in the eyes and says: "Let's go find ourselves a spot of our own, so we can sit together while Sora reads." I nod and Axel and I walk back to our friends, Kairi having pushed some of the clouds apart to make a lovely couch for two with feet rests. I smile at her and happily cuddle with my strong, loving flame.  
Then Axel pulls my head over to his and kisses my lips again, something I don't even want to object to seeing how amazing those lips caress and seem to worship mine with every tender, loving move. I happily seat myself so that every part of my body touches his and wrap my arms around his neck, enjoying our time together at long last.

 _ **Sora's POV**_

The kiss I have been anticipating, dreaming, wishing for and fantasizing about for the last 4 months is finally there and I am feeling as if all my dreams and fantasies are going to waste as this one kiss from Riku surpasses every one of them with leaps and bounds and all I can do is cling to the young man making me light in the head.  
Riku has his arms wrapped around me tightly, showing me just how much he has trained in the year I was asleep and after that and his hands are strongly holding onto my shirt, as if afraid that I will pull back or something. But all I can think of and all I want is to push myself closer to him, to merge with Riku and never part with him again.

Finally, when the need for air becomes too much for both of us, we part, but I make sure we stay closely attached to each other and whisper: "And that is what I would have done, had my relief not brought me to tears and had Roxas not kept me back afterwards." And that same amazing smile shows on his face yet again.  
Loving how it makes his eyes shine like polished crystals lying in the window and how it strengthens the beauty of his tan, I sigh, allowing myself to show how mesmerized and adorizing I am of his actions as he whispers: "And in the Meridan?" Making me shrug and say: "Would have made my move, had it not been for that letter."  
The boy laughs and asks: "Really, and how would you have done that?" Making me look at him weirdly as I ask: "Did you really not notice how I was slowly moving to sit closer to you as we were enjoying the sound of the water there?" And when I see him looking shocked, I have to laugh as I realize he really hadn't noticed.

I then sigh and say: "Riku." He smiles and softly caresses my cheek, whispering: "Sora." I happily lie my head under his and whisper: "I really want to spend more time with you like this, but I chose this chapter, so –." Riku laughs and asks: "Did Roxas urge you?" Making me roll my eyes before I go back to my seat.  
But then I see Riku racing me there and to my shock he takes a seat on the stone pedestal I was sitting on moments ago. Looking at him shocked, I blush when he asks: "Care to join me?" I gulp and smile, before – feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment – sitting myself on his lap. He then pulls me close and kisses my neck.  
I take a deep, shocked breath and whisper: "Riku." Making the boy purr against my neck and I moan: "Have to read. Stop distracting me." Riku lets go of my neck, while I can feel my skin burn there and my cheeks turn even more red as I realize he has marked me as his, having marked the skin of my neck with a hickey.  
He then moves his head to my ear and I shudder all over as he whispers breathily: "I want to spend more time loving you too, Sora." I sigh and whisper: "Riku, just let me read. The quicker I read, the quicker we can let someone else read. Then we can do whatever we want and still listen." Riku nods and I continue reading.

 _ **Harry yelled … move on."**_

"You need to get a move on – a move on out of our lives, that is." Axel growls and Roxas pulls his head back to the young blonde as he says: "Axel, forget him. I don't care what he says, you look amazing no matter what your form." The redhead smiles at my Nobody and whispers: "And so do you, Roxy mine."  
To this Roxas raises an eyebrow and Axel asks: "What? That was often a secret nickname I had for you." Making Roxas laugh before he slowly lets a finger run down Axel's chest and says: "I had one for you as well, Flurry of my Beating Heart." The two smile at each other lovingly and I turn to Riku and ask:  
"And that those two didn't realize they had hearts was how again?" But the silver-haired Keyblade Master raises his shoulders in unknowing before grabbing my chin and kissing me yet again. I moan, trying very hard to keep my mind straight and happily kiss him back, hoping to distract him so I can continue reading.  
Unfortunately does Riku not get this and instead does his hand slip from my chin to my neck and I moan, trying to let him know of my need to read on. This too is taken the wrong way as Riku lovingly moans back and I sigh, pulling back myself and looking at his crystal blue eyes in apology before I turn back to the book.

 _ **He chuckled … faithful pets."**_

"Pfuhh, as if I was ever loyal to that bastard. I didn't help Harry without reason when he needed it, you know." Axel huffs and then he turns to the boy in question and says: "To be honest, Harry, did I burn that day and not the day after like my Phoenix instinct was telling me for a very important reason you know?"  
The boy shakes his head and then Remus says: "Of course, kids and teenagers have a pure heart and soul until their 14th year of age and Phoenixes have the ability to bond to newborns, as they call children under that age, and then stay close to this child until his elder soul proves unworthy of their loyal servitude."  
Harry looks shocked and asks: "Wait – Axel, did – did you bond your Phoenix form to me back then?" And Axel says: "My Phoenix form, yes. My heart belongs to Roxas, though. Got it memorized?" Harry laughs and says: "Sure, just like my heart belongs with Viktor." Making the Bulgarian smile at him lovingly before I read on.

 _ **In the … light-blue stare.**_

To this Snape asks: "Please Harry, tell me you didn't let him look you directly in the eyes." And Harry nods and says: "Ever since I sometimes had to do that with Vernon when he was punishing me, did I have trouble looking people in the eyes for long. I've been growing out of it, but it still sometimes comes up."  
And while I hate a reminder of that terrible Muggle and what he did with the poor boy, do I feel glad that he is healing. Sirius then pulls him close and whispers: "You don't deserve any punishment they gave you, child. None of their punishment. I'm sure of it." The boy smiles at his mother and I smile at them both before reading on.

 _ **Before Dumbledore … time, sir ..."**_

"How did you even know Harry was send to Dumbledore, Hagrid?" McGonagall asks the giant and while I see Hades rake an interested eye over the giant, does Hagrid say: "I saw you, Professor McGonagall, and when I saw where you were heading, did I go and see why that was. That's how I found out about Justin."  
The woman nods and Harry says: "Thanks for that, by the way, Hagrid. I was too shocked back then to thank you, but I really do appreciate it." The Half-giant smiles at the boy and says: "Aaaw, no problem, Harry. Anytime." Making a disappointed frown appear on the face of the Lord of the Dead as I read on.

 _ **Dumbledore tried … his desk.**_ _He was too relieved at this knowledge to run after Hagrid and thank him, but he vowed to himself he would, as soon as possible.  
_ _ **"No, Harry, … at all."**_

"And he's using you like a soldier all over again." Ron growls before he goes on: "No wonder he was so easy on doing that at the end of the Fourth book, he had already done it twice before." And Sirius asks: "Twice?" Ron nods and says: "Harry was alone with Dumbledore at the end of the year too." The man looks worried and I read on.

 _ **Harry didn't … next, Mudbloods!"**_

This makes Draco moan, while Snape is pointedly looking the other way, obviously trying to deny to himself that Draco did this. Then Hades leans back and says: "Oooh, nice death threat. Part of the whole monster thing?" And I glare at him and snap: "Shut up and you'll find out." The Devil shrugs and I grumble as I read on.

 _ **and of … Salazar Slytherin...**_ _Finally the thought that this could help him stop the monster helped him make his decision.  
_ _ **"No," said … anything, Professor."**_

"Wisest words ever said!" The twins chorus and I laugh as they had snuck up on Hades and shouted it while standing behind him. The Lord of the Dead had been completely unaware of the two behind him and a loud shout of shock escapes his mouth, while he jumps and almost hits his head on the ceiling, his hair shooting up to do so instead.  
We all laugh at this and Hades grumbles: "Seems a visit to the Fates will be in order." Making the two look confused while he smirks at them evilly, but then Hercules growls: "Don't you dare, Hades!" The Devil glares at my friend and he hisses: "Don't forget what happened last time you decided to end someone's life early."  
Instantly the two whiten in fear while Hades grumbles and Hercules pats his left bicep, obviously trying to feel if it's strong enough for something. He smiles and says: "Yeah, that should be enough to flush you down again." This makes the Lord of the Dead sit back with his arms crossed and a furious scowl on his face.

I then turn to Hercules and ask: "Hades ended someone's life early?" He nods and says: "It all started when I was a year old. Hades let his little sidekicks kidnap me so they could turn me mortal and kill me, but they didn't succeed. So I kept my God like strength and after growing up to a young man, I started to train it.  
Phil helped me with this and after a year of training was I ready to make my name as True Hero. I met Meg, saved her from a Centaur and then left for Thebe where I battled and beat a Hydra, gaining the title of Hero. But while my title grew, so did my love for Meg and Hades used that against me in one of his deals.  
He agreed with me that I would lose my God-like strength for 24 hours and in return Meg would remain safe for those same 24 hours. He then freed the titans and let the Cyclops out on Thebe. I fought it and was able to let it fall down a cliff, but that caused a large pilar break and almost fall down on me.  
Meg saved me and in return got hurt, therefore breaking my deal with Hades. I got my strength back and together with my father fought and defeated the Titans, the ones Hades wanted to use to take control of Mount Olympus. The Lord of the Dead hated my victory and so he let the Fates take Meg's life early."

I look at him shocked and he smiles and says: "I felt terrible for her getting hurt, but I wasn't going to give up. I went down to the Underworld, dived into the River of Dead and was trying to reach her soul, while the Fates were preparing my lifeline to be cut. But just when they wanted to, did I learn the lesson of what is a True Hero.  
That a true Hero isn't measured by the Size of his Strength, but by the Strength of his Heart. I gained my God-form and took Meg's soul back to her body – not before punching Hades into that same river. I was then allowed to return to my birth-home, but decided to stay on earth with Meg, because an eternal life without her would be empty."  
And at the end of this the Hero looks at the woman he obviously loves and I smile and say: "Well, if you love her so much, why not show it? You sure did before I left the last time I was here." The young man turns red and hisses: "Shut up." Making me laugh before he goes to sit with the girl. I then smile at Riku and read on.

 _ **The double … already dead?**_

"You know, I can't say I have any sort of clue." Hades says and then he turns and says: "I'll be downstairs. I have to go see if I have anything that can do that in my inventory." This makes me moan and say: "Great, more monsters for him to send at Hercules." But then Riku says: "You don't know. He might not know of this monster."  
I then look around and say: "Let's hope so, or he might just unleash it upon all these students." Now Riku and I look around worriedly, but then he hugs me to him tightly and whispers: "You need not to worry, Sora. We'll defeat whatever Hades sends at us. You've done that before and I'm sure you'll do it again." I smile at him and read on.

 _ **There was … he passed.**_ _The only relief he found in this was that no one, this time, had the guts to curse him behind his back or something. Seemed that fear caused a different reaction compared to anger.  
_ _ **Fred and … coming through..."**_ _Harry enjoyed this and faked to not know that the twins looked at each other guiltily every time before they started, making it quite obvious they were doing this to make up for their behavior last time.  
_ _ **Percy was … George, chortling.  
**_ _Part of Harry wished that were true as it would mean he could indeed control the monster and stop it from further harming the student body. The strange thing was that he couldn't get George's comment of fanged servant out of his mind and instead he sorted into his mind as another hint as to what the monster could be. So far he was still blank, but he was sure he would find out._

The twins now look at each other shocked and George says: "I have to make jokes like that more often. If it helps Harry solve mysteries like that." Before Sirius retorts: "I would prefer that my baby never more gets himself involved with mysteries like that, thank you." And the twins nod to that in agreement before I read on.

 _ **Ginny didn't … day now."  
**_ _Harry still didn't believe for one minute Draco was the real culprit – the whole thing with Snape and Quirrell having taught him a lesson about never to suspect the most suspicious –, but what had been discussed in Borgin and Burkes about those secret artifacts Mr. Malfoy wanted to sell was something that still made him curious as to whether or not Draco had any information concerning the real culprit. And because they didn't have anyone who they would least suspect, Harry wanted to know if Draco was hiding this person._

Now Draco looks relieved and he says: "Well, I didn't, but I am glad that he didn't fully suspect me." To which his father asks: "Even with the fact that you went against my orders to lay low?" And the boy turns red, while a few of the Slytherins sitting around him snicker softly. I shake my head at his behavior and read on.

 _ **At last … in private.  
**_ _The Duelling Club had been cancelled since the Snake Incident, but still Harry had seen some Fifth years practicing for their exams and he had to admit that he would have made more of a chance against Voldemort last year had he practiced some Defensive spells – and so he had asked of the twins to teach him further into the Disarming and other Defensive spells.  
_ _ **Fred, George … troubled time.**_ _Harry had seen the blush the boy had sported when he said this and when he saw how the boy's eyes raked over his siblings worriedly he realized the truth – Percy wasn't staying out of Prefect Honor, but because he was the oldest and thus felt himself responsible for the safety of his family while the Monster was roaming free; something that made Harry smile at the noble Weasley._

This makes Percy hit himself on the head, while a happy smile is visible under his hand and he mutters: "Too! Damned! Observant!" Before his younger sibling happily hug him. The boy sees this and happily hugs his family back, but for some reason does he pull Ginny the closest and while I wonder about this, do I read on.

 _ **Christmas morning … them both.**_

"Don't we know it." The twins moan, still sitting close to Percy and one of them says: "Yeah, she slammed the door so hard." And the other ends: "It resounded all the way to our dorm." And they chorus: "Thanks for the awakening, Hermione." And while the girl flushes red in embarrassed guilt, do I read on.

 _ **"Wake up," … the light.**_

"Well, that is kind of true." Harry suddenly says and everyone looks at him, making him turn red. He then looks down and while twiddling his thumbs he says: "I just read in one of those books I was borrowing back in my first that, up until 1877, girls really weren't allowed to come into the boys dorms, or vice-versa."  
Everyone looks shocked and one of the two young Fourth years Hermione shares a dorm with asks: "Really, why did that change?" Harry shrugs and says: "I don't know. I just know that, until 1877, girls were only allowed in a boys dorm if she shared said dorm with said boy as his fiancé, wife or bonded partner."  
Everyone looks shocked and Harry asks: "Those empty dorms in the tower above Hufflepuffs common room? Those were used as rooms for engaged, married or couples bonded through one or both of them being a Magical Creature." Harry then seems to look contemplatively and he shocks us as he mutters:

"You know, that might just be the whole reason the rule changed." We all look at him confused and he says: "In 1875, a lot of wizards started hunting after Magical Creatures, mostly the Purebloods wanting them to hand over their Magical Creature inheritance to strengthen the nobility and power of their own lines.  
By 1890, there were barely any more Magical Creatures left and just about all Magical Creatures under the age of 16 were dead or send off to other countries. That must have been the reason the rule changed. Because Magical Creatures were the most frequent users of those rooms and they therefore became vacant more often than not."

Everyone looks shocked and Hermione asks: "Are you saying the dorms stopped being used and girls became allowed to come into boys dorms – because Purebloods caused Magical Creatures under the age of 16 to either die or flee the country?" Harry nods and the girl asks: "But why would Purebloods do that?"  
And Harry explains: "Magical Creatures find a perfect mate at age 16. The Purebloods wanted that Creature Blood, so they kidnapped the kid Creatures and forced them to only interact with their offspring, hoping that the Creature would bond with those kids, which would strengthen the chance of their Heirs being a Magical Creature too."  
Everyone looks shocked and Draco asks: "So there were actually times where Purebloods wanted Magical Creatures in their world – no offense, Lupin." But the man shakes his head and Harry says: "To be honest, it was the temporary depletion of Magical Creatures and then them returning in numbers that made Purebloods hate them."

The boy looks shocked and Hermione asks: "So first Purebloods force Magical Creatures to either bond with their lines or die out, then they cause their numbers to lessen dramatically and then, when the numbers return, they hate the very creatures they once wanted to fuse their families with? How sick is that?"  
Harry shrugs and says: "Hey, I just read it somewhere, I didn't experience it myself." The girl nods and Viktor says: "To be honest this still happens in some countries." Everyone looks at the Bulgarian shocked and then another Bulgarian nods and says: "Yeah, we Bulgarians are still fighting Serbia to stop them from doing so."  
Viktor nods at this and says: "Right you are, Vlidakorf, the Minster has been fighting their embassies for the last 14 years, just to stop them from kidnapping the Werewolves alone. It took him the 13 years before that to stop them from kidnapping Veela. And his predecessor had been working on that for 17 years before him."  
Everyone looks at the Bulgarians shocked and Hermione asks: "So while we stopped this more than a century ago, are there still countries doing it?" Viktor nods and the other boy says: "Some Serbians even come to Bulgaria to kidnap our Magical Creatures. They get lifelong, of course." Everyone nods and I read on, deeply shocked.

 _ **"Merry Christmas … you sure?"**_ _he had a hopeful look in his eyes as he asked her, because her being done with the potion meant he could keep the book to himself and learn what he could about the more – ahem – safer potions listed in the scary, but amazing tomb.  
_ _ **"Positive," said … be tonight.**_ _Oh, and I took the liberty of returning the book yesterday, seeing we won't be needing it anymore._ _ **"**_ _"Are you sure?" Harry asked, barely able to believe he missed such an amazing chance and the girl nodded, making him lie himself back on the bed with a pained moan._

This makes everyone laugh and Hermione giggles: "Sorry Harry, should have realized you or Ron might want it too. Well, maybe not Ron, but you're a different story, of course." To which the boy jokingly says: "And don't you forget it." Making the three friends share a glance together before they start laughing.  
Then Sirius hugs his son and says: "I'll get that book out of the Black Library if you promise to only make the potions written inside it around either me or one of your teachers, understood?" Harry nods and Seamus asks: "Why not Lupin?" And Lupin answers: "Can't, sensitive nose, remember." The boy nods and I read on.

 _ **At that … holidays, too.**_

"He's never coming back to any of you in the first place, how's that?" Sirius growls, taking Harry away from Viktor's embrace and putting him on his own lap, obviously possessive in his anger. Harry happily cuddles with the man and I feel very happy for the young lad and the family he gained before I focus back on reading.

 _ **The rest … eagle-feather quill.**_

Now Remus looks confused and says: "Wait a minute, something's not right." We all look at him and he says: "I know Dumbledore kept me from sending you a gift in your first year with the excuse I should let you settle down first, but I know for sure that I send you a gift that year. Why isn't that noted in the story?"  
And Harry growls: "Because I never got it. Dumbledore must have intercepted it and kept it to himself, the lowlife bastard." Instantly the man growls in fury and he whispers: "He didn't!" But Harry nods and asks: "What did you send me anyway?" And Remus seems to calm down as he happily answers:

"A Book on finding your one personal talent. It was to help you find the one class you would surely excel in, like James did with Transfigurations and Lily with Charms. Sirius, James and I shared that together back in our own Second and it helped us chose our electives." Harry smiles and McGonagall hisses furiously:  
"Well, it surely doesn't take a genius to figure out why Albus intercepted that. He wanted Harry alone and low-powered, so the thought of the child knowing that someone wants him to excel will ruin that as that will make Harry loyal to that person instead of him." Everyone growls at this in fury and I shake my head before reading on.

 _ **Harry opened … planning next.**_

This makes the two boys cringe and Mr. Weasley jokingly asks: "Ron, why is Harry the one dreading that and not you?" The boy in question turns red and says weakly: "I was – eeeh – enjoying the Christmas holidays?" Making everyone laugh at him while the twins slap him on the shoulders. The boy turns red and smiles as I read on.

 _ **No one … sniggering at.**_

Suddenly Harry looks up and asks: "Hey guys, do you make it a yearly tradition to hex his badges? I mean, this year, last and next year? What's with you repeating yourselves? You never do that with anything else, so why with that?" This makes everyone look at him shocked and then the twins hit themselves on the heads.  
They shake their heads and one of them says: "How can we be so stupid?" And the other goes on: "Repeating the same action 3 times in 3 years?" Before they chorus: "What were we thinking?" But then Percy cheers them up and says: "At least the text was constantly different." The twins smile at him and I read on.

 _ **Harry didn't … hours' time.  
**_ _Still a little payback was in order, because the jumper stayed hand-knitted, so when Malfoy was enjoying his own meal, Harry laid his wand on the bench next to him and with just a few fingers holding it, he levitated the strawberry pie the boy was eating and shot it hard up his face.  
_ _The twins didn't even mind the detention they got for something they didn't do – they were too busy laughing themselves off of their own bench._

The teachers shake their heads at this, while the twins high-five Harry and Sirius says: "Now that is pranking." Before he whispers: "Quite different from the pranking we did." And Remus whispers back: "More like the complete opposite to what we pulled." The man nods, I see Harry looking confused and read on.

 _ **Harry and … the evening.**_ _Harry had a feeling he would be thanking her later tonight._

And Harry retorts: "I was right. That Polyjuice Potion tasted so awfully I almost puked it out together with the entire content of my stomach." Everyone shudders and Snape says: "Interesting. That means that, whoever you tried to impersonate, their souls had a very dark tinge to it." The boy looks at him and he says:  
"The color of the Polyjuice potion starts by looking like thick dark mud, but once the body parts have been added, the potion will change color depending on the purity of the person's soul. The purer the soul, the closer to gold the color will be." Instantly the three share a glance that worries me greatly and I read on.

 _ **"We still … interrogating him."  
**_ _Harry opened his mouth, deciding he would give it one last shot to convince the girl it can't be Malfoy, but she interrupted him before he could and he decided she would just see once they were interrogating the blonde.  
_ _ **"I've got … ignoring Harry**_ _'s irritated_ _ **and Ron's … each other**_ _, while Harry had to try very hard not to smirk – the Sleeping Draught came from his new personal storage_ _ **.**_

"Your robe?" Hermione asks and Harry shouts: "How do you know?" To which the girl answers: "Naminé showed us while she was healing your mind." Harry sighs and growls while sitting back on Sirius' lap. But then the man laughs and says: "Harry, do you really think I believe that is your only secret stash?"  
The boy whitens and Hermione asks: "It isn't?" To which Sirius asks: "After 4 years of making all kinds of potions in secret? There is no way that can all fit on one robe." The girl looks shocked and Harry says: "Okay, so I let the Trunk store add a secret compartment to my Trunk summer before third, alright?"  
And Sirius mutters: "I knew it." Harry sighs and says: "So what do you want me to do with that? Show it as well?" But Sirius shakes his head and says: "I'm just glad you're not wearing all those potions on your person. Halfway through third the potions can become a little lethal." Harry nods and I read on.

 _ **"Hermione, I … said Harry**_ _, tired of hearing her accuse Malfoy of something he just couldn't have done_ _ **. "But what … come back."**_

Now all Slytherins of that year look at her and the one named Goyle asks: "How stupid do you think we are, Granger?" But then Ron says: "Goyle, no offense, but seeing what we will soon be reading about, are you not the right person for that question." The boy looks at the redhead confused and I return their attention to the story.

 _ **When Hermione … the floor.**_

Now Goyle turns red and says: "Good point, Weasley." While the twins have trouble holding back their laughter. Malfoy in the meantime shakes his head and mumbles: "No wonder they were acting so strange that night. Or the fact that they didn't remember acting strange a little while later." Everyone laughs at this and I snicker-read on.

 _ **Much the … Goyle's hair.**_ _This time he didn't try to convince her otherwise, but that was both because he needed to keep his mouth close against the smell and because they were already too deep into the crazy plan Hermione had cooked up; there was no turning back now.  
_ _ **"Good. I … page of**_ _notes that she took out of_ _ **Moste Potente … the hairs."**_

Quite a few of the adults are shaking their heads and Amos Diggory says: "I cannot believe that you are really doing this." And Harry retorts: "I could not believe I was doing it either, back then, Mr. Diggory. Especially since I knew Malfoy was innocent. I just knew there was no chance to change the plans, so –."  
The elder man nods and Hermione asks: "Harry, you and I shared plenty of time working on that potion. Why didn't you try to convince me then?" And Harry answers: "Because you had that same glint the entire time you were making the potion. I'm courageous, not stupid. I knew there was no convincing you."  
The girl turns red and whimpers: "I guess I have that habit a lot, don't I? With all the knowledge I constantly gather, with the Monster and Malfoy, with the broom and Sirius, with the House-Elves." The girl sighs and says: "I constantly believe I'm right and when I do, I – I just forget to listen to reason, I guess."  
The boy nods and Ron hugs her close as he says: "You sure do, but that's one of the things we love about you. Your persistence always helps us out when we need it most. I sincerely don't know where we'd be if you weren't." This makes Hermione smile at her red-haired friend and while enjoying the moment between them, do I read on.

 _ **Hermione ladled … of yellow.**_

The girl smiles at this happily and Snape says smoothly: "Good to know, Mss. Bullstrode." The girl bows her head in gratefulness, but then Riku asks: "But then, why did Harry, Ron and Hermione look at each other so worriedly when you explained about the Potion changing color?" The man looks intrigued and I read on.

 _ **"Urgh - essence … murky brown.**_

This shocks us all and then one of them growls as the other says: "Damn, I thought we would have longer than this. Haven't even reached a good dark world yet." And we all look at them, my eyes wide when I see that they are actually wearing protective armor under their robes and have their wands in hand as they are standing up.  
And to make matters even worse are both of them aiming their wands for a single hostage each, the one on the left holding onto Blaise and the other onto Hermione, each with dark gleams in their eyes as one of them says: "Anyone move in a way we don't like and these two get it. We're off to serve our new lord, if you don't mind."

And while I actually do mind, do I not feel like finding out what they could mean when they said that either Hermione or Blaise would get it and so I just grab onto Riku instead, both in need of comfort and to keep him from doing anything, yet while I do see Harry trembling with the need to grab his own wand, does something happen.  
Two clouds of black smoke appear behind the two and from them Roxas and Axel appear, Axel slashing his hand at the back of the left one's neck and Roxas shouting: "THUNDER! Causing for small bolts of thunder to explode from his Keyblade and hit the right one, causing him to scream and let go off Hermione.  
And instantly this gets followed by a furious voice shouting: "EXPELLIARMUS!" Causing for a single light to hit both lads and shoot them across the Coliseum, crashing against the wall on the other side of the field and falling down to lie unconscious at the metal gate at the end of the arena, the spell coming from Harry's wand.

But just when everyone seems to calm down, do my eyes widen as the gate opens and that rotten voice asks: "Someone wanted to come to me? Heh, why don't I come to them instead. Sorry folks, I'll be taking these two lovelies of your hands now." And before any of us can stop him does Hades make smoke appear around the two.  
The smoke vanishes and with it the two boys and while Hercules wants to run over, probably hoping ot follow Hades, are the gates closed again by the time he gets there. The Hero smashes his fists against the metal bars and says: "No, he got away." Making me turn to the huge doors on the other side before I say:  
"We'll just get back at him when he gets back here." And Hercules nods before Snape asks: "And my Snakes?" To which I cringe and say: "Either they become Heartless or Hades makes them even more dangerous than they are now." At which the man looks just as concerned before Blaise asks: "You alright, my little nymph?"

And Hermione nods before Harry and Ron run over, Harry stumbling every few steps as she says: "I'm fine, though I really should have been on my guard seeing what we were reading. I just – I just thought it proved how simplistic they were, not how dark." And her friends nod before Ron asks: "Blaise, would you mind?"  
But the Zabini shakes his head and says: "I am still on my courting trial period. Your rights exceed mine at this point in time. Just – send her my way when you feel she needs it." And the redhead nods before he, his friend and their female friend rejoin Harry's parents and while I turn to smile at Riku in relief, do I then focus back on the reading.

 _ **"Hang on," … middle cubicle.**_ _Trying to distract himself from the horrible – and probably disgusting – task ahead of him, he tried to envision how carrying the glass was quite like the Egg-Carrying Contests they held yearly back at Privet Drive – one of the only happy memories he had of that place._

"Egg Carrying Contest. You mean, putting an egg on a spoon, putting that spoon in your mouth and trying to balance on a thin rope?" Hercules asks and Harry looks at him weirdly and says: "Not quite. You have to hold the spoon in your hand and try to pass an obstacle course while trying to finish first and not break your egg."  
Hercules looks intrigued at this and Harry asks: "Where did you get that spoon in your mouth and thin cord thing from?" And the elder boy answers: "That's what Phill made me do when he trained me." Harry looks from him to Hermione, who nods in confirmation and while the boy looks back at Herc, do I read on.

 _ **"Ready?" he … too small...**_

Everyone looks shocked – some shocked and disgusted at the same time – and Ron whistles: "Wow, I was in too much agony of the changing to notice anything. You really know how to put things down, mate." The boy turns red and says: "The book just says what I felt, Ron, nothing more." To which Ron shakes his head and says:  
"Harry, take a compliment for Merlin's sake." But then Remus says: "Ron, you can't blame him for having trouble accepting compliments. He's been raised on nothing but insults, of course it's hard for him to see something good about things he does." And Harry smiles at his dad gratefully, while being hugged by Sirius as I read on.

 _ **As suddenly … his mouth**_ _, making him cringe in shock before he relaxed, realizing how well the potion had worked_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Yeah," came … to follow..."**_ _He, of course, felt stupid for not figuring this out sooner, but he had been too fascinated by the book and the progress of the potion being made to even think about it.  
_ _ **Ron, who … set off.  
**_ _Harry, while walking, wondered what could have gone wrong as his and Ron's potions had worked perfectly. Was it perhaps that the potion worked better on males than on females? He hadn't seen any notes written in the book stating this, so what could make Hermione change plans just when everything was going the way she wanted?  
_ _ **"Don't swing … at them.  
**_ _Harry could have hit himself on the head over that. Of course the girl couldn't be a Slytherin; the feast was over, so if she had been, she would have been heading the other way.  
_ _ **Harry and … had hoped.  
**_ _Harry vaguely wondered what the girl was doing in the dungeons if she wasn't a Slytherin and it wasn't a school day, but he didn't wonder about it for long, they had more important things to worry about.  
_ _ **The labyrinthine … looked affronted**_ _and Harry almost rose his large arm to hit himself in the head, the only reason he didn't was because he didn't want to know how hard Goyle could hit himself on the head_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"That," he … pointed out.**_ _Harry grunted in fake agreement to override the worried tone seeping through Ron's voice.  
_ _ **"I," said … in time.**_ _Crabbe and Goyle barely ever spoke and if they did it definitely wasn't something good and even less chance it would have been something good to a Gryffindor.  
_ _ **He and … him automatically.**_ _Harry grunted to whisper: "Ron, stop it."  
_ _ **"Whatever," said Malfoy**_ _and Harry sighed in relief_ _ **. "I've noticed … single-handed."**_

This makes Mr. Weasley ask: "You weren't, were you?" But Percy shakes his head and says: "I just thought I could find some secret passageway to – perhaps – Slytherin's secret library or something and with that find out about the Monster." The man smiles at his son and then Ron snickers: "Yeah, just not that night, you weren't."  
Percy turns white before turning red in embarrassment and asks furiously: "How do you know that?" And Ron asks: "That secret you thought Ginny would tell us about that day I got so angry at you in the Great Hall? After your patrol?" The boy nods, even more white than he was minutes ago and Ron sighs before he says:  
"She wasn't. What she wanted to tell us was even more important. It had to do with that event that happened later that day. She was just, after that event, so happy it was over she was a little loose-lipped and told us on the train." His elder brother nods, gaining some color, but not all of it and while I wonder why this could be, do I read on.

 _ **He gave … slid open.**_

This makes McGonagall turn to Snape, but the man holds up his arms and says: "Before you even start, that was not my choice." This confuses the woman and Snape asks: "Just make a guess who's choice that was, Minerva." And instantly the woman throws her arms up in the air as she groans in suffering and shouts:  
"Of course, he messes up everything, doesn't he?" And Snape grumbles: "Damn right he does. That idiot convinced me to make Pureblood that year's password as a motivation for my students. Said my House, back then, had the highest amount of Purebloods of all Houses and that I should give them a reason to be proud of it."  
The woman hits herself over the head and then she says: "As annoying, irritating, manipulating and downright insulting as that man can be, I have to admit he knows how to throw in a convincing argument." And Snape grumbles: "Can't argue with you on that." Making just about everyone groan before I return to the book.

 _ **Malfoy marched … carved chairs.**_

The Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and Gryffindors now look intrigued while the Slytherins groan and Snape says: "While I hate for the secrets of our common room to be exposed to the other Houses, do I feel myself urged to thank Mr. Potter for his complementary description of our environment." The Snakes nod at this and I want to read on.  
But then Riku kisses my cheek lovingly and says: "That sounds just like you, Sora." I turn red and mutter: "No, it does not." But to this he retorts: "Yes, it does. You have the brilliant ability to find the brightest part of anything and pull of miracles like there's nothing to it." Now I really turn red and the boy turns my head to his as he says:

"And that's one of the things I love most about you. To see the brightest part – the light – in anything, no matter how deep the darkness. You even saw light within me when Malificent and Ansem had me under their control and you saw right through my looks of Ansem just by closing your eyes back at the Organization's Castle.  
You always see just who I am no matter how I look or how long we've been apart. And I love you for that, Sora. I love you for having me in your heart and through it, keeping me in the light." I smile at him, amazed as always by his amazing words and whisper: "And I love you, Riku. I have for years, just didn't know it."

The boy laughs and kisses my lips, touching them softly and showing me the tender side of his love, the tender side of him; something no one ever barely sees. Feeling honored that this amazingly strong man opens up for me like this, I lie my hand on his cheek in loving warmth and kiss him back, showing him my love for him.  
We kiss for quite a while and when finally the need to breathe becomes unbareable, I only part so far our lips are released, but that our foreheads keep touching, the soft hairs of his fringe tickling my forehead and rustling softly just above my eyebrows. I snicker at the feeling of it and Riku smiles at me before I focus back on the reading.

 _ **Hades' POV**_

"How? How is this even possible? Light and Darkness are supposed to hate each other, to want to destroy each other. How are these two brats together? Why is that dumb kid not trying to force that little shorty to just submit? And why does little shorty seem to cool with that brat's betrayal of all those years ago?  
What the heck happened to those two after Maleficent first got beat by that shortstuff? I thought Maleficent had made him join us by his own free will? Was I wrong?" Goes through my mind as I gander into the Coliseum from the shadows of the Underworld and almost gag at the romance between the two universal differences.  
"Well, at least I have some new toys to play with, even if I couldn't find whatever beast had been roaming that castle a few years ago. And once we reach the part where that black-haired brat finds out what monster it is, I'll just go scoop it up and sack it and those newly trained recruits of mine on that stupid shortstuff and Blunderboy."  
And this thought makes me smirk, yet I also turn away and look back at where the two thick-muscled magicians are fighting off against my Cerberus, a bit of my own magic making sure the sounds of their training doesn't reach the Entrance courtyard before I focus back on where little shorty and his dark-heartened friend are reading.

 _ **"Wait here," …**_ _ **on them.**_

Instantly a tense and awkward atmosphere seems to fall over the entire area and Hades comments: "Oh, sounds like that could have better waited a few days to be shown." And this causes for a few of those sitting in the entrance courtyard to scream in fright, yet I don't feel shocked all that much and neither does Riku.  
"We were wondering where you were staying. Found anything on this monster?" But Hades shrugs and then something happens that I find utterly shocking as suddenly the God of the Dead is actually hanging upside down by his ankle, which turns out to be courtesy of Professor Snape, who growls: "My students, if you please?"  
Yet Hades pulls himself out of the spell by vanishing and reappearing in two separate clouds of smoke and says: "Nice trick, pall, but I haven't the slightest of clues of what you're talking about. All I have down there are the worst of the worst and a ton of condemned souls. You sure you want to go look down there? Be my guest."

"I'll take my chances later." Snape calmly says, apparently not even phased with the fact that his spellwork was undone so quickly and Hades glares at the man as he says: "Careful, bud, my Ladies control the thread that is your lifeline." To which Snape snorts: "Yeah, and look how well that turned out last time." Looking at Hercules.  
This shocks me and angers the god of the dead as Snape turns to look at the God and says: "You remind me of my previous two masters; one of them died by the hand of a fourteen year old, the other is now on his way to a death sentence of his own, again courtesy of a fourteen year old. You don't scare me."  
And while I try not to gaze at where Harry is as Hades growls: "Then I'll be happy to make you fear me, buster." But Snape calmly says: "One of your monsters against all of our students? Sounds like fair odds for our side." And while I feel amazed at how well the man is outwitting an actual deity, do I then continue reading.

 _ **"Well?" said … Malfoy, snickering.**_

Now Lucius glares at his son and asks: "So you started using that word freely back then?" Draco gulps and Snape says: "I'll go see how Mss. Bullstrode is doing." And while I feel bad that the man seems to be avoiding getting angry at Draco, do I enjoy how the awful boy looks down in shame as his mentor leaves and I read on.

 _ **"You know, … Creevey in."**_

"I do now agree that Dumbledore is the worst thing that's ever happened to this school, that he probably indeed hushed it all up for as long as he could, seeing how the parents probably knew nothing of the attacks and that he should be sacked, but I don't agree with not letting Muggleborns into Hogwarts, Malfoy."  
Harry tells the blonde and he shrugs and says: "Yeah, I guess that goes a little far." He then turns to Harry and asks: "But how are we supposed to let Muggleborns come into our world if more than half of them only stay there for the years they spend in Hogwarts. It makes the graduating Muggleborns a danger to our secret society."  
Harry nods and says: "Which is why we need to integrate into their society and help them integrate into ours – with help of the Muggleborn parents." Everyone looks shocked and Harry says: "It's part of the plan I spoke of that the Ministry want to talk to me about and I really think it might help us – if it all works out like I think, that is."

Everyone looks intrigued and he says: "What we need is to have at least 3 houses empty in every Muggle street block. Those Houses will then be filled with Magical stuff and will have this secret birth link to all other Muggle Houses, letting the schools know if a magical child is born from one of the residential families.  
We then send in some people from the Magical World, show them what the present and future of their child can be and show them one of the empty houses. That way, Muggles can live in Magical homes with their Magical kids – in a Muggle neighborhood." Everyone looks at the ingenious boy in shock and he mutters:  
"And if we do the same in the Magical street blocks, we can let the Muggles move once their kids have graduated, so that they can, like their kids, stay part of their own and their kids society. It'll be perfect unified integration. We will be able to integrate and learn from the Muggles and they can do the same from us."

Everyone looks at each other shocked and then Hermione squeals and runs at Harry, tears in her eyes as she hugs him very tightly. Harry tenses instantly, obviously deeply emerged in his own thoughts and therefore blocked off from his surroundings and the girl seems to feel him tense as she lets go, looking sorry.  
Harry smiles at her, obviously wanting to comfort her and then notices her tears. He softly swipes his hand over her face and she says: "Oh Harry, that – that idea, it's – it's absolutely brilliant. Oh, I've been keeping so much from my parents, afraid they would take me from Hogwarts if they heard of the dangers I face, but – but now –."  
The boy smiles and says: "I'll see what I can do about making that idea come true. Maybe we can use the families of the Muggleborns at Hogwarts as test subjects, especially those of the higher years. That will make it easier for the Muggles to be used to Magic existing and it will make them more willing to move, I hope."  
Hermione nods and says: "I'll write to my parents the first chance I get. The minute time starts running again in our world." Harry nods and says: "Use the next break to see if other, elder Muggleborns are willing to do the same. Maybe I can meet them before the next reading starts." The girl nods and I read on.

 _ **Malfoy started … Slytherin's heir!"**_

Again Malfoy hits himself on the head and again Snape turns around, walking away from Draco and the others when he hears me saying the M-word while speaking of what Malfoy said all those years ago. This makes Draco sigh with his head low, obviously feeling absolutely terrible for failing his mentor like this.  
Other students are whispering about how awkward it must be for the Malfoy boy to realize he was insulting the boy to his own face without knowing and I whisper: "Harry really is something, don't you think? Getting all those insults thrown at his face and still keeping his character up." Riku nods and I read on.

 _ **Harry and … help them."**_

"Wow, talk about an anti-climax." Leon mutters and a lot of students shout and jump as he has been quiet all reading. I personally shake my head at the man leaning against an invisible part of the Coliseum walls and he says: "I feel for you, boys. I really do." The two boys in question smile at him and I read on, shaking my head.

 _ **Ron's jaw … this time...**_

Then suddenly Harry stands up and says: "Axel, can you make a portal out of here? It's better if Draco's not around once Sora reads the rest of his speech." I look at the sentence in question and my eyes widen, my mind trying to process how a 12 year old could think something like that – about a fellow teenager.  
I read the sentence over and over, I read the same again and again and say: "Axel, do it. And hurry." To this the redhead asks: "Back to Destiny Island?" I nod hurriedly, wanting to spit that sentence out as quickly as possible and once I see the portal close behind the blonde, who is just as white as I must be, I take a deep breath and read.

 _ **I hope … with relish.**_

Instantly chaos is all around and while Hades laughs and shouts: "Now that's a boy of my taste!" Something that makes Snape and Lucius Malfoy send a few curses at him, do most of the students shout insults at the blonde. But I pay none of the shouting, crying, raging students any attention and instead turn to Harry's corner.  
There I see a thin-lipped Harry holding a crying Hermione and I feel for the poor girl, not wanting to know how she feels at the fact that a year mate of her rivaling House wanted her dead at age twelve. I shake my head at this and whisper: "And still no Heartless. It's unbelievable." Riku nods at this and I let the students rage.

The loudest shouts of all seem to come from the Malfoy corner and I hear Narcissa Malfoy shout: "Lucius Malfoy, you swore to me you would raise Draco the proper way while I would hold up our reputation! Is this what you call _the proper way_? Having our son want someone dead at age 12!? What were you thinking?"  
The blonde man cowers as his wife rages over him and I have to smile at the power females seem to have over males in their world. Wondering how strong that power is and to what lengths it can go, I wait until the woman has shouted herself hoarse and turned away from her husband, before I calm the others down too by reading on.

 _ **Ron was … going backwards."**_ _Harry shortly wondered what Draco really thought of his bodyguards, but kept the thought to the back of his mind, focusing on the current conversation with Malfoy.  
_ _ **He shifted … drawing-room floor -"**_

Now Lucius cringes and Narcissa sends him a questioning look, but Harry says: "Don't worry, I'm sure Mr. Weasley took everything out of there. He after all really wanted to have one over you, remember?" The elder blonde smiles at him slightly and then a 7th year Gryffindor asks: "How can you say that after what you just heard?"  
And Harry turns furiously stern, causing the Gryffindor in question to back away and almost fall off his cloud in shock and for Malfoy Senior to actually move back a bit as he says: "I haven't forgiven Malfoy for that comment, if that's what you're suggesting. I just know Malfoy can sink even lower, so I am holding my patience."  
This makes Narcissa Malfoy turn a furious eye on her husband as she asks Harry: "Really, and when did my son exactly prove he can sink even lower than that comment?" And Harry answers: "A fortnight after Dumbledore had been taken away. I'm just about positive it's in the books." The woman nods and I read on.

 _ **"Ho!" said … noticed anything.**_ _Harry took the fact that he hadn't shouted about spies in their common room as a sign that Malfoy had indeed not even noticed their changing looks and took this as a good sign.  
_ _ **Harry could … and Goyle.**_ _Harry and Ron shared a quick glance and hurriedly put the robes and shoes on the sides of the closet, ran past it and, after making sure no one was around, did Harry cast the unlocking charm on the door just when they turned a corner._

Hermione sighs and says: "Guess that Sleeping Draught wasn't as strong as I had expected. I checked it and thought it would keep them asleep for more than an hour." Ron slaps her shoulder and says: "Don't worry, from what we heard they were only groggily trying to get out. They must have only just woken when we ran past."  
The girl smiles and says: "You do know you shouldn't be comforting me about that, but Harry, right? Seeing he was the one that made that Sleeping Draught." To this Ron turns to his best friend and Harry holds up a hand and says: "I know, but it was only a light dosed Draught I gave her, wasn't supposed to take too long." Ron nods and I read on.

 _ **Harry checked … "It's awful!"**_

"How can she be happy if something awful happened to someone?" One of the French students asks and Ron answers: "You don't know Myrtle. She was bullied a lot before she was killed, so now she enjoys bullying others just as much as she was bullied." The girl looks shocked and says: "Well, that's not very nice!"  
"I never said she was a nice ghost, did I?" Ron asks and the girl nods reluctantly. Ron then turns to Ginny and whispers something that sounds like: "Good payback you gave her, sis." But Ginny seems to understand that compliment as much as I do and I wonder what the boy means. Deciding to find out, I read on.

 _ **They heard … her hair.**_

This makes Snape look down with his lips thin and Neville says: "So that's why you were in the Hospital Wing that Christmas. The Professors tried to convince us it wasn't another attack, but – well, we were sure it was – except those that knew you were Harry's friend, of course." Hermione smiles at him and I read on.

 _ **"It was … Myrtle happily.**_

"See what I mean?" Ron asks the girl with an exasperated look and the girl huffs: "Ghosts like that shouldn't be allowed on schools. It will only give them the chance to behave inappropriately." But then Harry says: "To be honest, as rude as she was, was she also a big clue concerning the chamber mystery." Everyone looks shocked and I read on.

 _ **"It's OK, … a tail!"**_ _Harry hated the fact that he didn't know any spells that worked on ghosts as he heard this. Instead he used the levitation spell to open a sink tab that was aimed at the girl, splashing her hard._

Everyone laughs at this and Ron says: "Served her well!" Making just about all the girls and all of Hermione's year mates cheer in agreement. Then suddenly Riku stands up, one arm around me, the other under my upper legs and he says: "Chapter over, we're sitting alone." And I laugh as he carries me off to our earlier spot.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Wow! Okay, so – Crabbe and Goyle are now minions of Hades, Sora and Riku are together (Jaaay), Roxas is back (double Jaaay) and he and Axel are now officially a thing (Triple Jaaay). I got to admit, I like this version of the response to Crabbe and Goyle and their actual darkened hearts better than the original.  
**_ _ **Also, I needed to do some editing in this chapter and I probably will be doing some in the next as I made it seem as if Hades wants to help Harry – which we all know is a little too much out of character for our Lord of the Dead – though I still plan on the "the wrong person got killed in that fight" scenario to be used.  
**_ _ **Merry Christmas,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	50. Albus And Arianna Dumbledore

_**Translations:  
**_ _ **Възлюбен is Bulgarian for Beloved or Sweetheart**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 49  
**_ _ **Albus and Arianna Dumbledore**_

 _ **Riku's POV**_

Having Sora as my new boyfriend and having to share him so that he could read to the others at the Colisseum wasn't a good match and so, once I saw that Sora had read the last sentence of the chapter, I had pulled him up and had, out of proper manner, laid my hand under his upper legs, instead of under his ass like I wanted to.  
Still the other arm, warmly wrapped around Sora's deliciously strong chest, is enough to keep my libido from acting up too rashly and I let my hand softly caress his side as I walk over to another couch for 2 with feet rests attached. I also nuzzle his delicious, peach colored neck and Sora moans as I softly breath against his skin.  
We sit down, but I refuse to let him off of my lap and when I feel him wanting to move, I wrap my arm, previously under his legs, around his lower waist and whisper: "Mine." Causing that peachy skin to turn red in embarrassment. I smile and while my interest for the reading lessens rapidly, do I focus on something I do find very important.  
The same skin I was nuzzling minutes before. I lie my head there again and start to kiss and suck at it, making Sora moan and making him lie his head on my shoulders, tilting it just a little to give me better access. Loving his acceptance of my love and attention, I softly bite his skin, sucking at it to lessen the pain before letting go.

I smile in pride at the hickey I left on his skin and Sora, apparently curious as to what I'm looking at, raises his hand to touch the spot. He must feel the bite marks and the red skin as he turns red himself and I whisper: "Mine." In his ear. Sora sighs with a smile and says: "I love you too, Riku." Making me smile at him.  
He lies his hand on my cheek, his thumb under my chin and to my shock, he turns my face to where he left the book and says: "But focus on the reading, please. This is the last chapter before we'll get to take a break. Then we can have some fun." I smile at this and while imagining what kind of fun, do I turn back to the reading.

 _ **Hades' POV**_

I hate how that ridiculous little runt of a Keyblade Wielder seems to still have that amazing dark power wrapped around his little finger and growl: "Enjoy it while you can, Little Shorty, he'll soon be gone forever, taken out by the God he so foolishly thought he could insult." And smirk, before I get shocked as the Potter boy says:  
"I have a pretty good idea what next chapter will be about, so Lord Hades, you best take this one." I look at the brat confused and he says: "Trust me, you'll like quite a few parts of it. Humiliation, Dark Secrets, Manipulation and – unless I'm mistaken – a framing of an innocent young man." This intrigues me and I say:  
"Alright then, I'll read." And I walk over to the book. Lifting it up and wiping the dust it got when Sora dropped it off of it, I sit back and page through it looking for what I last heard. Of course I loved the sound of that little ghost girl, but then the title of the next chapter really gets my attention and with a grin I read

 _ **The Very Secret Diary**_

This causes a lot of sounds of confusion to ring through the area and a young girl with blond curls asks: "But – aren't diaries supposed to be secret?" And Harry answers: "Different kind of secret." With a dark scowl on his face. This makes me tingle with excited interest and I sit up a little straighter as I read on.

 _ **Hermione remained … furry face.  
**_ _The only ones not doing this out of curiosity for rumors, but out of sheer worry were the ones that knew – and loudly proclaimed – that Harry wouldn't let any kind of monster attack his own friends. And_ _ **Harry and Ron**_ _also did something that quickly made the rumor that Hermione was attacked and Petrified be proven wrong  
_ _They_ _ **went to … day's homework.**_ _This made the students realize that Hermione couldn't be Petrified or she wouldn't be able to hand in her finished homework._

"That really was a big relief for a lot of us." The young boy named Longbottom tells the Granger girl and he says: "And that it also lowered the amount of students believing Harry to be the Heir of Slytherin, we just saw as a nice bonus." This makes the girl laugh and I shake my head at his weak sense of humor before reading on.

 _ **"If I'd …hear her.**_

"Really?" A tanned boy with the Slytherin signature on his cloak asks and he goes on: "Even when looking like a cat and stuck in the Hospital Wing you wanted to find out about the Monster?" The girl lowers her head and says: "I wanted it gone. I was too afraid to believe it wouldn't come and attack me there, so I wanted it gone.  
For that I needed to know what it was, so I would know, even there, how to defend myself. I just – I just didn't want to be scared anymore." Instantly the tanned boy wraps a loving arm around her and whispers: "I understand. Sorry I doubted you, Mi Amore." The girl smiles at him while I have to gag at all that romantic stuff and read on.

 _ **"Nothing," said … hundredth time.  
**_ _Harry rolled his eyes at this. Right at their first meeting in the Hospital Wing, Harry had told them his suspicions and the two had been forced to accept that he had been right, especially about the whole 'suspect the unsuspected' thing; unfortunately had that not brought them anywhere closer to finding out who the Heir could be as they had no one to suspect.  
_ _ **"What's that?" … Smile Award."  
**_ _Harry could not believe this was happening and for a short second he feared Hermione would get the same disgusting treatment he had to suffer from._ _ **Ron looked … of medicine.**_

"And just so everyone knows, no, I did not sleep with that under my pillow, Lockhart had just visited me an hour before Ron and Harry did and I knew how they felt about the man, so tried to keep the conversation away from him for their sake." The girl then tells us, while I wonder about this supposedly _disgusting treatment_ and read on.

 _ **"Is Lockhart … their ears.**_

"Another attack?" One of the younger years squeaks terrified and an older student comforts him as she says: "No, then the outburst would be shocked and upset, not angered." The young brown-haired student seems relieved, while I turn my eyes skyward at its stupidity and – ignoring the angry glares I get for doing this – I just simply read on.

 _ **"That's Filch," … Ron tensely.**_ _Harry shook his head. Seeing that Mrs. Norris had been the first victim, Filch would have probably been screaming in shock and terror if it had been another attack, not in anger.  
_ _ **They stood … to Dumbledore –"**_

Everyone looks shocked at this and I lower the book as I ask: "So let me get this straight. A monster that he knows nothing about and that attacked his cat is lurking around those corridors – and he's _that_ furious over some spilled water?" Some students around me nod and I mutter: "And they call me crazy." Before reading on.

 _ **His footsteps … bathroom walls.**_

"What, was she shocked by his screaming?" One of those with the raven on their chests asks and another answers: "No, I think her wailing caught Filch's attention and when he saw the water, he started screaming, which must have upset her into wailing even more." The first raven nods and I sigh disinterested as I read on.

 _ **"Now what's … said Ron.**_ _Harry didn't particularly care since the cat-tab incident, but this amount of water had to have a reason.  
_ _ **"Let's go … at you?"**_ _He was of course still angry at her, but he had left her and her bathroom alone since Christmas and he really wasn't the kind of guy to attack without being provoked first. And seeing that Myrtle had left them alone after they had left her bathroom, did Harry no longer really have reason to punish her, the water stream had been punishment enough.  
_ _ **"Don't ask … sopping floor**_ _and pulling Harry out of his musings_ _ **. "Here I … thing. Myrtle**_ _was obviously too deeply upset to listen to reason. She_ _ **puffed herself … asked Harry.**_ _He didn't like the ghost, but if someone had done it to prank or insult Myrtle, he still felt he had to get payback, if only for all those times he had gone into a girls' bathroom without her telling others about it.  
_ _ **"I don't … the bathroom.**_

Instantly the little redhead girl seems to whiten in fear, while Harry and Ronald tense in anger. Everyone looks at this confusedly, but then I see the same thin-veiled anger on McGonagall's face and wonder if she might know something about it. Deciding to see if it's in the story, I scrape my throat loudly and read on.

 _ **Harry stepped … be dangerous?"**_ _Harry didn't believe books could be dangerous, only that the contents could let the readers do dangerous things, so he didn't see the problem. If the book had stuff written in it better left elsewhere, he would just hand it in with McGonagall – even if he still didn't fully trust her.  
_ _ **"You'd be … the floor.**_ _He had to admit what Ron told him scared him, but finding out about some evil stuff written in a book and then throwing it away was a dumb move anyway. It was better if he, too, found out what secrets the book had and that he would then report it to McGonagall – or any other teacher he might meet before her.  
_ _ **Harry saw … Harry, disappointed.**_ _If the book didn't hold anything inside it, he wouldn't be able to get it confiscated.  
_ _ **"I wonder … Vauxhall Road... "**_ _For a second he wondered if a Pureblood might have held the book, finally realized the same and that this was the reason he had thrown it away – what a reason for Harry to hand it in, not._

"Does your brain always overanalyze the situation while you act?" I ask the boy curiously and he says: "I do if my instincts tell me something bad is going on. And Myrtle being attacked with that diary and then flushing half of the floor definitely made my instincts go off." I look at the lad, intrigued with his skills and read on.

 _ **"Well, it's … pocketed it.**_ _He would find out why someone had thrown the diary away and then he would hand it in to the closest teacher.  
_ _ **Hermione left … found it**_ _and what he wanted to do with it_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Oooh, it … Hogwarts, either."**_ _He had already gotten a praise from her for wanting to hand over the diary, so he no longer brought that topic up.  
_ _ **"Could've been … a favor ..."**_

This shocks the three in question and Harry says: "Just too freaky." And Ron nods, before Hermione says: "But – but that – that can't be. You – you and Ron – you suck at Divinations." To this Remus says: "There are a lot of forms of Seers, Hermione. And some of them only see something very rarely to barely ever."  
The girl nods and then asks Harry: "So you – you really heard her –?" Harry nods and one of their year mates, a tanned girl with brown hair asks: "Really heard who? What happened, Harry?" And the pale boy answers: "I heard Trelawney make a Prophesy during my Divinations exam last year." The girl squeals and asks:  
"Why didn't you tell us?" And Harry answers: "You weren't around, she didn't believe me, the Prophesy itself was terrifying me and I had Buckbeak and later Sirius to worry about. So in the end I just forgot about it until it was too late." The girl nods, but looks depressed at having missed a prophesy. I shake my head and read on.

 _ **But Harry … it excitedly.**_

Instantly I know what the two are onto and say: "How interesting. So Riddle was around when the Chamber was last opened. Did he perhaps hand over his diary to his heirs and did one of them just decide he had enough of his ancestry or something, thus throwing that diary down the drain?" But Harry grumbles:  
"Wish he had done that. Would have made sure he didn't cause all the dangers and troubles he did." This confuses a lot of people and one French girl asks: "So you know who this Riddle person is, Harry?" And the boy mutters: "Only too well, I do." And he rubs his scar, only confusing me further as I read on.

 _ **"So?""Oh, … would they?"**_

"Not badly thought out either. Is that any closer to the truth than my beliefs?" I ask the boy still rubbing his scar and the boy sighs and says: "It is close to the truth, except that Riddle didn't catch the real Heir, he pulled a Pettigrew." This doesn't make me any wiser on what could have happened and I focus back on the book.

 _ **"That's a … she said.**_

"Mss. Granger, did you plan to buy that the entire time?" McGonagall asks and the girl says: "To be honest, yes Professor. I felt as if I had been quite lacking in writing supplies the year before so I made sure I had a single example of every item required and available, including the Revealer." The woman nods and I read on.

 _ **She rubbed … Nothing happened**_ _, but still Harry's neck hair tingled as he, somehow, felt like he was back in Olivander's_ _ **.**_

"You sensed magic coming off of it, Harry?" Hermione asks shocked and the boy answers: "It was more like I – like I felt some form of magic rubbing against the magic of your Revealer, as if it was fighting off the purpose of your Revealer." The girl looks shocked and I feel intrigued as to the magic of the diary as I read on.

 _ **"I'm telling … of that.**_ _Maybe it was the magic he had felt rubbing off against Hermione's Revealer. It had obviously tried to keep Hermione from knowing what was hidden under it, like Harry hiding under his Invisibility Cloak, and Harry wanted to see what was under that so-called cloak, even if the magic seemed too powerful to be broken._

"Me and my damn determination." Harry then suddenly moans, having gone to sit up with his arms around his legs and he puts his head in his arms as I ask: "Oooh, is it perhaps a bad secret this Riddle keeps hidden from you?" But then I get shocked as the boy looks up and the glare he sends me makes me shiver in hunger for more.  
Pure fury, pain and rage storm around in the emerald green depths of the boy's eyes, almost turning them bright neon green in their ferocity and I know that if the boy had used magic to join with his looks and if I had not been immortal and a God, that look could have very well caused me to end up six feet under.  
Doing everything I can to suppress a shudder, I keep my look curious and he hisses: "Riddle's secrets and actions rival your forms of evil, Oh Lord of the Dead." I look shocked and he whispers: "Should have used that Lordship over that killing bastard, he should have." This makes me curious as to who this Riddle person is and I read on.

 _ **Nevertheless, Harry … about Riddle**_ _, if only to possibly find out about what kind of protective magic the boy had used_ _ **, so, next … every class."**_

"I, Ronald Billius Weasley, hereby officially take back the words I spoke about Tom Marvolo Riddle and Percival Ignatius Weasley and, through Family Magic of the House of Weasley, Curse whoever tries to say anything like what I said on the seventh of February 1993 about my brother and that man. So I swear, so mote it be."  
The boy suddenly shouts and everyone, except Hermione, McGonagall and Harry look at the boy shocked to death. Then Percy asks: "He wasn't like me?" Ron shakes his head and says: "He had the same titles as you, but his behavior couldn't be more far off if he tried." Ron and Harry then share an agreeing glance and I read on.

 _ **"You say … hurt voice.**_ _Harry knew it was her trust in those with power, but after last year – especially that Dumbledore might have set them up and that Quirrell had tried to kill him – he actually wondered how much of that instinctual trust was still left in the girl.  
_ _ **The sun … fifty years...**_ _Harry knew that the monster was some kind of snake, but Madame Pince had set her foot down on what kind of books on animals he could and what kind of books about animals he couldn't read. He was just sure the monster was in one of the books he couldn't read and it bugged him – even with the monster perhaps gone for another half a century.  
_ _ **Ernie Macmillan … Dueling Club.**_

This makes me smirk, while the boy in question, now a few years older, hits himself on the head as a young blonde with the Ravenclaw symbol on her robe asks: "Weren't you convinced that Harry couldn't be heir when Hermione was in the Hospital Wing?" And the boy looks down, obviously feeling bad as he says:  
"I was actually one of the students trying to get a peek at her and I saw her move, so I knew it wasn't the monster. That angered me because my best friend was in there Petrified and his was just moving – that did not come out the way I wanted it." He ends with a cringe as almost the entire House of Hufflepuff looks at him shocked.  
Then Sirius turns to Remus and asks: "When did Hufflepuffs motto become that they can only be loyal and caring to and for their own House?" But the other man shrugs, while I love this darker side of loyalty and Remus says: "I just hope Harry won't have to suffer anymore from it when it comes to the future books." To which I read on.

 _ **Peeves wasn't … to match.**_ _When Harry discovered the twins had helped him with this, he made sure to get back at them for it; at just about every dinner meal in that very week did Harry secretly swap their meals for that of the other, causing them to look at each other confused._

Now I smirk at the innocent way the boy pranked the pranksters and Harry looks at his wand as he says: "What a little Mobilicorpus can't be good for." Making the twins look at him shocked, while their brothers are laughing themselves silly at their gob-smacked faces – especially their younger brother Ronald.  
Then one of the twins says: "Oh come on, Harry." And the other goes on: "Yeah, we were just pulling a little prank on you." But Harry says: "Yeah, I know. You should just not use Peeves in your pranks. If you want to prank me, do it to my face." The two look quite chastised by this and I shake my head before reading on.

 _ **Gilderoy Lockhart … for Transfiguration.**_

"Something that really made me want to curse him right out of Hogwarts." The woman in question hisses and Ron asks: "Then why didn't you?" And the woman sighs: "Hogwarts Teacher contracts state that teachers can't curse or expel other teachers. My hands were tied, no matter how annoying that man was."  
The students groan and Axel says: "Now that's just rough and unfair. I mean, we're only hearing about him and I already want to throw my Chakrams at him." But to this Harry says: "Well, you could, but it won't do you any good. He's already been punished, you know." The redhead looks excited at this and asks:  
"He has? By who?" But Harry smirks, something that really gets my attention as I have already realized that this is a boy you don't want to cross, seeing his witty comments and his entertaining paybacks and the boy says: "By his own stupidity and favorite spell." This catches the interest of all those around and I read on.

 _ **"I don't … on them.**_

Now I see Ron and Harry share a contemplative glance and they quickly put their heads together, as if trying to discuss something. Hating how the spell McGonagall cast doesn't allow us to hear everything the people in the Colisseum say, I grumble and ask: "Will this take long?" But Harry only glances at me shortly before going back to Ron.  
I grit my teeth at this, trying not to let my rage get the better of me as I am still in the very small lobby room and then hear Ron whisper: "So … culprit … better … didn't cast…." And Harry nods agreeing, while I wonder if Lockhart coming down hard on someone has to do with this favorite spell he has and I read on.

 _ **"You know … strode off.**_ _Harry shuddered at the idea and prayed he wouldn't have to be part of it._

"I wasn't, luckily enough. At least not in the way I back then feared." Harry sighs in relief and Remus asks: "So he didn't try what he had been doing with those lessons we read about earlier?" Harry shakes his head and says: "I really helped him learn that lesson." And one of his dorm mates laughs: "Yeah, the nutty way."  
Instantly I cringe – purposely ignoring how the Sater does the same – as I realize what Harry must have done. Then I ask: "Care to verify this, so far interesting sounding story?" And the boy in question says: "Lockhart had Harry work along in a lot of reenactments of his written adventures and Harry got sick of that.  
Then one time he had to act along when Lockhart captured and wrestled a transformed Werewolf to the ground and because Harry was sick of those sick, perverted moves Lockhart was making onto him – he kicked him in the nuts." And the boy laughs, while Wonderboy and Meg look at the boy in question gob-smacked.  
Harry turns red and whispers: "He asked for it. He was moving his leg up to my hips so I stopped him. I had to." But then Remus hugs him and whispers: "Stop making excuses for your actions, cub. He deserved nothing less and we will make him pay as soon as time starts running again." Those around them nod and I read on.

 _ **Lockhart's idea … wrong doors.**_

"That bad?" Sirius asks and Harry thinks for a while before he asks: "You know those gay people with that amazing fascion sense and that brilliant eye on decoration, even with pink and other fluorescent colors?" Sirius nods and the boy states: "Yeah, even they would have keeled over backwards in disgust." We all cringe and I read on.

 _ **The walls … blue ceiling.**_

Everyone shudders, those that must have been there that day worse than the others and Sora says: "Okay, compared to that, the Colisseum, when destroyed, looked better." But then Riku states: "Sora, Malificent's castle in Radiant Garden looks like a fairytale palace compared to that." And while I nod in agreement do I read on.

 _ **Harry went … of Skele-Gro.**_

"Sure felt that way, it did." Snape comments and I shudder, knowing already that Harry was right and that even the person with the worst fashion sense in the entire Universe would be disgusted with all I just read. Then suddenly – to my irritation – a low, serious voice sounds: "Destroyed the Colisseum again, Hades?"  
I turn to the doorway between Mount Olympus and the Underworld – together with everyone else in both the Courtyard and the Arena and see the one person I brought back to life that I wish I never did, seeing how worthless he was in helping me get rid of Blunderboy and how he makes me regret calling him the mother of all bad guys.  
A long red robe with blue trim and brown shoulder pads, dark grey hair and a slight stubble on his chin, an amber colored left eye and a closed right thanks to the amazing scar going all over the left side of his face and finally black shoes and pants and a black shirt with a grey collar high enough to cover his mouth.

Auron, the man I locked up in the deepest part of hell when he died and that I later brought back on that idiot Pete's advice, leans against the doorframe, his Battlefield of Wars sword leaning on his right shoulder and his black eyebrow raised at me in a mocking question, making me further have to hold back on my anger.  
Then Wonderboy walks over and says: "You're Auron, right? Sora's friend? I never really got to thank you. You and Sora really helped me remember what it's like to be a true Hero and you even helped me defeat Hades after he had tried to kill Meg." And Blunderboy holds his hand out to the seriously annoying man.  
Auron looks from the hand to Blunderboy and asks: "Are you really thanking me for almost killing you?" And Blunderboy shrugs as he says: "Sure, that was part of what I needed to remember. And besides, don't forget that that wasn't you working there. That was Hades, remember, holding your heart captive in that statue?"

The Red-robed man laughs a little and asks: "So need help repairing the Colisseum?" But Blunderboy laughs and says: "Don't worry, it's not really destroyed. It's just turned invisible, so that the two groups here in the field and over there in the Arena can see the reader of the books we are going through currently."  
The man nods and asks: "Care to catch me up?" And Blunderboy once more shows how _absolutely brilliant_ he is as he perfectly repeats just about everything that happened in the last few chapters. Hating the Blunderbreath for his _perfection_ in _everything_ , I grumble as the two pass me to sit in the Arena and read on.

 _ **"Happy Valentine's … stop here!**_

"Really?" I ask sarcastically and I go on: "Does this guy never end? Even I'm already annoyed enough I just want to preorder his death." But to this Harry says: "Trust me, where he is now is much better as it is perfect payback to everything he has done." This makes me smirk at the black-haired kid with interest before I read on.

 _ **I'm sure … force-fed poison.**_

"Only because my contract told me I couldn't do it to him right there and then. Else I would have hexed his drink just to get him back for it." The man in question sneers, but then Harry hits himself on the head and says: "Hex his drinks! Why didn't I think of that?" And everyone laughs as Snape sends him a proud smirk and I read on.

 _ **"Please, Hermione, … with Harry.**_

Harry hits himself over the head and then suddenly Ginny shouts: "Just so you know, this was not my work! I repeat, not my work!" Everyone looks at the girl shocked and she asks: "What? You really did it was? Come on, I was way too shy back then for something so open." To this a lot of students nod and I read on.

 _ **"Oy, you! … of way.**_

"Threatening? Really?" Auron asks sarcastically and the boy admits: "Okay, maybe it didn't look threatening, but the look he had on his face as he said this – and he said this before he twanged his harp, just so you know – clearly said _don't mess with me more than Lockhart did_. To then see that twang made me nervous."  
The grey haired man nods in acceptance and says: "That was a good description of the situation. Have you done this before?" Harry shrugs and says: "The books are mostly from my point of view, so yeah. In a way, I have." This makes the man smirk and he says: "Impressive." Looking at the stack of books before I read on.

 _ **"Not here," … the floor.**_

"Did that hurt, Harry?" Viktor Krum asks, softly rubbing Harry's body to check for injuries and Harry shrugs before he says: "No more than usual when you trip over something. I was used to rougher, so it didn't hurt that much." The boy sighs and whispers: "Merlin, I hate those Muggles." Catching my interest as I read on.

 _ **"Right," he … students away.  
**_ _Harry saw him send worried looks at him as he did so and his heart warmed a little, obviously Percy was trying to defuse the severity of the situation and Harry's embarrassment as well as he could._

"Why do you have to be so damned observant?" Percy asks with a good-heartened smile and Ron asks: "I more wonder how it's possible that Harry picks up on all your nice things, when all I see, no offence, is you trying to get to the very top?" The two brothers look at each other and shrug, before laughing as I read on.

 _ **"And you … said quietly.**_ _He kind of felt like when he had tried to get back Neville's Remembrall more than a year ago.  
_ _ **"Wonder what … looking terrified.**_ _Harry, trying too hard to avoid another confrontation and not wanting to undo all of Percy's hard work to make this as easy as possible for him, stored it into the back of his mind to mull over later.  
_ _ **"Hand it … his temper.**_ _Malfoy calling Hermione the M-word and hurting her in the process was one thing, but Malfoy violating other people's rights to personal privacy for his own fun went too far in his book._ _ **He pulled … belching slugs.**_ _Besides, his mind was already thinking up revenge plans; plans that didn't include Polyjuice Potions or Peeves the Poltergeist._

"Okay, I agree! There, I really did go too far. But, I have a good reason!" The blonde shouts and Zabini asks: "And what is that?" The boy sighs and says: "All my life I was raised with one belief. That Blacks, Potters, Malfoys and Slytherins were at top of the elite and should dress and behave like the elite.  
Therefore, to constantly see Potter running around with people I was raised to believe were at least three grades below us, to see him have fun and be the hero when he was the last of his line and should be worrying about his assets and whatnot and to see his constant – no offence – abhorrent state of dress just totally pissed me off."

Harry looks confused and says: "I take no offence to the state of my clothes; there I actually agree. I do take offence to the people I hang around with and your thoughts of who I should and should not be around – kind of the reason I refused your friendship, remember – but what did you mean, worry over my assets and whatnot?"  
To which both pale-faced, blonde haired men turn to the pale-faced blonde haired woman with them and the woman sighs as she says: "I haven't covered his actual fortune yet. I've been teaching him manners and ettiquetes that, over the years and centuries, became important to his family; ettiquete and history lessons combined."  
Her son nods and then her husband asks: "Harry, do you even know of the five vaults you own that are filled to the brim with Gold Galleons, the four Vaults with Sickles and the ten Vaults with Knuts?" But to this Harry shouts: "The what, what and WHAT NOW?" Making it quite clear he had no idea whatsoever about any of this.  
Then Draco mumbles: "And those were the numbers when James Potter was still alive." Making Harry, who had jumped up to shout at Malfoy senior, fall into Viktor's lap in pure shock, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Even Ronald looks at his friend shocked and asks: "You didn't know about any of that?"

And Harry whimpers: "Of course not, no one told me anything about that." Ron looks shocked and asks: "But then, what did you do in the summer before third? Didn't you use that time in Diagon Alley to spend your attention on your assets, profits and funds?" Harry shakes his head quickly and looks at Ron before he asks:  
"Why does everyone know all about this except me?" And Auron answers: "I don't know, but if those things are money, maybe it was for power. Money does give power, you know, so maybe someone didn't want you to have all that money, so you wouldn't get that powerful. Do you have someone wanting that?"  
Instantly everyone looks at each other shocked and I mumble: "I would say – yes. Yes, they do." Before I suddenly see Hermione whiten in fear and she asks: "Harry, if – if Dumbledore knew and kept you from your assets all this time, then – then what – what do you think he did with it while he held it away from you?"  
Instantly Harry, the Malfoys, Sirius, Remus, the Weasleys and Viktor turn white and a woman with a monocle says: "I will be sure to question him about that once we get home. Seems that's just one more thing we have that we can use against him." And Sora mumbles: "And we're only on the second book." Before I read on.

 _ **It wasn't … more time**_ _without openly making them float against the ceiling_ _ **, and partly … his time.**_

"Really should have gone with you there, mate." Ron moans sadly and instantly my interest is piqued and I ask: "Oooooh, does something bad happen here?" To which Meg asks: "Why am I not surprised at your excitement over that possibility?" But I just glare at her a little, loving how it makes her whiten and read on.

 _ **Harry sat … vanished. Excited**_ _at the chance to finally find out why the diary was thrown away_ _ **, Harry loaded … Harry Potter."**_ _He knew it was stupid to write his name down, but it was a diary, so what else was he to do.  
_ _ **The words … Riddle's reply.**_ _He knew beyond a doubt it was wrong to trust Riddle, but if he could gain the 'boy's' trust, he could find out why someone threw it away – then he could really get rid of it for good.  
_ _ **"Lucky that … his excitement.**_ _There was still a frown on his face as he reread that first sentence and he wondered if it had something to do with the reason someone threw the diary away. He knew he would, as soon as he figured out just what magic this diary possessed to make it write back.  
_ _ **"I mean … he knew.**_ _This was exactly what Harry wanted and his relief over the chance of soon handing in the diary became bigger as he read.  
_ _ **"Of course … write back.**_ _This time it was because his instincts were again reminding him about the snake being the monster and if Riddle knew the monster had lived on, maybe he knew what kind of monster he was dealing with as well. He knew he could get in major trouble for doing this in the first place, it almost reeked Dark magic, but it was for the safety of the Muggleborns – for Hermione's safety and for his Mother's honor.  
_ _ **"It's happening … and then**_ _– deciding this would be just what he needed to prove that the diary had to be handed in and destroyed –_ _ **wrote two letters.  
**_ _ **"OK."**_

Now Ron smirks and asks: "So mate, how long did it take for you to believe that story this time? Because it looked like you believed it for quite a while." Harry shrugs and says: "I think it was by the time those conversations of us constantly going about the same things started working on my nerves." The two boys laugh and I read on.

 _ **The pages … the desk.**_

Many around me gasp in shock and McGonagall says: "Riddle's diary is like a Pensive. You were brought into his memory of when the last attack had taken place, when Dumbledore was still Transfigurations teacher and not the Headmaster." Now even the younger ones look shocked and I read on, quite intrigued.

 _ **A wizened … years ago.**_

"Wow, a few shouts and a few seconds of observations and he has the entire thing figured out. Impressive." Auron comments and then Snape sneers and says: "Which make it even harder for me to understand how it is possible that he acts so – averagely in classes. And I doubt it's just Mr. Weasley and Mss. Granger."  
Everyone looks at the man confused and he says: "Does no one remember the first line about Mr. Potter's thoughts concerning Transfigurations? It clearly said that he had immense trouble remembering anything he learned the year before. That can't be just because of the summer." We all look shocked and he says:  
"Poppy, please check him for magical blocks next break. Might be a good chance to see how well he healed from his last Full Physical." The woman nods and Harry turns to Sirius asking: "You don't think he'd do that, do you? He – he wouldn't cast spells on me that could potentially cause me trouble in dangerous situations, do you?"  
Sirius sighs and says: "I'm sorry, Harry, but I agree with Severus. That man is willing to do anything to keep you under his control, so spells to keep your magic and mind in line of his wishes, I'm willing to admit I can just see him do that. He has completely lost sight of Humanity, so –." The man sighs and hugs his son.

I see Harry holding back shivers and then Viktor, sitting next to the two, lies a hand on his shoulder and whispers: "He's not here, възлюбен. He's not here and he won't stop you from showing your emotions. Not anymore." And instantly the boy starts to cry, obviously hurt by all this Dumbledore has caused him.  
Knowing that usually I would feel either disgusted with his weakness or delighted with how much this pained him, do I wonder why I don't feel this now and then realize that it's because – somehow – the brat has earned my respect with how he seems to be a perfect bland of dark pain and light stupid goodness – yuck.  
This makes me decide that the Headmaster – or probably ex-Headmaster by now – can be expecting an early death and I whisper: "That visit to the Fates is really getting important." But apparently McGonagall heard me and whispers: "Not yet, Lord Hades, we might discover more cruelties and we want him to pay for all of them."

I nod at the woman and shake my head, barely believing the Fates let someone like that live this long without telling me. Wondering if they too were tricked by his actions, I stand up and ask: "Can someone take over, please? I need to visit the Fates, I need to see if that Dumbledore tricked them as well." But then Ron says:  
"We'll just wait until you're back. You will really want to read this part. It's got the betrayal and the framing in it." I nod at the lad and want to turn to the gates to my own domain when my path gets blocked by three clouds of smoke, actually shocking me and causing some of the younger brats to scream in fearful shock.  
From the smoke, three gross looking women appear, the left one being the tallest and the one on the right being short and chubby, yet while her two taller sisters have empty eyesockets, does the fat one actually have The Eye of Sight within her socket and instantly I wonder if that is what informed them of my desire to meet with them.

"You walk an interesting path, Hades." The tallest one, who's slim form is hidden in a black cloak, says and the one in the middle, then goes on and says: "One that will bring true balance to a world that has long since lost sight of this important requirement." And the chubby one finishes: "How can we help you in this endeavor?"  
And while I am impressed with what they already know and while their words make me wonder if they are at all aware of Dumbledore and his actions, do I say: "Ladies, welcome to the Colliseum. As for your help, I am reading about the past of a very interesting young man and this reading made me worried about you."  
They seem not to know what I am talking about and I ask: "Does the name Harry Potter ring a bell?" But they shake their heads and I say: "So that's why you left him to his fate. He must be from a world far out of your reach. That is a relief, I admit myself relieved." This really seems to interest the ladies and the left one asks:

"And why is this, Hades?" And I say: "Well, you see Ladies, there is this man named Albus Dumbledore." But then, before I can go on, they suddenly gasp and one of them says: "He lives. He actually lives!" I look confused and they say: "Many years ago, we send a demon from hell to that planet. A demon named Gellert Grindlewald.  
He was to manipulate Dumbledore, let the boy adore and admire him and then get him in such problems the boy would die in battle. How is it he survived?" And the three pull out a single eyeball with a small hair growing from the top of it. They all pour their energy in it and it starts to float and glow, showing some kind of image.  
Yet while this happens, do I also look around to gauge the reaction from those around me and while the name Grindelwald seemed to have installed some sense of fear in all of these people, do mostly the adults that seem to come from Hogwarts seem shocked to hear that Grindelwald is actually a demon as well as his purpose.

I focus back on the eye and see 3 boys in their twenties, two of them looking alike and one of them quite different, but with a demonic air of power and madness that makes me smirk in interest as I see the demon boy shout at the youngest boy and then suddenly the three start to cast spells, the mid eldest trying to deflect spells from both sides.  
I see the young lad run from one side to the other and the second lady grumbles: "So that's it. He was supposed to take his brother's side, but he was too entranced with Gellert to not defend him too." Then suddenly I see a young weak looking girl entering the room and then two spells clash and cause her to hit her head against the doorframe.  
I see blood leaking from her head faster than I expected and the three ladies shout: "NO!" Shocking me. The youngest then says: "She had a great future. We had it all set out for her. She would take her healing to a new level once Gellert killed her eldest brother and her and Aberforth would bring Hogwarts into a new era."

The three then shake her head and the eldest whispers: "She was not supposed to die." While the second whispers: "Oh, Ariana." And the youngest says: "Poor, poor Arianna." I nod and then say: "Thank you for showing us this. Is it possible to return Arianna back to life." The three look at me shocked and the eldest says:  
"Do so, Hades, and she will unite Light and Dark." Then the second says: "She will help the Lightning strike down on the world of unevenness." And the last ends: "And their world will unite with our Universe, as was its destiny." They then disappear from the Coliseum together with the floating eyeball and I ask:  
"Did they just make a prophesy?" But all I hear is the silence of the Coliseum as everyone around me had been just as focused on the eye as I was and just by looking around, I can tell that not even the eldest of them knew of the girl's existence and this makes me think: "Just another one of that man's little secrets, I guess."

I then once again return my focus to the book, only to hear Sirius ask: "And where are you going?" And looking up, I see Harry stopping in his tracks before he says: "You heard that middle woman. _She will help the Lightning_. That obviously means my scar and thus me, so I'm –." But while I admire his will, do I grumble as Blunderboy says:  
"No." And then that little short brat joins him and says: "Harry, without the Olympus Stone, which I currently don't have on me so no one here can use it, you will be drained of all your energy long before you even reach halfway through the Underworld tunnels. You can't go do this, it'll mean your death for sure."  
At this Harry looks down in defeat, his posture proving that he believes the bratty brunette and then Blunderboy softly pats his shoulder and says: "Don't worry, I'm sure Hermes or father has another Stone available. I'll go ask for one next break." And the boy nods before he goes back to his seat and I continue reading.

 _ **There was … looked nervous**_ _, but Harry got the shivers of the strange glint he saw in the boy's eyes. They reminded him of someone, but he couldn't remember who_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Sit down," … very tightly.**_ _Harry wondered if the boy even wanted to be here.  
_ _ **"My dear … missing anything.**_ _What was happening here was enough to make him report this diary to McGonagall, but if he could also uncover the riddle of the Chambers, it would be a double bonus; that would surely stop all those rumors about him being the Evil Heir of Muggleborn Attacker Salazar Slytherin.  
_ _ **"Precisely." said … given Dumbledore.**_ _Instantly he was sure this would answer everything – as soon as he was done here, he would have all the answers he needed to stop the Monster and the Heir. So why was his gut telling him otherwise?  
_ _ **Dippet sank … followed him.**_ _His mind was sure Riddle knew who the Heir was and that he was about to catch him, but his gut was telling him different, it was telling him not to trust a thing he saw. Harry didn't know what to believe, so he decided he would wait and see.  
_ _ **Down the … fifty-year-younger Dumbledore.**_

"A Dumbledore that, apparently, shouldn't have been there in the first place." McGonagall grumbles and everyone mumbles their angry agreement when suddenly a blur of white, purple and lightning streaks past the Colisseum, causing many of the girls who are sitting near the doors to fall out of their seats with screams of shock.  
Wonderboy seems to recognize the blur and shouts: "Father! Where are you going?" But Zeus, my hated brother, disappears into the Underworld and the Satyr says: "Well, that makes sense. He is a God, after all, he can't die if he goes down that river. Unlike you, sport." Wonderboy nods, while looking worried and I read on.

 _ **"I had … with Snape.**_ _Still his gut was telling him to get out of there, as if he wouldn't want to see this. He had no idea why his instincts were so against his upcoming discovery, but he decided to just ignore them – this time._

"Biggest mistake EVER!" Harry shouts and we all look at him shocked. Then Hermione hugs him and says: "At least it helped you when you needed it most. After –." The girl shudders and whispers: "You know, my little problem." The boy sighs in regret before smiling at her gratefully, thanking her with a hug before I read on.

 _ **The torches … be heard.**_ _His senses were screaming at him that what would happen was wrong, but he didn't understand how they could know that if he didn't even know what was going to happen so he just silently followed the lad._

"I really should have listened to those instincts." Harry groans and then Remus says: "Harry, even if you did, you had no idea how to get out of there. You would have had to witness it anyway." The boy nods and while I wonder how my blasted, thunderhead of a brother is doing down in my Domain, do I continue with the chapter.

 _ **For perhaps … that voice**_ _and his senses about all this being wrong went in overdrive, almost making it impossible for him to focus_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Riddle suddenly … is slaughtered..."**_

"And here I thought that bastard could sink no lower." Harry suddenly growls and everyone looks at him as he says: "Just look at how he phrases his words. He is trying to force his opponent to believe what he believes, while he knows what he believes is a lie. He's trying to manipulate another student into testifying over something he never did."  
Everyone looks shocked and I reread the sentences, whispering: " _ **I don't think you meant to kill anyone. The least Hogwarts can do is make sure that the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered.**_ " And then I realize that the lad is right and whisper: "Who is this monster?" To which Harry says:  
"You'll find out soon enough. And calling him a monster is quite ironic and yet also an under-statement." This intrigues me and one of the other Gryffindors asks: "Is he that bad?" But all Harry says is: "First Wizarding War." Obviously not intend on telling us anything more. This slightly irritates me and I read on.

 _ **"It wasn' … to hear.**_

"It actually scared you?" A student asks and Hagrid cringes before Harry says: "Trust me, I'm just glad it was me seeing that thi – creature and not Ron. Had he been in my place, I would have found him fainted on his own bed." The student asking the question cringes as Ron nods in agreement before I read on.

 _ **A vast … razor-sharp pincers –**_

This causes a lot of students to gulp and the student asking the question about Harry's fear earlier says: "Okay, I can understand why that made you scream." Making Harry smile at him and he says: "Thanks Owen." The boy looks at him shocked and Harry says: "I know all of Fred and George's Roommates." Owen nods and I read on.

 _ **Riddle raised … yelling, "NOOOOOOO!"**_

"Please tell me that monster instantly went out of Hogwarts." A young girl with blonde curls squeaks in fear and Harry answers: "It did. Hagrid raised it further in the back of the Forbidden Forest." He then cringes and says: "Although that too wasn't his brightest idea." This worries mostly the girl and Harry's parents and I read on.

 _ **The scene … and shaking**_ _and wishing he had listened to his instincts the entire time_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"What's up?" … with concern.**_ _Harry looked at Ron, his eyes wide with disbelief and broken-heartedness as he whispered, not wanting to believe it himself,  
_ _ **"It was … years ago."**_

This shocks the entire school and Hagrid hangs his head low as Harry walks over and says: "Don't worry, we didn't believe it for long. It was Malfoy this year all over again." This makes the giant smile at the lad and Phill says: "Okay, that was three chapters, time for a break. Neville, don't forget you'll be training with Herc now."  
The slightly chubby boy nods and Wonderboy smiles as he says: "I look forward to it." Making the boy smile gratefully. I then look at the book and throw it over my shoulder as I say: "Chapter's done. I'll go see how my brother's doing." And while McGonagall keeps the book levitated, do I pass back into my Domain once more.  
Yet as I do this, do I think: "Perhaps relocating is a good idea. That Potter boy certainly sounds like an interesting lad who can provide me with much more entertainment than Blunderboy, that Snape bastard needs to be taught a lesson in respect – and I would love to see what this so-called Balance could possibly mean."  
And with that do I move back through my Domain, through the tunnels and burning the Heartless that try to stop me and while I do this, do I remember Riku commenting on how there are no Heartless in this world, yet then I remember the last part of this new prophesy and this makes me smirk as I think: "That won't last much longer."

* * *

 _ **And that is that!  
**_ _ **So, what do you guys think? I know I cut Pain and Panic out of this and shoved the trip to the Underworld back to the end and then just summarized a bit of it, but for some reason I felt it would be more fitting for the whole of the Magical World to hear this prophesy – though PoA and OotP might be responsible for that.  
**_ _ **I also have to admit, I had quite a bit of fun editing this chapter as it's easy to imagine Harry earning Hades' respect as he, unlike Hercules, admits and through his expressions and words proves that his experiences mark and affect him, something Hercules only did when everything was at their absolute worst.  
**_ _ **Anyway, this won't be the last you see of Hades, but I also have one other thing in mind. In the original, even after her resurrection, I barely put any attention on Arriana and I plan to have that changed. Heck, I might even make her take Petunia/Molly's place in life – and no, I don't mean the insults and smothering.  
**_ _ **You cool with that,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	51. A Divine Break

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Just wanted to let you all know that this chapter has been lengthened quite a bit as I added our four new OC's; Andrew, Connor, Ralph and Leona. I also added a bit of text to the first POV and finally added the bit of Harry being checked for Magical Blocks as well as his mother being tested for fertility by Madam Pomfrey.  
**_ _ **Okay enjoy,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 50  
**_ _ **A Divine Break**_

 _ **Neville's POV**_

The last hour or so I have trained with Hercules and Harry and we both are amazed at how much the Hero trains in a day. I had to stop halfway through the hour for a few minutes to catch my breath and Hercules didn't mock me at all. Instead he slapped my back and gave me some Herculade, which really gave me a new boost of energy.  
Harry had also asked Axel to bring back Draco, but only after asking Snape and the Malfoys if they would allow him back without shouting at him. They had agreed to this, but Harry had to accept that they would still shout if his comments after Dumbledore's expulsion were as bad as the boy had, earlier on, predicted.

Draco had returned and had sighed in relief when he heard the conditions. Axel had then been chosen as his sitter until that time and the red-head had, while wanting to spend time with Roxas, accepted this and had let Draco meditate, telling him it could help him find his inner weapon, like the Chakram was Axel's inner weapon.  
This had interested me and Harry and we had agreed, with just a single glance, that we would do this ourselves right next break. Milicent Bullstrode had also come to train and, mostly to spare her, had Hercules let her hit barrels at various platforms and different heights, with the task set that she had to break them all in a certain limit of time.  
Professor Snape had helped along with this and had charmed the barrels to repair themselves if she had hit them in such a way she could do more damage if she hit them differently. It was still keeping her busy and she has yet to break all of the barrels, but I can tell that the gigantic 14 year old is really learning from this.

Then Sirius takes Harry apart and tells him: "We'll tell you all about the bond between James, Severus and our group once we have reached the chapter of truth in Third book, alright?" Harry obviously does not like being reminded of it, but nods in agreement and continues with the moves and fighting kata's that Hercules is teaching us.  
The boy himself is definitely having some trouble with some of the moves and when Hercules showed us one move, Harry had to grudgingly admit that, because his body was still healing from years of abuse suddenly being treated, he was unable to do this one without hurting himself or angering his parents for overworking himself.  
Hercules had definitely been shocked to hear this and Harry had explained how, during the reading of the First book, Harry had admitted to have been hiding years of injuries and how he was now going through a healing process that made it so that he was currently more vulnerable than he had ever been and thus couldn't do the move.  
Hercules had understood this, yet when he had asked Harry why he was even doing the excercises if he was healing and if he wouldn't rather just sit back and relax, he had gotten the Furious Harry stare as well as the boy snapping at him: "Working out gets me my muscles back, so no thank you." And instantly Herc agreed.

Phill is sitting right behind Hercules and by his angry glare can I tell that he is critically observing the Hero's way of teaching us and I raise a questioning eyebrow at Hercules, motioning with my eyes for the creature when he notices it. He laughs and says: "Just forget him, this is your training, not mine and he doesn't like that very much."  
I laugh and then try the 40 push-ups Hercules told me to try and finish my training with. So far I haven't gone higher than 27, but the other things I do when I've caught my breath again really do help me get stronger. Personally, I love these stamina excercises and I know I will return home a new man, once the readings are over.  
Wondering how my gran will react to seeing me, no longer chubby and changed by all I have so far heard, I don't notice myself pushing past the 40 push-ups until Hercules says: "Wo-hoh, alright Neville! Fifty Push-ups! I knew you could do it!" I look shocked, not at all noticing, but then smile at the Hero.  
Harry seems to also have pushed himself to the end of his own limits and he has gone back to lovingly sit in Viktor's lap near Remus and Sirius and kiss him, making me smile as Harry was never really one for showing affection openly. This reminds me of his treatment by the Muggles and I suppress my inner rage at it once again.

Instead I sit down on one of the more distant platforms and keep my eye out on everyone around me. Hermione seems in yet another heavy discussion with Blaise, one he sometimes interrupts by kissing her cheek, Ron is talking with his twin brothers and Percy, obviously reuniting and Sirius and Remus are watching over Harry and Viktor.  
I then look at the Hufflepuffs and see the ones in our year talking softly, but not soft enough and I hear the words _that will surely help him_ fall from Hannah's lips. They then all look at Harry wonderingly and I raise an eyebrow at them, wondering if their plans will, this time, have a positive or a negative effect on my friend.  
The Ravenclaws, on the other side of the Lobby, seem busy on all kinds of reports and spellwork, making me shake my head as I wonder what they even think the words _taking a break_ means. But then I see some of them smiling and laughing and I raise myself up just high enough to see that one of their papers has a hangman drawn on them.

I shake my head and hold back a snicker before turning to the Bulgarians. They seem engaged in an important discussion with their Headmaster and the man seems to agree with some of his students and disagree with others, yet he doesn't raise his voice or shout at them like I heard him do on the day of their arrival.  
The French seem to be divided and while a few are doing the same as the Bulgarian, talking with their Headmisstress, are others either braiding each other's hair or writing down something, of which I see the title named _list of actions for after reading ends_. Smiling at the intelligence and wondering how long this list is, I take another glance around.  
The Snakes are the last I put my notice on and they all seem quite divided in several groups, but all seem to be either vocally fighting with each other or just discussing matters. Deciding not to go and find out as at least each group has some elder years in them, I have to smile at the general picture of everyone relaxing in their own ways.

 _ **Axel's POV**_

"This was not how I planned to spend this break." I mumble angrily as I keep an eye on the peaceful picture that seems to be Draco Malfoy. I can't really understand how the lad can want a fellow student dead, let alone wanting so at age 12, but decide not to be bothered with it as the lad seems to really regret saying this.  
Still, I don't like having to sit him and wonder why that Auron fellow or Leon weren't chosen to sit the upturned brat as all I now want is to spend some time with Roxas – something Lucius and Narcissa should have realized seeing how they were there when I showed Roxas my love by kissing him back after he demerged from Sora.  
Luckily does the beautiful blonde want the same and so, to compensate for me spending time with him and still letting me watch Draco, has the delicious little Nobody sat himself in my lap with his arms wrapped around my neck and his head on my shoulder. He apparently hears me and I moan as he nuzzles my neck.  
I smile and tilt my head to look at him and say: "Now that's how I want to spend this break." He laughs and taps me on the nose with his finger before he ruins my good mood and says: "Maybe next break. For now, keep an eye on your subject. I think he's about to get his weapon." I moan and focus back on Draco.

The boy has been sitting perfectly still for the last 20 minutes and if it weren't for his moving shoulders, I would have presumed he got himself either killed or in a coma. I look at the lad, feeling his power grow as I shortly connected my own heart to his, but then he does something I never even could have expected.  
His entire body changes with a quick pop and where a young, fourteen year old blonde was sitting moments before, is now a tawny colored foxlike creature with large blonde colored ears and black legs and parts to the pointed face, that looks quite like the boy's own pointy face, along with the silver eyes and small nose.

Everyone looks at the creature shocked and I mumble: "That – was not supposed to happen." Then Narcissa Malfoy and Sirius Black run over and before Narcissa can lift up the poor little creature that seems to have a lot of trouble staying standing on four legs instead of two, has the black-haired man raised his wand.  
The ears of the creature move themselves to the neck in fear, but a blue light erupts from the wand and seconds later the blonde is back where he was sitting minutes ago. Sirius then turns to me and I say: "He was supposed to find his inner weapon, not turn into some fox." The man nods and Narcissa hugs her son, obviously shocked.  
The man then says: "Animagus Transformation does indeed go easier when you do it through Meditation. It also allows you a choice of your own concerning your personality and creature. The other way, the way I myself used, was through Potions. That makes the Potion chose an animal best suited for you when you drink it."

I nod and say: "A fascinating form of magic, I'll give you that. Did it take you long?" And Sirius shudders as he says: "Almost 2 years of continuously drinking one potion after another." Making me shudder as well. Then I see Riku drinking from the potion the matron gave him after his return from Hell and Narcissa says:  
"I think it's better if we continue reading soon." Sirius nods at her and says: "I checked the book. We still have about four chapters left. Minerva and I agreed we would return home after the next break so we can read the last chapter in the Great Hall." The woman nods and takes her son back to where they had been sitting earlier.

 _ **Draco's POV**_

The meditation had been amazing, even with all the distractions of people talking, laughing and walking past. Axel had made sure there was a large circle around me where the other students weren't allowed to come and this made it easier for me to get into trance, yet I barely remember what happened afterwards.  
Yet the shock of suddenly having fur all over, of being only 55 centimeters long and having ears almost half the size of my own length was quite great for me and to hear yips escape my shortened throat instead of calls for help – even though they sounded like calls for help to my ears – was something I still can't believe.

I'm now back to being human, slightly disorientated and am being helped back to the seat I shared with my parents before my transport to Destiny Islands. Mother seems overly concerned for me, more than I have ever seen her and still part of me can't really understand why that is or what has just happened to me.  
I sit down with father, who looks at mother inquiringly and she shocks us both, making me realize the truth as she says: "Axel's training made him an Animagus. He became a Cape Fox without even noticing it himself. Sirius just changed him back." My father nods, his eyes still wide, but I can barely believe what I just heard.  
To have been changed into a Ferret by force a few months ago made me believe that was my Animagus form, but to hear that I now changed into a Cape Fox makes me wonder how that can be. Deciding to discuss this with people I trust that saw what Crouch Junior did later, I sit down with my parents and just try to relax.

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

"Draco is a Cape Fox. Draco is a Cape Fox! DRACO IS A CAPE FOX!" Goes through my head like a broken record and I dazedly walk back to Remus, who had been very shocked when I suddenly ran away from him. But I had agreed with Narcissa to look after Draco and had seen him suddenly shrink within seconds.  
This had worried me, but that my cousin is an Animagus and that his _Find your inner weapon_ training helped him become one shocks me to the core. It also makes me wonder what kind of animal my son could become and while sitting back next to Remus, do I wonder if our adoption will influence his choice of creature.

I then feel Remus nuzzling my neck and he asks: "What happened? Is something wrong? You're so tense." And I mutter: "Draco just changed into an Animagus. A Cape Fox." The man stops nuzzling my neck, making me whimper as it made me relax slightly and he asks: "Are you sure?" I nod and sigh as I say:  
"I'm just wondering what kind of animal our boy will become. I really think we should let him do it through meditation, the potion might be influenced by the Adoption." The Werewolf nods, his head still in my neck and I moan happily as he says: "Let's allow the kids that want to start this once the third book is read."  
Then Madam Pomfrey walks over and I take a deep breath, remembering that we were planning to check Harry for Magical Blocks and we move over to where Harry and Viktor are seated, Harry himself slightly clinging to Viktor in concern as he sees us approach with the Matron and this really tears at my heart.

Yet so does everything else that I have read and heard of so far that is wrong with my son's past and present and while I already know that I am quite protective of my son, do I still wonder if I won't be too overprotective of any child I could one day have myself and then remember that Poppy will also be checking my fertility.  
And instantly I reach out to my mate and grab his hand in personal fear over my fertility being non-existant, yet then hear something that makes me feel slightly better: "You are definitely getting better, Mr. Potter. In fact, I think you will be back to full health once the next three day break has come and gone if my readings are right."

This relieves us all, yet then Poppy says: "However, I do notice a few blocks on you, blocks that seem to be influenced by Lady Hogwarts as she seems to have been trying to weaken them just as much as old Dumbles has been trying to keep them full power. And it also seems that the TR Spell is affecting you, though I can't see how."  
And instantly all the relief we all felt over Harry and his growing health gets taken from us, yet then the woman smiles and says: "However, when it comes to the blocks, I personally don't see any link between them and the affect the TR spell has on you and, without him, I do think Lady Hogwarts will remove those blocks soon enough."

And we all lean back against our cloud couches in utter relief before Poppy makes me tense in concern for a third time all over again as she says: "And now for you, Sirius. Also, I would like to give you a full physical once we get back and time starts running again, if you don't mind. Considering your time in Azkaban and all."  
And while just the thought of Azkaban has taken me my chance to give Harry siblings and Remus cubs is enough to make my body tense in fear is the thought that Azkaban did even more enough to make me glad that Remus is hugging me as I have no doubt I would have fled my family out of fear had he not been holding me.  
Yet just because I know that one can't stay in Azkaban for over a decade and not get affected, do I still close my eyes tightly, not wanting to see the results or the disappointment in my family's eyes. "Ah, it does seem as if Remus was right. You are still as able to have kids as you were as a teen. Congratulations, Sirius."  
And while it takes me a few seconds to realize what Poppy has told me, do I then sag down against Remus' form, allowing for a few of my tears of relief to drip down my eyes and Harry and Viktor move their clouds closer to mine as they, together with Remus, shower me with compliments and happy notions of reassurance.

 _ **Andrew's POV  
**_

"I do hope you will get a chance to interact with people like Herc as well when we move onto the next world, Ced." I tell my friend and Cedric nods before he says: "Good, it looks like he's keeping his limits in mind." And I shake my head as I know that he is focused less on Hercules' training and more on one of his trainee's.  
"That kid has really grown on you, hasn't he?" I ask and Cedric asks: "He hasn't on you?" To which I shrug and say: "I know now that it was never Potter who was behind all of those rumors or who was feeding the rumor mill in the first place, but it's still hard to see him as anything other than someone soaking up all the attention."  
"That's because, even though you never believed the press, books and lies, you did believe what everyone else did; that Harry believed what the books and press wrote about him and bathed in the attention it got him. Even you fell for that trick, regardless of the fact that you were trying to be different from everyone else."

Cedric tells me and I sigh as I know he's right before I ask: "What about you? When did you stop seeing him like that?" And Cedric shudders as he says: "When I saw him fall. Andrew, you don't watch a 13 year old fall hundreds of feet and not change everything you ever thought you knew of him, you know?"  
At this I can only nod as I remember the three weeks that Cedric suffered from nightmares where Harry did indeed fall off his broom – only without the safe landing ever following this fall. It had been horrible for me to see my friend like this and for a short amount of days my hormones had made me resent Harry, of all people, for it.  
At this memory I sigh again and ask: "Why is it so easy to blame him for everything?" And yet it isn't Cedric who answers, but his mother, who comes to sit with us and says: "Because we have just as easily done the opposite for years; build expectations the size of this here Collisseum." And I hate having to agree with her.

 _ **Connor's POV**_

"Looks like I might have a few more potential patients that I can add to my hopeful list." Goes through my mind as I observe the two factors I currently find most important in all this; Harry and his family as well as the Gates to Hell. The former interests me because of Sirius Black and the latter because of the mysterious Arriana Dumbledore.  
It is obvious that the former Azkaban escapee is just as frightened to disappoint his family and loved ones as his son, yet I can only imagine how much help Arriana is going to need once Lord Zeus has returned her from the Pit of Death. And then there is the third and final group of potential subjects that kind of has me worried.  
Those that had been friends with Crabbe and Goyle and who were just as shocked to see their true natures come to reveal themselves as the rest; not to mention their two nearly abducted hostages, Hermione and Blaise. Yet about the latter I know I don't have to worry as both of them are quite resilient and are very independent.

"Not to mention that their Courting can really help them comfort each other and this might turn from a disruption of the period to a chance to see the Courting be taken a step further. And if you combine that with all of the support they can probably get from all of their friends and friends' families, I'm sure those two will be just fine."

"Mr. Ellersby, there you are." I suddenly hear a kind, but firm voice say and I look up from my musings as I see Madam Pomfrey stand near me, the woman smiling at me as she sees me turn my head her way. "Can I – help you, Ma'am?" I ask her, having always held an insane amount of respect for the one-man Healing Army.  
The woman nods and says: "Yes, you can, young man. You see, I've noticed that you like to observe those that need help and I managed to convince someone to be your first patient, though she won't come to you just yet. I just wanted to let you know and inform you that you can probably expect her at the end of the reading."  
At this I nod, feeling excited that a woman like Pomfrey is helping me potentially living out my dream job and I ask: "I understand. Thanks Madam Pomfrey. Who is it?" And the woman turns somber and even seems to feel slightly guilty as she softly tells me: "The last victim of the events we are reading of; young Ginerva Molly Weasley."

This shocks me senseless and I ask: "Wait. You mean – you mean to tell me –." And Madam Pomfrey says: "The Headmaster and her mother overruled me and Arthur said he was sure that he just didn't make enough income to get his daughter through the entire set of sessions. He was just terrified that it would do more harm than good."  
Yet this confuses me and I ask: "But I thought Hogwarts had a special funds for students suffering emotional trauma such as rape, bad marriage contracts and near-death experiences." And the woman looks at me shocked before she wails and says: "How on earth did I forget about that?" Yet I already know the answer and say:  
"Either Lockhart or Dumbledore, no doubt." And the woman looks at me as I say: "I hate saying this, Madam Pomfrey, but I don't think Potter was the only victim of Lockhart's disgusting desires. I just think he was the only one smart enough to notice and fight them." And the woman looks greatly concerned as she nods at me.

 _ **Ralph Copius**_

"And people thought the Tri-Wizard Tournament was going to be exciting. Am I right or am I right?" I ask my best friend as we are leaning on a windowsill on the front right of the entrance courtyard and the boy answers: "We are just reading. Or is this more about your crazy hype with Potter?" But I shake my head and ask:  
"Did the Tri-Wizard Tournament involve tropical islands? Did it involve an ancient Greek myth? Did it involve a phoenix turning into a Nobody who is also a Fire Elemental? Did it involve a blonde guy coming out of a brunette? Did it involve a near kidnap – wait, never mind. Anyway, did it involve us losing two horrible bullies?"  
And my best friend shudders as he had been Crabbe and Goyle's bully victim several times whenever Malfoy didn't want them around to bully Harry and the last few times had made the boy abuse the Healer-Patient Confidentially Clause because they had threatened to do worse to me if he even so much as hinted at their involvement.

"You know, it really scares me. The idea that they are now being trained by Lord Hades of all people. They were bad before, but – but what do you think they'll be like when they come out?" Yet this whole situation had actually reminded me of the Disney representation and so I say: "You mean, _if_ they come out."  
And my best friend looks at me shocked before I say: "And this is where you say; _if. If sounds good_. That's what the two lackeys of Hades said when Hercules punched him into the Pit of Death and he got flushed through thanks to the condemned souls there." And my friend smiles at me as he says: "If. If sounds good."

And instantly I happy wrap an arm around his shoulder as we take one last look outside, even though there is nothing to see past the clouds that surround all of the arena and the courtyard and then we return back to where we had been sitting before the break started and join our other second year dorm mates there.  
Yet while I do, do I look from the doors to Hell over to Harry Potter himself and when the boy shortly turns my way, do I motion for the doors with my eyes and soundlessly say: "Dead, but still deadly." And Harry nods, making me smile at him before I sit down and think: "Even if they train to death, down there that means nothing."

 _ **Leona's POV  
**_

"What is it with English wizards and just accusing each other left right and center?" I can't help but as as the ending of last chapter is mostly on my mind, yet then Fleur says: "It's not just the English, Leona. When I first discovered that Harry was to be Champion, I underestimated him and even called him _a little boy_.  
Needless to say that I really regret that right now." My friend mutters to herself and I smile at her as I say: "Just admit it, Fleur. The only reason you did that was because, like every other girl that came to Hogwarts for the tournament, you didn't do it to be in the Tournament; you did it because you thought you could become Lady Potter."  
And my best friend turns red, while some of our French sisters who overheard us turn to glare at me and I raise an eyebrow at them as I ask: "Am I wrong?" And all of them start to grumble to themselves as they turn away, making me laugh as they obviously have to admit defeat, yet then Fleur laughs as well and says:

"And yet, in the end, Harry himself might just turn out to take that title when this is all over. Though I doubt Viktor would ever make him do that if Harry finds such a thing degrading." At this I nod as Harry is obviously turning out to be the submissive of the couple and I ask: "Do you think he will? Take the Lady Title, I mean?"  
And while I hear some of the girls that had been grumbling before start to snicker in disbelief now, does Fleur turn thoughtful as she gazes at the topic of our conversation before she starts to slowly smile peacefully as she says: "Going by what I know of Harry, he just might – if only to honor his late mother, Lady Lily Potter."  
And this makes the snickering stop instantly and I nod before I ask a question I know all the girls are wondering to themselves and with each other before I ask: "So, now that Harry is officially off the market, who's the #1 Perfect Husband Material now?" And instantly my sisters and I dive into our favorite hobby; gossip of boys.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So, three extra pages and a total of around 2500 extra words have been added and I personally like this new version of the chapter much more. It has better editing, the paragraphs are better put together and we have a bit more backstory for our new OC's, who I will try and put into the story more and more as we progress.  
**_ _ **Hope you enjoy,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	52. Talents And Fears

_**Chapter 51  
**_ _ **Talents And Fears**_

 _ **Auron's POV**_

The last hour I kept my eyes on two groups. One was Hercules and his trainee's and I have to admit he really knows how to train people, even if they don't look like they have the potential to become Heroes. The other is Sora and Riku, but those two seem way too busy with each other to notice even the person sitting next to them.  
Shaking my head at Sora being distracted so easily by the silver-haired boy, I look around a little more and see the second eldest sending a look at Harry that is a strange mix of longing and acceptance. Wondering what is up with that, I wander over and ask: "Is there something wrong?" The young man looks shocked and says:  
"No, why should there be?" To which I answer: "Because of the strange mix of emotions I saw in your eyes. Is there any reason you look at young Harry like that?" The red-head sighs and asks: "Why are the silent types always so damn observant?" To which I answer: "Because our silence makes us blend in the crowds without others noticing."

The red-head laughs, an open laugh that strangely attracts me to him and he says: "It's just – I spend as much time as I could with Harry last summer and I started crushing on him. I thought I was chosen by his Potter Curse – a Curse that choses a red-head to bond with a Potter male that is perfect for said male by destiny, magic and character, but –."  
He sighs again and says: "Looking at Harry now, seeing how easily he fits into Viktor's body and how easy it seems for him to openly show affection to the Bulgarian makes me wonder if I should fight for my place in Harry's life or if I should just see how those two work out together. Maybe Harry's just not affected by the Curse yet."

I nod, interested by this curse and ask: "So it always affects Potter males and always choses a Red-head?" The lad nods and says: "Always, at least according to the charts and family trees I have been able to find about the Potter family." These last few words catch my interest and I ask: "What do you mean, _able to find_?"  
The lad looks confused and I say: "Seeing the gift that Dumbledore man took from Harry and all." The red-head look shocked and he says: "Now that you mention it, I had to break several spells to reach even the first of them. I just thought it was the Noble and Ancient House of Potter protecting her own Family History and all."  
I nod and say: "You better tell Harry first chance you get. Don't tell him about your crush just yet. First try and see if you still like him that way and if you might like him like that in years to come." The red-head nods, while I – for some strange reason – have trouble keeping my eyes away from his dazzling blue eyes.

I then leave for the Lobby and tell the woman holding the book: "I'll read next. I haven't come here without reason, after all." The strict looking woman nods and hands me the book. I nod back at her, feeling respect just for her looks and care and sit down, paging through the closed book to the bookmark before I start to read.

 _ **Cornelius Fudge**_

The man in question seems shocked and asks: "What do I have to do with this chapter?" And Harry answers: "All I can say is Hagrid, Lucius Malfoy, Invisibility Cloak." And the man, together with the Malfoy elder moan, apparently understanding the weird riddle, unlike everyone else and I shrug as I start to read the actual chapter.

 _ **Harry, Ron … monstrous creatures**_ _ **.**_

Now Harry cringes and says: "Not the best way to start the chapter." And Ron moans: "Do you think _they_ will also come up this chapter, Harry?" But the boy shakes his head and says: "What happened around them was a little too big to put in this chapter along with our visit. I think it'll be shown next chapter." Ron nods and I read on.

 _ **During their … christened "Fluffy."**_

"I actually told Gran about that during Christmas and she brought me to see the Longbottom Mind Healer because it was still, sometimes, giving me nightmares. I haven't been scared of it since." Neville tells his friends and they smile at him, while Harry asks: "Mind Healer?" And Hermione answers her friend:  
"A Mind Healer to Magicals is what a Psychiatrist is to Muggles." This makes Harry shudder and she asks: "Are you alright?" He nods and says: "I've just – Vernon kind of told me the same crazy stories about Shrinks and Psychiatrists as he did about the death of my parents." The girl looks at her friend concerned and I read on.

 _ **And if … on it.**_

Now everyone laughs, the giant himself almost falling over the back of his cloud in his laughter and Harry goes on: "Too bad the monster was actually a Snake. Would have made the leash a bit hard to stay around the neck." Now the giant really falls off his seat, his legs flapping in the air of laughing and I let everyone have their laugh.  
After a while Hagrid is one of the last still laughing and then suddenly a young girl says: "You really have a good reading voice, Mr. Auron." I send her a short, thankful smile and see Charlie nodding in agreement, which actually makes me want to smile widely. Not understanding why this could be, I read on instead.

 _ **But he … that followed.  
**_ _By the fourth time this had happened, Harry suddenly remembered how Hagrid loved Dragons and other Dangerous Creatures, but detested Snakes – including his hatred for Slytherins which Harry now fully understood.  
_ _He then remembered how he had always been the scapegoat for if something went wrong at the Dursley residence and he began to wonder if Hagrid – large, kind, gentle Hagrid – could really hold a creature that causes so much terror? By the fifth repeat he was sure the giant couldn't and apparently he wasn't the only one thinking this.  
_ _ **"Riddle might … asked dully.**_ _Harry didn't want to answer that, seeing all the terrors they had faced on a single floor last year._

Ron hits himself on the head and mumbles: "Good point there, mate." Then suddenly his eyes widen and he shouts: "I call dips back on my oath made last chapter!" Shocking everyone, except Harry and Hermione, who smile at the lad in pride. Wondering why this could be, I silently read at first and, not finding anything, I read out loud.

 _ **"We always … his award."  
**_ _He didn't want to accuse Hagrid of anything, but how else was he supposed to find out who really did it. All leads he had was that Slytherin was a Parsletongue, so the monster was a Snake. Hagrid loved gigantic monsters, so maybe he knew of gigantic snakes and wanted one, but that the monster he had held during the attacks was definitely not a snake, so perhaps it had attacked and scared the actual attacking Snake out of the school when Riddle had tried to kill it.  
_ _ **Ron tried a different tack**_ _just when Harry wanted to bring up this new theory_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Riddle does … Hagrid, anyway?"**_

"I repeat, I call dips –." Ron shouts, but then Percy hits him on the shoulder and says: "I understand, little brother. Don't forget all that monster of an ex-monster of ours did to me to separate me from you. It's no more than normal that you would hate me for all that separation and all." But then Ron grumbles:  
"Maybe, but not enough to call you anything like that monster." And while Percy seems shocked that his comforting words had no effect on his little brother does Ron go on grumbling: "Should have been killed by his own monster, he should. Would have saved us years of pain, it would have." This intrigues me and I read on.

 _ **"But the … stay here ..."  
**_ _Sure, his trust in Riddle had taken a harsh blow when he had seen Riddle attack Hagrid like that, but Riddle was still the only one he could talk to about the actual monster and all and Harry had, after his contemplations of Hagrid being guilty or innocent, decided he wouldn't give up on the diary – or let it be confiscated as had been his earlier plan – until he had unraffled the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets – his instincts were after all telling him those two were connected and he was determined to listen to them this time._

"No wonder I didn't see you handing that book in until it was too late, Mr. Potter." McGonagall tells him, but then, strangely enough, the youngest Weasley girl says: "That wasn't his fault, Professor. Just wait and you'll see." The woman looks at her, a mix of worry and confusion in her eyes and while I wonder about the mix, do I read on.

 _ **Ron bit … Harry quickly.**_ _He had decided that Hagrid had been framed and wouldn't let anything bad be said about his friend anymore – no matter how dangerous the pets he kept.  
_ _ **The three … castle lately?"**_

This makes everyone laugh and then one of the twins says: "First Harry." And the other goes on: "And now our own little brother." They then turn to each other and chorus: "How did we not notice?" But they shrug at each other, causing a lot of students to laugh at them and when silence has returned, do I continue reading.

 _ **In the … been expelled.**_ _They now fully understood why he never spoke of it.  
_ _ **It was … hospital wing."**_ _Harry was glad to hear this as it meant that the students could – hopefully – further confirm that it hadn't been him and because he really felt bad for poor Collin Creevey, who had now missed almost 4 months of his First Year.  
_ _ **The second-years … very seriously.**_

"And a matter you could have used your new book for, had it not been for that retched Dumbledore." Remus growls and then Charlie decides to take his chance and says: "It wasn't just that book Dumbledore kept from Harry, Mr. Lupin." Instantly the lad has everyone's attention and Remus asks him worriedly:  
"It wasn't?" Charlie shakes his head and says: "I tried to find some books concerning the Potter Family History and had to break several spells and wards to get to even the 1st and that was only a small book about the last 4 generations of Potters. I found another 9 over the last year, but it really wasn't easy."

Everyone looks at this shocked and then suddenly the lad picks something from his pocket and grows it out with his wand until it has the size of an extra-large backpack. He opens the bag and takes out several large tomes, some looking old, gigantic and dusy, others looking small, new and spotless and all with a strange symbol on the spine.  
A man's head with messy black hair is surrounded by rose vines and under this is a soft blue triangle turned upside down with dark green spots in it and a single hand holding a wand to the left and a rose to the right. Under this is a dark blue V and under that a beige V, slightly bigger, with wolves shown on the V, also in V-formation.  
I look at the symbol in interest and Sirius gasps as he says: "The Potter Coat of Arms." Harry looks at it shocked and asks: "Wait, there are letters under the wolves." And only then do I notice the strangely written letters, written in a language I can't understand. Sirius then says: "It's French, a traditional language for Ancient Houses."

The boy seems interested in this and asks: "What does it say?" And Sirius smiles at his son as he says: "It says **Force du coeur** , which is French for Strength of the Heart." Harry looks at Sirius in admiration and the man says: "Your family was one who believed that true power didn't come from magic or blood, but from the heart."  
Harry shines with this knowledge and then he asks: "Charlie, can I have those books? I would like to read them myself." The redhead nods and sends me a questioning glance. I nod at him, trying to ignore the jealousy I feel in my heart and he hands Harry the books as he says: "Try and read chapter 17 of this one first, okay?"  
And he lies a large, dark green tome with silver bands imprinted onto the spine in a line of 3 on top of the others. Harry looks at him weirdly and he says: "Trust me, you will want to read that chapter." And he sends a significant look at Viktor, catching both his and Harry's attention before I do the same myself as I read on.

 _ **"It could … said Harry.**_ _What he wouldn't give to have those hours free and make potions at times other than at night.  
_ _ **"We can't … Dark Arts."**_

"THANK MERLIN, I DIDN'T!" Ron suddenly shouts and he smiles at Lupin, who shakes his head and says: "I wasn't that good, Ron." Causing just about the entire Courtyard and Arena to shout as one: "WHAT?" Before the twins and one of their friends shout: "YOU'RE JOKING, RIGHT?" The man turns red and Harry coughs.  
We all look at him and while he has his head in the book Charlie recommended, does he aim his wand at an empty spot in the Arena and says: "Expecto Patronum!" And a gorgeous white stag dashes out of his wand, canters around the stadium and vanishes as Harry asks: "What did you just say?" At which many laugh as I read on.

 _ **"But that's … pixies loose."**_ _Harry felt the same way and decided he wouldn't give up the subject just yet. Only if Lockhart would still teach next year, would he switch to Independent Studies, that way he would still study Defense, just not around Lockhart anymore. He happily adviced this to Ron and they agreed on this together, while Hermione rolled her eyes.  
_ _ **Neville Longbottom … Ancient Runes.**_

Suddenly I see Harry sending him a hurt look and Neville asks: "Are you alright, Harry?" But all Harry says is: "We both deserved the same, Neville. We both deserved to have been given advice by our parents." The boy whitens and asks: "How – how do you know?" And Harry rolls his eyes as he gloomily mutters:  
"Dumbledore did something good last year. He gave me access to his Pensive." The boy nods and asks: "H-her trial?" Harry nods and Hermione asks: "What are you two talking about?" But Harry turns stern and says: "Sorry Hermione, but this is not my secret to tell and I won't." Neville smiles at him at this and I read on.

 _ **Dean Thomas … with them.**_ _The thought of his uncle helping him with anything concerning his future just by itself caused him to shiver; he really didn't want to know what his Uncle wanted for his future._

I then suddenly hear soft hushing tones and when I look up, I see Viktor softly cuddling with a shuddering Harry. Instantly Harry's parents are around him and Sirius asks: "Are you alright, little one?" But Harry whispers: "The upcoming summers. I just – I just really fear hearing about them." This worries us all and I read on.

 _ **Not that … strengths, Harry."**_

Now all Weasleys smile at their brother in pride and Arthur hits his son on the back as he says: "That's my son. Brilliant advice, Percy." And the other Weasleys all make comments in agreement with that, causing the third eldest brother to turn red with proud embarrassment and while many smile at the family as a whole, do I read on.

 _ **But the … help him.**_ _Ron also chose the two subjects that sounded the easiest and that was a good thing for Harry, who had decided to keep a low profile as student._

"But Harry, what about your plan to, each year, keep a steady pace up until a certain time and then slowly work up from there?" Hermione asks her friend and Harry mumbles in defeat: "That plan got a harsh blow down a cliff and died in our First year, Hermione." The girl looks shocked and goes to sit with him as she asks:  
"What do you mean?" And Harry turns his head away as he says: "The test scores weren't lost, Hermione. That's all I'm saying." The girl looks confused and Ron asks: "Harry, could you please at least tell us when you felt your plan get that blow?" And Harry growls: "In March." Making the two look at each other confused.  
Then Neville gasps and says: "Those test scores we got for Charms that Professor Flitwick said were lost after he called Harry to his office. That one day at the beginning of March when Flitwick told us we'd have to redo the test." The two look at him and Harry growls: "Right at once, Nev." While all the teachers look at said Charms Teacher.

Flitwick seems white with shock and guilt and McGonagall asks: "Fillius, what were Harry's scores for those two tests you let them make?" And the man says: "Well, his first test score was 432, but – well –." But then the woman shouts: "FOUR HUNDRED THIRTY TWO? OUT OF WHAT?" And the man mumbles:  
"Five hundred." Shocking the woman senseless and Snape asks: "And the second? The one you had him make after your talk with him?" The small man sighs and says: "It was 112 out of the same." Making the two teachers look at Harry and Snape asks: "Potter, I can tell this memory hurts you, but why lower your score so badly?"  
And the boy, having his eyes closed against tears threatening to spill, mumbles: "Because Professor Flitwick thought I had cheated by looking at Hermione's scores and told me that I shouldn't cheat just because I didn't have the same talent in Charms as my mother. He then said he'd let me do the test again and he did."

"He thought you had looked and copied my answers? How were you even able to do that? On the day we first took that test, I was furious at Ron and thus sat myself on the other side of the room. How on earth were you supposed to see my answers from the other side of the room?" Hermione asks the boy looking absolutely furious.  
But this seems to be the wrong thing to do as Harry cringes and shrinks down on himself, as if he had been physically struck and he whimpers: "I don't know. I don't know. I'm sorry. Please – don't hurt me. I'll be good." The girl looks shocked and Viktor whispers: "He's having a backlash." And he quickly hugs the lad tightly.

Harry shudders and shakes terribly and Ron slowly helps a tearful Hermione away from the two and over to Blaise as Viktor whispers loving words softly in Harry's ear, Sirius and Remus sitting on opposite sides of the lad, Sirius patting Harry's hair and Remus rubbing a warm hand over his back in constant circles.  
This seems to slowly let Harry realize where he is and a tiny voice, hidden by a pair of legs and a pair of arms wrapped around the legs, squeaks: "Uncle?" But Viktor whispers: "Not here, бедни ми миличк. He's not here. You're safe. вие сте в безопасност." And these foreign words seem to indeed calm the boy down further.

 _ **бедни ми миличк is Bulgarian for My Poor Darling  
**_ _ **вие сте в безопасност is Bulgarian for You Are Safe**_

Harry slowly looks up and sees Viktor smiling at him lovingly. He smiles back and quickly moves his head from the left to the right, his instincts obviously making him check to see if this strangely dangerous man is really not around. Deciding to find out why this is as soon as I can, I focus my attention on someone else.  
Charlie has been sitting with the rest of his family this entire time, while I had expected him to make his move concerning Harry and the chance of comforting the lad. He sees me looking and shakes his head, making me understand that he has accepted Viktor as Harry's Mate, apparently maybe even chosen by the Potter Curse.

Looking back at the lad and how he is being held, I realize I agree with the redhead and that makes the strangely anger tiger I feel inside my chest stop roaring in jealousy every time I think of Harry and Charlie possibly being together. Wondering if the red-haired lad could have, perhaps, stolen my heart instead I ignore this thought.  
I then wait for the two parents and partner of young Harry to calm him down and then Remus asks: "Auron, would you mind if Harry, instead, read that chapter Charlie told him about?" I shake my head, knowing Harry will be better off focusing on something else. The family smiles at me gratefully and I continue reading.

 _ **Gryffindor's next … been better.**_

This turns everyone cheerful again and Cedric tells a reading Harry: "You would have made one fine opponent, Harry." To which Harry smiles, still with his head deep in the book and Sirius asks: "What do you mean, _would have_? Did something happen?" The elder lad nods and Sirius looks worried as I read on.

 _ **But his … looking frantic.**_

"Although of this I have no idea." Cedric then goes on and Sirius moans and with his arms in the air he says: "So not one thing, but two things go wrong just when something brilliant is supposed to be happening. Why am I not surprised?" And Harry, still reading, mumbles: "Because it's me?" Making the man look at him as I read on.

 _ **"Harry – I … the floor.**_

"N-N-Not the cloak, right?" Sirius asks fearfully and Harry mumbles: "No, that strangely enough turned itself invisible. Ron almost tripped over it." The man sighs in relief and I see Harry glancing at Viktor with wonder and curiosity shining in his eyes, making Viktor look back at him, before he goes back to reading. I smile and read on.

 _ **The bedclothes … his trunk.**_ _It was an immense relief to him to softly put back his photobook, his hand-knitted sweater, his Invisibility Cloak – handed to him after Ron almost slipped over it – and his extra Potions kit holding all his rarest ingredients.  
_ _ **It was … him out.**_ _He knew he could trust Neville with this knowledge, the two of them had grown onto each other as brothers when Harry had it hard the year before, but he didn't want Neville to fall for Riddle's tricks and be framed like Hagrid. Besides, as great as Neville was, again this year, turning out to be, Harry didn't fully believe he could handle the dark magic that constantly kept his neck hairs on end whenever he was near the book._

 _ **They hurried … said Harry**_ _, although he had often seen Parvati take her sister into Gryffindor Common room and he was sure her twin often did the same for her_ _ **.**_

"Fair enough." The brunette smiles and then Harry softly says: "Huh." Before closing the book. I share a glance with Charlie, telling him with my eyes that he should take his shot, while my heart tries to tell me otherwise and Charlie asks: "Did you read anything interesting in that chapter I recommended you, Harry?"  
The boy nods and then he turns to Viktor and asks: "Would you mind if I try something? Just to test out a theory I've read here?" The Bulgarian shakes his head and Harry grabs his wand. He aims it at the lad and whispers a small spell, suddenly turning the extremely short brown hair of the lad into a soft brown-red mix.  
Harry tilts his head and whispers the spell some more, deepening the red color of the hair, but then he shudders and says: "Finite Incantatem." Causing the brown to return. Viktor conjures a mirror and asks: "Did you do something?" Harry sighs and hands him the book, opening it back on the same chapter and says:

"According to the chapter Potter Males fall for redheads that, by destiny, by magic and by personality are absolutely perfect for them. I just wondered how you looked as a redhead, but –." He then softly lets his hand go over the stubby black hair and says: "I can't get enough of that dark hair, no matter what the book says."

 _ **моята парче човешкото съвършенство means My Piece of Human Perfection**_

Viktor smiles and mutters: "Just like I can't get enough of your beautiful emerald green eyes, моята парче човешкото съвършенство." The two smile at each other and then Sirius says: "You know, that Curse might be true, but it has occurred, over the last 200 generations, that it was the attributes a Potter fell for, not the hair."  
Harry looks at him shocked and asks: "Really?" Sirius nods his head with a smile and Remus says: "Take your grandfather for instance. He fell for a Black, who naturally have the same hair-color as their name, yet it was her magic, destiny and character that made him fall for her so hard he loved her immensely and died by her side."  
The boy smiles and says: "Good." Before cuddling with Viktor's side and says: "Because I can't imagine life without Viktor and I think I'd have a heart attack if I ever saw him with red-hair." The three laugh and I send Charlie an apologetic glance. The redhead nods gratefully and while I try not to cheer outwardly, do I read on.

 _ **They woke … the idea**_ _and that wasn't because his earlier plan was now impossible_ _ **.  
**_ _ **He'd have … up again.**_

This makes the giant smile at his friend gratefully, but Harry has already dived into another book and Sirius says: "Don't bother with him. He's been deprived of learning about his family his entire life. He just wants to know what we all do." We all nod, the teachers smiling at the lad encouragingly and I read on, feeling proud of him.  
But then Ron groans and says: "And, unless I'm mistaken, it goes wrong right next sentence." This confuses Cedric and he says: "I thought things started going wrong at the start of the match." But instead of Ron, does Hermione shake her head and say: "No, it already starts now. I'm sure of it too." Cedric looks at her concerned and I read on.

 _ **As he … the stairs.**_

"I really shouldn't have gone alone." The girl mutters to herself and Sirius whitens before he says: "No, you really shouldn't have. If Harry heard that voice, you should have gone to a teacher, not the library." And with that does the girl shudder and does her tanned friend pull her close against him for comfort as I read on.

 _ **"What does … come from.**_ _He wanted to make sure the snake was moving away from the pitch, he had to hear if it was.  
_ _ **"Loads more … the library?"  
**_ _Harry wondered if Hermione had learned anything about possibly the monster, but just because they now both knew that the monster was some kind of snake could not possibly get her any closer to finding out what kind of snake. He, after all, had been going through hundreds of books on snakes during History of Magic for the last few months and had come up blanc, so how was she to find out what snake they were dealing with?_

"I did, because someone was constantly pulling the strings; someone who only wants things at Hogwarts to go how he wants it and doesn't care one iota of what happens to those who are wrapped into these planned events of his." Hermione mutters darkly, all the while shuddering terribly and I look at her worriedly before I read on.

 _ **"Because that's … the game.**_

Harry seems to be listening as he reads as he stops reading and instead hits himself on the head and says: "I was so distracted right there. How could I even think that?" This worries the others too and an elder woman sitting with the Hufflepuffs asks worriedly: "So there's still someone inside the castle?" Harry nods and I read on.

 _ **The teams … his broom**_ _, his mind fully intend on finishing this match as quickly as he had done the one last year,_ _ **when Professor … been canceled,"**_

"And that's what I meant with saying Harry would have made one fine opponent. I never got to play against him until the year after. And that hadn't even been a fair match." He then looks at Harry and says: "Our teams will play again when we come back to school, okay Harry?" Harry nods, a smile on his face as he reads on and I do the same.

 _ **Professor McGonagall … Cup... Gryffindor..."**_

The boy in question, now a young man only a few years younger than Charlie, cringes and says: "Had I known what I know now, I would have fully understood why she cancelled the match." The woman in question smiles at him and Sirius moans: "Do I want to know?" Making just about everyone shake their heads as I read on.

 _ **Professor McGonagall … looked worried.**_ _Harry was more worried than irritated, but he was also relieved as this meant he had more time to find out what had made Hermione run for the library. Instantly, upon remembering this, he whitened and with the silent plead of 'Please no, please no,' going on in his head he walked on._

And this phrase seems to be shared with most of the Arena as everyone has turned white, none more than those close to the girl in question and the woman that just asked about students still in the castle and while I see practically everyone seeking comfort with each other and hugging each other, do I read on with a restrained voice.

 _ **Harry and … hospital wing.**_ _This did not improve Harry's mood and he went from pleading to mumbling, 'She's in the Library. She's in the library. Let her be in the Library. She has to be in the library, she just has to.'  
_ _ **"There has … horrible somersault**_ _and it felt as if his pleads had fallen to deaf ears_ _ **. Professor McGonagall … common room.**_

This makes Percy sniff softly and his brothers quickly go sit around him. We all look at them in confusion and the twins look at Percy inquiringly. When he nods, they chorus: "The Ravenclaw was his girlfriend." Shocking everyone around and making many send sad and comforting glances at the young rimmed-glasses wearing lad.  
Only then do I notice how there are two Weasleys missing and I see Arthur holding his daughter, Ginny being as white as Percy is. Wondering why this could be, I look at the elder Weasley like the twins had looked at Percy, but he shakes his head and mouths: "Inside the story." I nod at him and continue reading.

 _ **And on … Professor McGonagall**_ _, Harry let out a soft whimper of despair_ _ **. "I don't … at Hermione.**_ _Harry wished he had kept his mouth shut about hearing the voice, even though his instincts were telling him that that had been a good thing. He didn't know what to make of his instincts anymore.  
_ _ **"I will … any case."**_ _Harry left as the last of the three, once more ignoring his instinct, now telling him to have a closer look at Hermione._

"Really should have listened to those damned instincts." Harry mumbles, just hard enough to be heard while his face is still tucked inside the book and Ron kids: "Found anything interesting yet, Harry?" To which Harry says: "One of Five Potter males are Elementals, apparently." The redhead looks shocked and Hermione asks:  
"When was the last?" To which the boy answers: "Don't know." But then Sirius and Remus share a look and Remus says: "James wasn't and neither was Charlus. If neither Charlus' dad nor his grandfather was an Elemental either – that could mean –." But before he can get to the conclusion of his beliefs, does Harry say:

"Hey, there's a charm to check it right here." And instantly both his parents are besides him before Remus says: "I think I get it." To which both his mate and his son turn to him and the man reads the spell a few more times before he nods and stands up, instantly having the attention of the entire Arena and Courtyard on him.  
He then turns to his son with wand in hand and casts the charm, which actually causes Harry to turn a strange purple and grey color. The boy examines the color around his hand and then checks the book, a grimace growing on his face as he says: "Guess either grandpa's father or grandfather were an Elemental then."  
And this actually shocks those around him as Remus asks: "Negative?" And Harry nods as he says: "The grey does imply that I am a natural flyer, but the purple indicates that I am still the wrong generation, so – no gift." And while this makes some of those around us sigh sadly, does Remus return to his seat as I read on.

 _ **"All students … evening activities."**_

"Were those rules really lived through? That's worse than when we had an attack on Hogsmeade by Voldemort himself." Sirius shouts in shock and McGonagall sighs and says: "We did not know how else to keep students from being attacked." The man nods and smiles at her gratefully, making her smile back slightly before I read on.

 _ **The Gryffindors … come forward."  
**_ _Harry wanted to come forward, but two things held him back. One was that she had yet to fully earn back his trust – or at least enough for him to trust her with the important information he had been able to gather. The other was that he had no diary and thus no evidence and he was still without all the clues required to solve the mystery._

"Harry, you know Minerva would have been happy if you had just come forward with the note that you wanted to confide your information into a teacher of your choice. She would have accepted anyone you chose, you know that right?" Sirius asks and Harry nods slightly, his head still in the book and I sigh, before reading on.

 _ **She climbed … scattered applause.**_

Ginny seems to turn even more white as she hears this and Ron sighs, going to sit with her instead of Percy as he says: "Lee, you have no idea how – indirectly – wrong you were that day." The lad looks confused and Ron says: "The Heir was behind the attacks, just not – physically." This doesn't get us anywhere further and I read on.

 _ **Percy Weasley … only half-listening**_ _, even if he didn't believe for one second that Percy was this upset just because another Prefect had been attacked_ _ **.**_

"Well, to be honest was that still a big reason behind my shock and paleness. I did, slightly, believe that Prefects couldn't be attacked by the monster and the fact that one had been made me fear for your lives all the more. That Hermione was also attacked didn't help my nerves." The young red-haired lad admits quietly.  
Instantly Ginny goes to sit on his lap and for some reason do I get the feeling that he takes comfort out of the chance to comfort his little sister and calming her down, helping her gain some of her color back. Wondering what could have happened to the girl, who seems scared and guiltridden every time the attacks are mentioned, I read on.

 _ **He didn't … of stone**_ _or the instinct telling him to go and check on her again, this time more thoroughly_ _ **.  
**_ _ **And if … the Dursleys.**_ _Harry almost whitened completely at just the thought. He was sure his uncle had yet to forget his little stunt with the flying car and he feared the consequences already.  
_ _ **Tom Riddle … had felt**_ _, even if he was still furious at the fact that it had been Hagrid who had been the victim_ _ **.**_

Then suddenly Harry curses and Sirius shouts: "Harry, language!" While being looked at by Remus as if he's lost it. But Harry says: "It here says that Potters, at age eleven, get the ability to control one Dangerous Creature of their choice for one Hour. Now there's some valuable information I could have used over the past few years."  
This worries me and Sora asks: "The Monster wasn't the only dangerous creature you faced?" Harry shakes his head and says: "I faced two more in the last two years. Although, me not learning to control them did have a handy advantage." And he happily twirls his wand as he reads on. Feeling intrigued with the lad, I continue the reading.

 _ **"What're we … a start."**_ _He didn't believe it for one second, but he had yet been given the chance to share his theory with Ron, so it was best to work with old, forgotten believes.  
_ _ **"But McGonagall … Invisibility Cloak.**_

"And apparently a lifetime supply of family history." Harry then comments and then an older Ravenclaw asks: "Ever going to put that book down, Potter?" A joking tone added to his voice as he asks this, but Harry answers: "In due time, in due time." Before he silently reads on. The older lad shakes his head and I read on.

 _ **It was … Ron swore.**_

The Professor in question hits himself on the head and mutters: "You have got to be kidding me." He then sighs and says: "On the other hand is that only better, seeing my behavior towards Potter back then." Then suddenly I see that Fudge seems to have realized something and the man gasps in shock before I read on.

 _ **It was … behind him.**_

"Oh dear, this won't end well." Fudge suddenly says and McGonagall asks: "Is there something you would like to share, Cornelius?" The man sighs and says: "Let's just say that I, again, forget about the treaty and act like a self-centered, position-hungry and biased idiot." The woman looks at him confused before I read on.

 _ **"Oh," he … the windows.**_ _Harry felt like the time they had discovered about Norbert and was reminded of writing Charlie – he wondered if Ron had continued doing so afterwards, but shook the thought of, believing it not to be important until later time, and focused back on his giant friend._

"Too bad I didn't think about that myself." Ron moans, but Charlie comforts him and says: "I probably wouldn't have written back anyway, little brother. I would have worried too much about our letters falling into that woman's hands." The younger redhead smiles lovingly at his older brother and I continue reading.

 _ **He poured … was Dumbledore.**_

"OH NO, NOT HIM!" Almost the entire crowd shouts and Phill moans: "Why him? Why the man that ruins everything? What is he doing there? Why there?" And Hagrid answers with a growl: "Because of the friendly, helpful image he wanted to keep up with me." And while I'm intrigued by the length difference between the two, do I read on.

 _ **He entered … shut up.**_

Harry hums interested as Ron hits himself on the head and then Sirius gently asks him: "Harry, you're not reading that just to not have to focus on things going bad in the books, are you?" Harry shakes his head and says: "I'll stop shortly. Just a little more to read." One of his fathers nods in acceptance and I read on.

 _ **Hagrid had … to act."**_

"The Ministry had nothing to do with the attacks on Hogwarts, not unless the Board so verified and accepted it, Cornelius." A woman with a monocle suddenly tells the man strictly and Fudge sighs and says: "Trust me, you'll get a reason to shout my hide full soon enough." The woman gets thin lips as she hears this and I read on.

 _ **"I never … in touch."**_

I see the blonde haired man named Lucius cringe at this and apparently the woman with the monocle sees the same as she asks: "The School Governors, Cornelius, or just your old pall Lucius in name of those Governors?" Both men now cringe, making the woman sigh and shake her head in defeat before I continue the chapter.

 _ **"Yet again … doing something.**_

This shocks me silent and instead Charlie whispers: "Got to be seen –." He stops to take a deep breath, obviously trying to remain calm, but then he shouts: "DOING SOMETHING?" Before suddenly Harry asks: "Oh, are we there already? Oh, Goody." And to the shock of everyone, he closes the book and lies it down next to him.  
Everyone looks at him shocked and Sirius says: "Harry, you said you weren't reading just to avoid hearing the bad things written in the book." And Harry says: "I wasn't. I just knew I'd have a go at the Minister myself if I heard that fully focused and apparently Potters have a really nasty temper. Just didn't want to unleash it, not now."  
The man looks shocked before hitting himself on the head and with his hand over his eyes he shakes his head, while Fudge seems relieved at this. But then Harry spats: "Not that I like hearing it any less, of course." The man cringes and says: "I promise, Mr. Potter, it will never happen again." The boy nods and says:  
"Never forget, Minister, your prime priority as Minister of our Country is making sure we, your people and voters, can trust in you to lead us into new ages and better times – or at least that our lives won't be overrun by your decisions." The man nods, I feel impressed with his way with words and continue to read the chapter.

 _ **If it … croaked Hagrid.**_

Instantly Sirius whitens and whimpers: "Please – Fudge – Cornelius – tell me you didn't." But the Minister keeps his mouth shut and Sirius moans, his face hidden by his hands and he says: "Azkaban. I can't believe it! I wouldn't even wish that on my worst enemy when I am raged out at them." This worries me and I read on.

 _ **Before Fudge … the small cabin.**_

"The difference in lifestyles is never a matter to insult another one over, if you ask me. I mean, I now know I'm richer than even Dursley could ever dream to be and I would still prefer a room the size of the Gryffindor dorm over what I can only assume will be in the Manors I own." Harry tells the blonde and the man nods as I read on.

 _ **"I simply … blue eyes.**_

"The only thing he should have done. The one thing none of the other Governors should have undone no matter what." McGonagall moans and Sirius asks: "Why do I have mixed feelings about this?" And the woman answers: "Because this time one of Lucius' good actions get undone by the wrong people." The man moans and I read on.

 _ **"Dreadful thing … the school."**_

"Ehm, Mr. Malfoy?" Lee asks bravely and when the blonde looks at him questioningly, does he say: "No offence meant, but ehm – with the way you just worded that – and with ehm – the common knowledge of you hating Muggles – is it too bad if I suspect you to be behind all this?" Yet the man in question sighs and says:  
"No offence taken, Mr. Jordan. And I'm afraid I'd have to ask you to wait. That belief has been shared and investigated long before this, I can assure you." The dreadlock-hair styled teenager nods at the elder blonde and while I see said blonde send worried, guilt-ridden glances all around, especially to the Weasley girl, do I read on.

 _ **"Oh, now … who can?"**_

"Yes, who other than the man that sits back and plays his own men like pawns on a chessboard can save us from a monster he doesn't even know about?" Sirius moans dramatically, but then he whitens and says: "Please tell me you didn't." But Harry cringes too and says: "Sorry Sirius, circumstances asked for it."  
"What kind of circumstances?" Sirius moans, taking his son on his lap, while I wonder how Harry can call the man his mother and Harry shakes his head and says: "Can't say. I don't want to cause her anymore pain. This is hard enough on her." The man looks around worriedly at these words, but I distract him and read on.

 _ **"That remains … at all."**_

"Okay, I admit. That was WAY beyond low." Lucius then states and Sirius growls furiously: "You have no idea." Making the blonde cringe. Sirius then glares at him and says: "You might be my cousin by marriage, but never give me a reason to put you there, because believe me. I will." Lucius whitens at the vow and I read on.

 _ **"Yeh can' … gray ones.**_ _Harry was having the feeling as if he was watching a wrestling match of two sets of eyes, both determined to make the other look down, while his neckhairs once more stood on end. The strange thing was the magic seemed to leak from Dumbledore, while Harry could – thanks to the diary – now easily identify it as Dark Magic._

This shocks all those around and Hagrid shouts: "That bastard was using DARK MAGIC IN MY HUT? How dare he?" But then Lucius mutters: "I wonder what kind of magic he was using. I sure as hell felt nothing." But then Harry hits himself on the head and says: "He made a Vow." We all look at him confused, before I decide to just read on.

 _ **"However," said … stood hidden.**_

"He used KIDS to make a VOW tying him to HOGWARTS OF ALL THINGS?" Arthur shouts and he goes on: "Is he mad? Does he not know of the consequences of that vow?" He then turns to Ron and asks: "You weren't hurt afterwards, were you? You didn't feel anything off, did you?" Ron shakes his head, confused and Sirius says:  
"Thank Merlin, the Cloak must have kept the Vow from taking effect." Finally Hermione asks: "Why, what would have happened had that Vow taken place?" And Remus growls: "Had that Vow taken place, Harry and Ron would have been forced to carry part of Dumbledore's magic around to keep his spirit around Hogwarts."  
"They would have been forced to WHAT?" The same elder woman as before shouts and Remus nods before he says: "It would have also made them both Deputy Headmasters, something which would have put way too much responsibilities on their shoulders. It would have made them appreciate his work all the more and –."  
And Ron ends: "And our – and more importantly Harry's – loyalty and honor of Dumbledore would have skyrocketed, making it even easier for the damned bastard to manipulate my little brother." Harry smiles at hearing the words _little brother_ and while I feel impressed with the kind of bond the two boys share, do I read on.

 _ **"Admirable sentiments … I'm sayin'."**_

"And that, Hagrid." Ron growls, while I wonder how he can be scared to death and furious at the same time, does he go on: "Was even worse a decision of us to follow than that you wanted to raise a Dragon in a Wooden Cabin." The Giant looks at the steaming, yet white-faced redhead in shock and I read on, feeling curious.

 _ **Fudge stared …**_ _ **closed door.**_

"And that ends this chapter. Quite the reactions this caused, didn't it?" I ask, slightly sarcastic, but then Kairi asks: "Hey, am I the only one noticing how little Axel, Roxas, Sora and Riku have contributed to this chapter?" And when we look at them, we see the two couples quite busy kissing their respective partner's lights out.  
At this a nervous first year with the Gryffindor trim on his brest asks: "Ehm, should we try and – separate them? EEEK!" He screams in the end as Axel actually summons one of his Chakrams and aims it at the boy in question before Kairi says: "I think their situation is one that is like approach at your own risk of health."  
And the first year in question nods his head frantically, while personally I have my eyes elsewhere, namely at the entrance to the Underworld and while I have no doubt that the Lord of that domain would have gagged at the sight of such romance, do I still worry over his lack of presence and what he could be up to next.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **Well, this chapter got a bit more editing done, a few extra responses here and there and I decided on a change of where to put the translations. At first, the translation were at the start of the chapter, but after a reviewer commented on this, did I decide to change the layout, so now they are at either the end or start of a paragraph.  
**_ _ **Also, I'm sure some of you are wondering why I didn't make Harry an Elementalist and that is quite simple. As much as it hurts me, this story will focus mostly on Harry Healing of his past injuries and trauma's. A Super Powerful or OP!Harry doesn't really fit that kind of story style, so I kept it to him being a Natural Flyer.  
**_ _ **Okay, have fun,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	53. Packs And Threats

_**Chapter 52  
**_ _ **Packs and Threats**_

 _ **Leon's POV**_

"Hey, seeing that Auron got to read so soon after his arrival here, I suggest I read next." I tell the crowds sitting around me, not paying attention to Sora and Riku kissing or Roxas and Axel kissing and only interested in reading a chapter of this, so far, interesting yet dangerous sounding book. Auron nods at me and I walk over.  
The strong man then walks over to the Weasley family and of course, I already know why. This is mostly to me being quite like Auron and therefore being the strong but silent type that easily blends in with the crowds and discovers things about the people in the crowds through observation that others can't or don't notice.  
I personally smile as I had already noticed his looks at young Charlie Weasley and I think: "The scarred Dragon Keeper and the Scarred Escapee of Hell; quite the nice combo." And with that, while sitting down to read the next chapter, do I think back to my own crush, the young blonde with the dark, dark past.  
I then look at the chapter and ask: "Is this a name as well?" Instantly Ron whitens and says: "I think I already know and trust me, you do not want to know. I don't even want to remember that I know, so you definitely do not want to know." This intrigues me as the boy seems to be rambling out of pure fear and I start to read.

 _ **Aragog  
**_ _ **Summer was … horribly wrong.**_

"We really have to learn to be a little more independent and not turn into mindless sheep whenever Dumbledore isn't around." McGonagall moans and she goes on: "This is the second time in two years that he is absent when we _supposedly need him most_ and look what happens." The other teachers nod and I read on.

 _ **Harry and … people off..."**_

This makes the adults around gasp, while the students look at each other weirdly and then Sirius asks: "So, out of fear of the attacker coming back, you completely isolate students from their friends and keep them in your Hospital Wing with nothing – no offence – but your constant worrying?" And the woman spats:  
"What's wrong with that?" To which Remus says: "Sirius just means that he believes it possible for the Petrified students to be able to hear what is going on around them and to hear that their friends visit them would comfort them and make them know what is going on – what is being done to help them recover."

The woman looks shocked and Sirius says: "I know you love your patients, Pomfrey, my friends and I know that like no other, but just being alone with you in a place that reminds us of nothing but our illness is not the right way to help us heal." The woman seems to contemplate this and she asks him curiously:  
"What do you suggest then?" And the man says: "What I've been suggesting since the first time you send James out of the Hospital Wing because my arm had to heal. Let your patients have their friends keep them company. That way, they can enjoy themselves – I know, Hospitals aren't to be fun – but it also keeps their minds off the pain."  
The woman looks shocked and asks: "Would it really?" Sirius nods and says: "I always felt the pain of healing the most a few minutes after you send my friends out and I know for a fact I'm not the only one, am I?" And almost everyone shakes their head, agreeing with the man and giving the woman something to think about as I read on.

 _ **With Dumbledore … quickly stifled.**_ _Even the twins kept it to only a prank a week, something Harry and Ron were really mind-boggled over as they both remembered the daily pranks the twins had pulled last summer.  
_ _ **Harry constantly … they were?**_

"Thank Merlin that oath didn't work. It would have made you do things I would have had a heart attack over for sure, just because a charmed set of instincts would have told you to prove your loyalty to Dumbledore and prove him right." Remus tells us all as he pulls his son closer, almost into his lap and Harry hugs him tightly as I read on.

 _ **Hagrid's hint … to follow.**_

"Seeing the situation, that is a bad thing." One of the twins says, a grim face on his look, but I can tell he is trying to get us all to smile and the other says: "But seeing our little brother's fear for Spiders, we count it as something good." Some students snicker at this and Ron smiles at his brothers gratefully before I read on.

 _ **Harry looked … and suspicion.**_

"Axel, portal, please." Harry almost spats, the strain sounding through in his voice showing how much he is trying to stay polite and the elder Malfoys groan as Axel sends Draco back to Destiny Islands. Then Narcissa asks: "Is this what you were talking about earlier, Harry?" Harry nods, his face tense with held back rage and I read on.

 _ **Draco Malfoy … ever had.**_

"Actually, he told Ron and Harry, not them." The twins chorus, trying to cheer Harry up, but the boy groans: "Please guys, don't." The twins look at each other shocked and one of them asking: "Harry asking us not to joke?" And the other says: "That's never happened before." But I ignore their shock – just like Harry – and read on.

 _ **Maybe we'll … filling in..."**_

"Hurtful, but true. The last part, at least, but that was because I believed the Governors would be wise – I mean, stupid – enough to realize their mistake – correction best move ever – and would – sadly enough – get Dumbledore back in his position." The woman says and we all snicker at how she constantly corrects herself as I read on.

 _ **Snape swept … his cauldron.**_

"I have to say, Potter, that so far I don't understand why you are this angry. What exactly, if I may ask, happened – I daresay – behind my back that I wasn't aware of?" Snape asks Harry and he says: "Just read on. I need to keep hold of myself. Axel, please! Close that portal." The redhead does as asked and I read on.

 _ **"I'm quite … wasn't Granger..."**_

My voice had softened the more I had read and finally only a hissing sound, quite like Sephiroth – the dark side of my lovely Cloud – is heard coming from my throat as I can barely believe anyone that young can be that cruel. Then I finally shout: "HOW IN RADIANT GARDEN'S NAME IS THAT BOY NOT A HEARTLESS YET?"  
But my shout is overpowered in the end by a loud, furious shout of: "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" And a tremendous wave of energy almost blows me full against the walls of the lobby. Then a gigantic creature erupts from a single wand and students all around scream as a humongous silver white dragon raises his head and roars loudly.  
I look down at the power source and see Harry, his wand almost breaking by the force of his magic and anger and Viktor quickly runs over, grabs Harry around the waist and kisses him fiercely, obviously trying to distract him. But the boy's anger seems stronger than his love for his Bulgarian boyfriend and the dragon flaps his wings.  
It flies up and I see the end of the tail letting go of the wand it was attached to. It then starts to fly circles around the stadium when suddenly a girl's voice shouts: "Petrificus Totalus!" And I see Harry stiffen, his wand falling from his hand and as the piece of wood hits the ground, does the dragon roar one last time and disappear.

I then look at where the spell that hit Harry came from and see Hermione, tears in her eyes and her entire form hidden in Blaise Zabini's body, lowering her wand, while Blaise is both furious and whispering sweet, comforting words in her hair and ear, obviously thinking his girlfriend's distress more important than his own fury.  
Ron looks at her shocked and she says: "I – I had to. He was – he was too furious. I had to – to make him – him drop his – his wand. I – I had to." The redhead nods and turns back to Viktor, where I see that the Bulgarian has, somehow, managed to turn the stiff body limp and that he is now holding it close to his own.  
I look around and it seems that the fear for the dragon has made everyone else forget about their anger for the blonde. Still, I know that asking Axel to bring him back now will be the worst decision we can make and instead I say: "Auron, Hercules, why don't you two and I show that brat some discipline next break?" The two nod and I read on.

 _ **The bell … bare hands -"  
**_ _Harry saw just as red in fury, but he whispered, 'Ron, the best revenge is a sneak attack. Wait for him to think he got away with it, let him forget what he said and then strike. He's too focused now on making us look bad for attacking him. Think strategic, Ron, think strategic.'  
_ _ **"Hurry up … get loose**_ _and Harry still trying to get him to think strategically, something he knew Ron to be an expert in thanks to his Chess expertise_ _ **. It was … the greenhouses.**_ _Ron had agreed with Harry's plan to let Malfoy think he got away with his words and was already, happily, muttering about ways to get back at the blonde – later._

"And trust me, in my anger, I would have agreed with most of them. And those were quite vile, I can tell you that." Dean then tells the group and Ron smirks, smiling in happiness when his twin brothers hit him on the back with the words: "Way to go, little bro." I wonder what that stragetic mind can come up with and read on.

 _ **The Herbology … Ernie Macmillan.**_

Instantly most of the Hufflepuffs glare at the lad in question, obviously still angry at his behavior of a few chapters earlier and the boy cringes, before he says: "With good reason. I sought him out with good reason." And when the rest of his group nods in agreement, do the other Hufflepuffs stop glaring and do I continue reading.

 _ **Ernie took … shook it.**_ _He was still furious at what Ernie said about him being attacked by Voldemort and how he survived and all that – not to mention the fact that Ernie, like most of Hogwarts it seems, only realized Hermione was Muggleborn when she had been attacked – but he didn't want the House of Loyalty and Noble Actions against him and thus decided to let it go – after a well-planned, well-timed prank, of course._

The boy in question hits himself on the forehead and asks: "So it was Harry who made me wear Gryffindor colors for a whole day?" And Harry, finally conscious again, mumbles: "Yep." Before Hannah asks: "How'd you do that?" And Harry mumbles: "Asked the twins." Making the two mumble: "Of course." Before I read on.

 _ **Ernie and … and Ron**_ _, the first of who had trouble hiding a devious smirk_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"That Draco … running away.**_ _It gave him extra trouble taking care of the Shrivelfig, but Hermione could be healed if he could find out what Hagrid's hint meant.  
_ _ **"Looks like … of earshot.**_

"Severus, why were you the one to escort them?" McGonagall asks the man and he sneers: "Because I had two classes who both had Herbology after my Potions class. I first escorted my second class to Herbology and then escorted them to that fool – I mean Defence Against the Dark Arts." McGonagall nods and I read on.

 _ **"We'll have … Lockhart's classroom.  
**_ _Harry again build his walls of books, with the back of the books to him and the smaller pictures of the man at the back cover covered by thick parchment, but Lockhart was yet to be sited and this was something Harry considered a blessing.  
_ _ **Preferring not … so again**_ _, even if it had granted him a bottle of Unicorn Blood willingly given and a ride on a Centaur's back_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Lockhart bounded … of buoyant.**_

"I come back on my earlier self-correction. I didn't mean fool, I meant dimwitted, brain-dead twerp." Snape sneers furiously and McGonagall says: "Not to mention annoying as hell. With his constant smiles and positive, _I'm–a–hero_ attitude, bouncing around the Teacher's Room every time we met there." The woman shudders and I read on.

 _ **"Come now … nobody answered.**_ _Even the girls were starting to see what Harry had been seeing the entire year – a dimwitted idiot, whose fame disabled him from seeing any further than the tip of his own dying brain._

This makes a lot of students snicker and Harry mumbles: "And there I was being generous to how I thought of him." Making a dam burst and making the entire Coliseum shake on its own foundations with laughter. Glad for the lad to have broken the sad and anger-filled atmosphere, I smile at him shortly before reading on.

 _ **"Don't you … Thomas loudly.**_ _Harry smiled at the fact that, even now, people were willing to stand up for Hagrid and he gave Dean an encouraging smile from behind his fort of books.  
_ _ **"My dear … Harry muttered.**_ _The last thing he wanted was for Lockhart to know of his Invisibility Cloak – a Lockhart he could see was one thing, but an invisible Lockhart made him shudder in fear terribly.  
_ _ **But Lockhart's … stupid face.**_

"I actually did." Seamus then suddenly says and Harry asks: "What? When?" Making the Irish lad look at him shocked as he says: "Right that lesson. Didn't you see me do so?" Harry shakes his head and Ron moans: "How could we have missed that? I would have given the world to see that." The Irish lad smiles and I read on.

 _ **Instead he contented himself with**_ _the memory of his knee hitting Lockhart where it hurts and_ _ **scrawling a … he nodded.**_

Now Hermione and Blaise smile at the boy and a teary Hermione whispers a soft _thank you_ , while Blaise holds her close and gives the redhead a proud thumb's up and grateful smile. Ron waves away the thank you and nods at Blaise, whispering: "Anytime." Back at the tanned young Snake before I continue reading the chapter.

 _ **The Gryffindor … to bed.  
**_ _Harry saw Ron worry for Ginny and he did the same; he had after all seen Ron keep a protective eye on Ginny whenever he could and the boy had even, subtly, slid food onto his little sister's plate at least trice a week – and still Ginny looked paler and in worse a condition than the students who had had that case of flue last October._

The girl seems to be feeling quite the same right now, if her fearful trembling in her older brother's arms is anything to go by and I see Ron mouth to Harry: "Only one more." Making a worried Harry nod back, while I wonder what will happen to the poor girl next chapter. Deciding to quickly find out, I read a little faster.

 _ **Harry and … Portrait hole**_ _, Ron throwing one last worried glance over his shoulder before the portrait closed_ _ **.  
**_ _ **It was … the teachers.**_ _When they had passed the Fourth Floor, they heard Professor McGonagall talking with one of the ghosts and they kept themselves pasted against one of the walls, barely daring to breath in fear of her cat-ears picking up on the sound. Harry almost had a heart attack when he saw the woman stop, only ten feet away from where they were standing and felt his tensed stomach relaxing when she shook her head and walked on, continuing her conversation with the ghost he now recognized as Professor Binns._

"I should have made the connection." The woman moans and Harry asks: "What do you mean, Professor?" And the woman sighs before turning to the lad and she answers: "You have only used your cloak three times now, Mr. Potter, meaning that the scent of the previous owner is still all over it, covering your own and Mr. Weasley's."  
The boy looks shocked and asks: "You – you smelled my dad?" The woman nods and Harry gives her a watery smile, before Sirius throws up his arms and says: "No wonder that cloak never worked on her! It had James' scent all over it! Unbelievable!" And everyone laughs at this, except Remus, who hits him over the head as I read on.

 _ **At last … away hopefully.**_ _Harry understood his fear perfectly and whispered, 'Don't worry, with a bit of luck, we run into Firenze. He'll protect us, he did me last year, remember?'_

To which Sirius moans: "Don't remind me!" And Remus says: "Sirius, you have to understand that bad things like pup getting manipulated into a meeting with Voldemort will come up every now and then during the story." The black-haired man grumbles and says: "Don't have to like it, though." Causing snickers as I read on.

 _ **They reached … teeth together.**_

"It's really that bad?" Hagrid asks and Harry shrugs with a pained, apologizing look on his face, before he looks from me and the book to his parents and then he says: "I know he won't like it, but I think it's better if we switch Draco for Hagrid." Everyone looks shocked and Sirius asks: "Why do you think that, Harry?"  
And the boy answers: "Because I think you and dad will rip him to shreds if you hear what he told us to do – or better, when you hear the results." The two men cringe and ask: "That bad?" To which Harry, cringing himself, comments: "Even worse than Fluffy and Devil Snare combined." Causing fear everywhere.  
But then Hagrid says: "Harry, that can't be. Aragog knows not to attack my friends." But Harry mutters: "But Aragog is not Buckbeak, Hagrid. That is all I'm saying." The giant looks confused and then Harry says: "Hagrid, just trust me and go. We'll call you back when the chapter is over." The man nods and Axel opens the portal.

The gigantic, beardy man walks through and Charlie says: "I'll go with him. I want to –." But then he stops both talking and walking and when I look at the lad I see Ron clinging to him, white with fear and trembling something terribly. Instantly the second eldest has his younger brother on his lap and mutters: "Never mind."  
Just then does Draco come back out of the portal and he seems to be looking for a place to stay. Wondering why he isn't going to sit with his parents I see them looking at him stoically and realize he fears their wrath. But then Harry says: "Draco, Cedric, Susan, you better sit with your families for this part of the chapter."  
The three mentioned people look at the boy in confusion and he says: "For their own comfort and yours. They will want to remember that you are here and not part of what is being read. Trust me." And when Ron nods in trembling agreement, do the three quickly do as proposed, sitting with their white family members and I read on.

 _ **Harry left … pitch-dark Forest**_ _and it would only enchant their chances to trip over a treeroot or something_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"C'mon, Fang … or something..."**_

Now small smiles appear on the faces of the two boys and Harry mumbles: "I love your blown up wand, Ron. It did exactly what I've been wanting to do for months." The trembling boy laughs and Sirius asks: "So his wand blows up – but at a good timing?" Harry nods and says: "Very, _very_ good timing." Before I read on.

 _ **Harry tapped … Let's go."  
**_ _Harry personally could not be happier and prouder than he felt right then. He had pointed at the spiders as a last resort to make Ron go back, because he knew of the dangers of the Forest and because he knew of Ron's fear for Spiders, but for Ron to go against that fear and fight it just to go into the Forest with him was something Harry would never forget._

"Why am I not surprised you tried to ditch me again?" Ron asks sarcastically and Harry smiles guiltily before Ron shakes his head and says: "You and your stupid noble streak, buddy. You have no idea." He then smiles at the boy, together with Hermione, with smiles filled with such love and loyalty it baffles me and he says:  
"Mate, when we were about to face Fluffy, you tried to ditch us and we said we were coming with you. We didn't just mean on that journey, Harry. We meant on every journey you – or Dumbledore – wanted to go on, whether it's to stop someone stealing the Stone, fight our fears and stop innocent lives from being lost."  
Hermione then goes on and says: "You haven't had friends your entire life, except for Erica and Mss. Crenson, Harry, but we're here now, we were here back then and we will be here for another 2, 5, 10, maybe even 20 years if we can manage it. You're stuck with us, Harry, so stop trying to ditch us, because it just won't work."

By now Harry has tears in his eyes as he looks at his friends and the two walk over, Hermione kissing his tear-stained cheeks and Ron hugging him strongly before slapping him on the shoulder. Harry clings to both of them and they hold onto each other, all three, for the longest of times before Harry sits back down with Viktor.  
Sirius then walks over and lies a hand on Hermione's shoulder as he says: "I, Sirius Orion Black, acknowledge you, Hermione Jeanne Granger, as Daughter of the House of Black, Eternal Friend of the House of Black and, as Mother of Harry James Potter-Black-Lupin, Eternal Friend of the House of Potter. So I swear, so Mote it Be."

The girl looks shocked and then Sirius does the same, before stepping back, staying one step behind Remus, who also steps forward and while I can see how his eyes have turned from the soft amber brown to pure amber with a wild, feral look in them, does this not seem to scare the girl and she stands her ground as he says:  
"I, Remus John Lupin, Alpha of the London Pack of Potter, hereby acknowledge you, Hermione Jeanne Granger, as official Cub in my pack. May your wisdom help your brother, my Cub Harry James Potter-Black-Lupin, and may your loyalty and love for him and for your pack never waver. So I swear. So mote it be."  
But instead of going on to Ron does the man lower to Hermione's feet and now a hint of fear is seen in Hermione's eyes. But then she sees the euphoric smile on Sirius' face and she barely hisses as Remus suddenly bites her in her right ankle, drawing and sucking blood with his fangs and licking the wound clean and spotless afterwards.

He then looks from Ron to Arthur – who nods in acceptance – before performing the same ritual, saying the exact same words, except for the wisdom part. Instead the man says: "May the Strenght of your Heart always aid your brother, Harry James Potter-Black-Lupin." Before following up with the rest of the ritual.  
Both bitten teens smile at the man as he steps back and then Sirius steps forward again and kisses both teens on the forehead, whispering: "I bless this union of Packs." Both times before kissing the teens and holding their shoulders tightly as he does so. They then all sit back down, Harry looking at the scene curiously and I read on.

 _ **So, with … the path.**_

"And here it goes wrong." Harry moans and then suddenly I notice the Weasleys busily pushing and levitating their cloud seats over to where the black-haired lad and his family are sitting. Arthur is the first to reach them and looks at Remus inquiringly. The two share a powerful glance for a long while and then, finally, Remus nods.  
He then turns to Harry and asks: "Harry, do you think Arthur would make a better uncle than Vernon?" And Harry looks shocked as Arthur says: "As Alpha of the pack, Remus can't allow me to take the same role as him in your life, but I won't mind taking a brother role, becoming a sub-Beta, so to say, if you agree, of course."  
Harry seems shocked and asks: "You – you all want to – to be – part of the pack?" And all of the Weasleys nod before the twins chorus: "Would be about high time for your pack to grow, don't you think little brother?" Harry nods, tears once more streaming down his face and he hides in Viktor's chest as I read on, smiling widely.

 _ **Harry paused … the trees.  
**_ _Harry could barely believe they were doing this; that Ron was doing this. Not only was he facing his biggest fear, he was also going into the dangerous part of the Forest and still the lad had not given into his fear. Harry wondered just how strong their friendship was and vowed to himself to never more doubt it, no matter what happened over summer._

Harry nods in agreement, his face still hidden in Viktor's shirt and then I see Sirius and Remus share a glance and Remus says: "Arthur, once you're part of the pack, I'll have to ask you to see to Harry and his needs for next book. We won't be able to do so, you see." The man nods, but Harry looks up shocked and asks:  
"Why not?" And Remus answers: "You know what that book will be about, pup, and we know you well enough that you will not allow us to comfort you as you will probably grow to feel guilty about thoughts and beliefs you, at the time, had true rights to." And while this makes the boy look cross with himself, do I read on.

 _ **They couldn't … the wand light.**_ _The fact he had almost spend two years out of the cupboard seemed to have really done its number on Harry and he slowly felt his eyes adapt a little better to his glasses and a little worse to dark locations, like the Forbidden Forest at the deepest of the night._

"Wait, what cupboard are we talking about here, exactly?" Auron asks and Harry sighs as he says: "The Muggles I lived with were quite cruel in their ways of treating me and so my first bedroom, for ten years, was a cupboard under the stairs." I see the man's eyes widen and then he stands up and walks off, saying:  
"If anyone needs me, I'll be crushing Heartless in Hades' little tournaments." To which Phil asks: "Why not here?" And the man answers: "Because I don't want to slay creatures as harshly as my anger will let me in front of innocent teenage eyes." The Satyr nods in acceptance and the man leaves for the Underworld as I continue to read.

 _ **They walked … their skins.**_

Instantly all the adults are on guard and then suddenly a new voice sounds: "Nymphadora, forget your duty as Auror. I want you here for this. I want the same comfort as Amelia, Narcissa and Nella are enjoying with their children." And I see a black-haired woman with wild hair and worried eyes looking at her daughter.  
The young woman in question has spiked pink hair lying down to her shoulders and before my very eyes it turns red as she says: "Fine, I'm coming. But don't call me Nymphadora. You know I don't like that." But the woman retorts: "Well, I won't call my own daughter by her surname, just so you know." Her daughter groans and I read on.

 _ **"What?" said … heard Fang!"**_

This causes a lot of fear to go round and First and Second years start to move to sit over with the older years, younger siblings seeking comfort with their older relatives and others just asking their House Mates if they could sit with them. None of the elder years refuse the younger years and happily offer them some seats.  
Then Sirius says: "Narcissa, Andromeda, get over here. Our entire family should be together for this, no matter how our opinions may differ." The two woman nod and move their and their family's clouds over. I personally feel overwhelmed with the amazing group, existing out of eighteen people and look at them shortly before reading on.

 _ **The darkness … to move.**_ _Harry tried to suppress the feeling he always had when he was sitting in his cupboard, waiting for his uncle to punish him for something he, sometimes, didn't even remember doing.  
_ _ **"D'you think … Harry whispered.**_ _He really hoped so, he never wanted to feel like this again and he had a good feeling Ron felt the same way.  
_ _ **"Dunno –" Then … their eyes.**_

"Wait, what is light doing in the Forbidden Forest?" McGonagall asks and Snape goes on: "Especially seeing that the boys are out after midnight. It can't be the sunrise, that shouldn't be for another couple of hours, at least." The other teachers nod and then all look at Harry and Ron, Harry held by Viktor and Ron by Charlie.  
The two look at each other and then Harry says: "First of all, Blaise, Hermione. Get over here. You are family as well, you should be here too." The two smile at him and while they move their own clouds over, does Ron say: "Second, is this only the – say – prequel to –." But then he gulps, shivers and I read on, not wanting to scare him further.

 _ **Fang yelped … our car!"**_

It takes me a second before I realize what I'm reading and I look up and ask: "You mean that car that was attacked by the Whomping Willow and that drove off, making Ron worry about the reaction of his father?" The two boys nod and for a short time I hold quiet, giving them time to call other family members over. When they don't, do I read on.

 _ **"What?""Come … its owner.**_ _The small silver antenna at the back of the roof was even twirling around, although Harry wondered if that could be because of magic or because of the wind.  
_ _ **"It's been … its own.**_

"It must have somehow combined its own magic with the magic of Hogwarts and because the magic around the Forest is mostly excessive magic coming from the wards and students performing spells, it must have indeed turned into some kind of wild, metallic animal. How absolutely amazing, I never expected this to happen!"  
Arthur shouts at the end, but then Ron whimpers and the man turns worried in seconds and asks: "It – it doesn't attack you – does it?" Ron shakes his head and says: "It's what the car's light lured out what scares me." The man looks both concerned and confused and I wonder what could be lured out by those lights as I read on.

 _ **Fang didn't … find them."**_ _He would have preferred to just leave Ron with the car, but he respected Ron's wish to face his biggest fear too much to even suggest it, but then he noticed something.  
_ _ **Ron didn't … with terror.**_

"That – oh, oh God. That – that – that." Ron utters, obviously reliving the memory and then Harry grabs his face, but instead of turning it to himself, he turns it to Ginny. This, strangely enough seems to be exactly what the lad needs as he calms down and hugs his worried, but pale looking sister and while he does so, do I read on.

 _ **Harry didn't … black pincers.**_

"Wait!" Remus shouts and he goes on: "Eight long, hairy legs, two holding my cub, a pair of shining black pincers and Ron is terrified of these creatures?" Everyone looks at him and he shouts: "WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME IS HAGRID THINKING, PUTTING AN ACCROMANTULA NEST IN THE FOREST?"  
Everyone is shocked by his outburst and then Nella asks: "An Accromantula? Is that what Riddle tried to attack? Is that what Hagrid was caring for?" And Remus growls: "I can't think of any other monster that fits that description, Nella." The woman whitens and grabs her son's and husband's hands in fear as I read on.

 _ **Behind him … with spiders.**_

"Swarming? With how many?" Bill asks scared and Harry says: "I lost count at fifty with the bigger ones." Before Ron asks: "You actually counted them?" Harry nods and Ron whimpers: "Why?" To which Harry answers: "So that I would know what we would be up against if we had to make an escape."  
The boy looks shocked and Harry says: "Hey, you were there. You saw and heard what I did. The minute I was back on my own legs, my brain cleared and I was back on survival mode, so to speak." To which Ron moans: "Praise the Ancient Lords for that!" Making Harry shake his head very quickly in confusion before I read on.

 _ **Craning his … were popping.**_ _Harry felt terrible. His friend had tried to brave his biggest fear to help him solve the riddle behind Hagrid's comment and now he was surrounded by – he quickly counted – more than fifty of his worst nightmares. Harry never wanted this to be how his best friend would be awarded for his courage, he just wanted answers._

Ron smiles at his friend and says: "Not your fault, Harry." And Remus growls: "No, Hagrid's. And Dumbledore's. The bastard knew darn well what was going on with the Chamber and he actually let all of this happen. He won't be happy when I'm through with him." Many of the adults nod in agreement and I read on.

 _ **Harry suddenly … called. "Aragog!"**_

Instantly the caring smile is wiped off of Ron's face and instead he turns whiter than the ghosts I've seen floating through the Great Hall. Arthur and Charlie quickly take the boy between themselves and while Ron grabs his dad's arms wrapped around his waist with one hand, does he hide the rest of his body in Charlie's embrace.  
I feel very concerned for the young lad and then see that, while Ginny is sitting in the same position with the twins, with Percy and Bill on either side of the twins, is the girl looking at Ron with tears of guilt streaming down her face. She then whispers: "Ron, I – I never wanted – I never wanted this – I never wanted you –."  
But Ron, white and trembling, looks at his sister and for a short while the fear seems to disappear as he shakes his head and says: "You have no hand in this, Ginny. You were victim of Hagrid's stupidity, Dumbledore's manipulations and that bastard's sweet words as much as me." The girl smiles at him gratefully and I read on.

 _ **And from … was blind.**_

"That's at least something, right?" One of the Hufflepuffs asks, but his fellow House mates shush him and I look around. Susan seems to fear spiders as much as Ron as she trembles and cries in her aunt's embrace and Narcissa and Lucius have their son sitting in between them, their arms tightly around him and each other.  
Tonks is sitting between Sirius and her mother and while she is comforted by the woman, does she herself whisper words of comfort to the man, of which I hear the words: "He's right here, Siri." Sirius in the mean-time, is caressing Harry's hair, while the boy in question is held by a furiously growling, worried Remus Lupin.  
Nella Diggory, I then notice, is more comforted by her son and husband than that she offers comfort to either of them and almost all of the First and Second years are being put to sleep by Sleeping Draughts handed to them by a bustling Madam Pomfrey and a softly, angrily, muttering Professor Snape. I sigh at this and read on.

 _ **"What is … Aragog paused.**_

"Thank Merlin!" Goes through the entire Coliseum and then Hades suddenly says: "My, my, what a fuss about something called Aragog." We all look at him and he says: "Hey, I'm just here to bring Auron back, alright. That dickhead of a brother of mine needs help locating Ariana." And he throws the man into the Courtyard.  
Auron saves himself from falling on his face easily and glares at Hades with his one good eye, but the Devil has already turned around and while we all glare at him, does he retreat down the stairs, which are hidden mostly from view by those disgusting dark clouds with thunder erupting here and there. Auron sits down and I read on.

 _ **"Hagrid has … to Azkaban."**_ _Harry knew it was a snake, but he wasn't stupid; he knew the natural enemy of the spider was the snake, so he wasn't going to speak that word in a nest filled with deadly – perhaps man-eating – spiders. Still, he sincerely hoped these giant spiders could tell him what kind of snake it was they were dealing with.  
_ _ **Aragog clicked … an egg.**_

"What is it with Hagrid and receiving eggs, honestly?" Lee asks, throwing up his arms, but then suddenly I see Snape looking thoughtful and he asks: "Harry, how big was the Accromantula in Riddle's memory?" Harry looks confused and says: "I don't know, about waist high with me, back then. Why?"  
And the man answers: "Because that is the size of an Accromantula not even a year old. Hagrid had only gotten that egg that same year and something tells me that wasn't a coincidence." Instantly Harry seems onto his thought process and he whitens as he whispers: "No! No way! He wouldn't." But Snape retorts:  
"Wouldn't he?" And instantly this seems to confirm to Harry that someone would. He sits back, completely baffled and says: "I don't believe it. That man was playing people – even – even then? Even fifty years ago? When he was only a teacher?" And instantly I realize who the two of them are talking about.  
Fury fills my every fiber and I hiss: "I can understand why the Fates wanted him dead so early." Making everyone who must have also caught on nod in agreement. Then Lee asks: "Care to verify to those still unknown?" And Harry spats: "Dumbledore, Lee. Dumbledore was behind all of it once again." Lee looks shocked and I read on.

 _ **Hagrid was … Hagrid's goodness..."**_

"One Accromantula is one thing, Hagrid, but an entire nest?" One of the twins moans and the other goes on: "And in the Forest? Are you really that mad? Who is to say those mad spiders won't go hunting outside the forest?" Instantly I fear for the students' lives and deciding to ask this question to the giant myself later, I read on.

 _ **Harry summoned … Harry urgently.**_ _He wanted to know, he needed to know – for Collin and Nick, for Justin and Hermione.  
_ _ **More loud … of talking**_ _and this filled Harry with fear above all else_ _ **.  
**_ _ **He was … of Hagrid."**_

"I'M GOING TO KILL THAT IDIOT!" Remus shouts, but then Sirius shouts: "REMUS, THINK OF HARRY!" And instantly the man calms down and instead lovingly caresses his son's hair, obviously trying to tame in his anger through his love for the child. I smile at the amazing strength of the man and read on.

 _ **Harry spun … the hollow.**_

"A loud long note?" One of the twins asks before turning to his brother, who asks: "And a blaze of light?" The two seem to understand what this means as they smile widely and Lee, apparently also aware of the situation, shouts: "FLYING CAR TO THE RESCUE!" Making hopeful relief go all round as I read on.

 _ **Mr Weasley's … obviously knew.**_

By now all First, Second and Third years, and a few elder years with obvious fears for spiders, have been put to sleep by the Matron and Potions Master and Lucius says: "I will have the Board of Governors check that Forest. Other than the Unicorns and the Centaurs are there a little too many monsters roaming around for my liking."  
All other adults nod and I see that Remus and Sirius have trouble holding back their anger, no matter how much they are trying to change it into care and worry for their son. Harry then suddenly stands up and asks Axel: "Do you guys have a world where wild animals can roam free?" Axel nods, while I wonder why and answers:  
"We have two, why do you ask?" And Harry whispers something in the man's ear. He nods and says: "I'd suggest Wild Jungle then. Pride Lands is a little more Feline land." Harry nods and walks back to his parents. He hugs them both, the two of them clinging onto him as he does so and he says: "Run." The two look at him and he says:  
"Take the Portal to Wild Jungle, change forms and run your anger out. I can almost magically sense it and it's making my neckhairs stand on end, if you get what I mean." The two nod and they leave through the portal made by Axel, while I wonder what Harry means with _changing form_. Deciding to find out later, do I read on.

 _ **Harry looked … of sky.**_ _Relief went through his entire form like water streaming down a waterfall into a large river._

"Nicely phrased, buddy." Ron mumbles, taking the last gulp of his own Dreamless Sleep Draught and I see Madam Pomfrey giving Mr. Weasley one, mouthing the words _just in case_ before she looks at Ginny. The Weasley elder nods and while Harry takes place between Viktor and the young Tonks woman, do I read on.

 _ **The car … from view.**_ _He had never been more glad to see the amazing structure of Hogwarts as he was then, but he wasn't stupid. Ten minutes of riding at 60 kilometers per hour meant that the Accromantula nest was only about 500 feet away from the school, something the spiders could easily cross if they wanted to. Harry vowed he would get rid of those spiders – anonymously – once he was out of Hogwarts. He didn't want to hurt Hagrid, but this deserved payback._

"Thank GOODNESS for that!" Ron shouts, apparently fighting the Draught, and he goes on: "So I wasn't the only one wanting those monsters dead." Harry shakes his head and says: "I just had more of a clear head and don't forget – I only take revenge when my targets least expect it." The redhead smiles groggily at his friend and I read on.

 _ **Harry went … his basket.**_ _Harry felt pity for the dog and sat down next to his basket, petting the animal long enough to make him fall asleep._ _ **When Harry … pumpkin patch.**_ _Harry had to admit it was a worthy first step of revenge._

"Wasn't really meant as such, buddy." Ron smirks and he says: "I just couldn't –." But then he yawns and Harry says: "It's alright, Ron." And strangely enough the words: "We've got her." Calm the redhead down enough to make him close his eyes and fall asleep. I then see Ginny smile at Harry gratefully and read on.

 _ **"Follow the … said Harry.**_ _He wanted to calm Ron down, so they could start thinking of ways to get the Accromantula's out of the Forest without Hagrid ever knowing it was them.  
_ _ **"That's exactly … uncontrollably now**_ _and Harry shortly wondered if it was because of the spiders or the thought of Azkaban_ _ **. "What was … being innocent.**_

"In a way, he was." A young girl with blonde hair says and she goes on: "His trust in animals is as big as his trust in Dumbledore. I wonder if those two are linked together?" This makes most of us either look at her or each other shocked and I whisper: "She has a point there." Making those who heard me nod before I read on.

 _ **As the … were walking.**_ _For a second, on the Sixth floor, Harry wanted for one of the sentries to catch them, so they could relieve their story, but – seeing the direction from wence they came – he decided not to._

"Who exactly stood guard then?" McGonagall asks and Harry answers: "All I remember is seeing a green trim and that made me decide not to." The woman nods and says: "A Slytherin Prefect would indeed, at that point in time, not be the right person to show yourself with. Wise decision, Harry." The boy smiles at her and I read on.

 _ **At last … glowing ash.**_ _For a second Harry expected Hermione to make a comment and show herself, sitting in a large chair like she had done a year ago, but then he remembered her stiff body lying still in the Hospital Wing and he sighed._ _ **They took … very sleepy.**_

"Is that good or bad?" Andromeda asks tentatively and the twins chorus: "Good!" Before Percy says: "If Harry's been through something like this and he can't sleep, it will probably mean that he will find a vital clue that will help him solve the mystery." The woman nods, smiling at the redhead and I read the last part of the chapter.

 _ **He sat … name it.**_ _And seeing that Voldemort had been in Slytherin and that the Monster was obviously a Snake, that made quite a bit of sense._ _ **But he … this time.**_ _Just like after he had seen the memory, was he only a few clues wiser than the rest of the world. All he knew was that Hagrid was innocent and that the Monster was a Snake, but where it was hiding or what kind of, he didn't know and he didn't know where to find information on it either._

"He's brooding." The twins smirk and Andromeda's husband asks: "How is that something to smirk about? A boy his age shouldn't be brooding about things like this.""True there, dearest Tonks man." One of the twins says and the other goes on: "But after brooding, Harry always instantly finds the vital clues." And instantly I read on.

 _ **There was … had said.**_

This makes Mr. Tonks glare at the twins and he says: "There is no way Harry can find any vital clues in the words of something that actually fears speaking of the monster itself." But then Harry says: "Actually, that's exactly where I found the most obvious clue of all, uncle Ted." The man looks shocked and I hurriedly read on.

 _ **He was … still there?"**_

This makes almost all the girls gasp and look at each other shocked while the twins smile at Ted smugly and chorus: "Told you." But then Collin scratches his head and says: "I don't get it." And a Hufflepuff his age says: "Just wait, Collin. You'll hear about it soon enough." The two turn their attention back to me and I read on.

 _ **Ron rubbed … Moaning Myrtle?"**_

Gasps go through the entire Coliseum and the ones who seem most shocked are the teachers themselves, but then McGonagall shouts: "THAT NO-GOOD, SELF-ABSORBED MONSTER!" And we all turn her way as she snarls: "There is no way someone with Dumb's level of intelligence didn't figure that out.  
He's known where the Chamber was for years, gave Hagrid the egg so Aragog could be framed for the crimes if it came to it and then probably put a Notice-Me-Not or Confundus spell on Myrtle's crime scene to make sure others would either ignore its significance or just get confuzzled by why the crime scene was in that bathroom."  
Everyone looks at this shocked and the woman asks: "Do you perhaps have a world of solitude and silence? I – I need some time to myself." And Axel nods before he says: "We might as well switch you with Hagrid." And the woman nods herself as she enters yet another portal, Hagrid coming back to the furious glares of many adults.  
"That's the end of the chapter." I then turn to the Weasleys and ask: "Now can you please tell us why you worry over your little sister and daughter so much?" But Arthur shakes his head and says: "All I can say is that Ron isn't the only one reliving his worst fears through this book." This doesn't help me any further and I sigh.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So a few changes have been made to this chapter. The first is that Hagrid came back a little closer than in the original, another is me yet again taking out the whole mentioning of Remus going into Heat and his need to "bond" with Sirius - which will also be taken out of future chapters - and finally is McGonagall leaving and not being back for a while. Personally, I wasn't looking forward to this chapter as I thought it would hold a lot of angst and anger, yet I think it came out well.  
**_ _ **Hope you agree,  
**_  
 _ **Venquine1990**_


	54. Truths And Fears

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **I only just realized this, but we are only another 200 pages/12 chapters away from being completely caught up with where we were when this story had been taken down from the site due to the Copyright Infringement Law or something of the like. However, I can't say for certain that I will keep all 12 chapters.  
**_ _ **This is because I know that I based one chapter in the break between Chamber and Prisoner on the sexual life between Remus and Sirius and if I were to keep that chapter in the story, I would just cause for the same thing to happen all over again and I worked TOO hard in the last year or so to let such a thing happen.  
**_ _ **So, don't worry,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **герой на сърцето is Bulgarian for Hero of the Heart**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 53  
**_ _ **Truths and Fears**_

 _ **Arthur's POV**_

Worried about my son and how he must have suffered during the reading of last chapter, I let his head lie on my lap and caress through his hair softly. I then look from Harry to the book and say: "Everyone, I would like to read the next chapter." This shocks Harry greatly and he asks: "Are you sure, Mr. Weasley?"  
I nod and say: "I have to know what happened? How my – my little girl –." But I stop as the fear I felt when Minerva told me about Ginny being down in a supposedly mystical chamber comes back and I say: "I have to read this chapter, Harry. I have to be strong, for my family." The boy nods, smiling at me in pride and I smile back.  
Leon then walks over and says: "I don't know what this chapter could be about that makes you worry so much, but if you worry for your family, then I already fear the worst." He hands me the book and nods as he says: "Best of luck." I nod back at him gratefully as he goes to sit with Auron, who sits next to Charlie, and want to start reading.  
But then the small portal that Axel had kept up in the far right corner of the Courtyard seems to strengthen and Sirius and Remus come back out, both looking worse for wear and quickly sitting down with the rest of us. Harry instantly starts fussing over them, calling Poppy over and while they tend to the men, do I start reading.

 _ **The Chamber of Secrets**_

Instantly, upon reading the title, am I glad that so many first and second years are asleep and that my little girl is being held by both of the twins, while I am also grateful for how all those sitting with us come to sit just that little bit closer for personal comfort. I smile at them all gratefully and receive understanding nods, before I read on.

 _ **"All those … almost impossible.**_

I see Fred and George looking at me questioningly and I smile and nod before one of them says: "Ah, but the almost impossible things." And the other goes on: "Are those Harry and co excel in the most." Now most of those sitting around us smile and snicker and I feel grateful for my sons' sense of humor and timing as I read on.

 _ **But something … from today.**_

"A week?" Sirius asks shocked, while wincing in pain and then he goes on: "Filius, why didn't she warn them any earlier. The year before you lot made them study more than 2 months ahead of time." The man sighs and says: "It was just our way of keeping the students' minds from the Chamber." The man nods and sits back down as I read on.

 _ **"Exams?" howled … to Seamus.**_

"You have to admit, Filius, for a wand that causes so much trouble is it still one with extraordinary bursts of magic." Sprout tells the tiny man and he nods as he says: "It sometimes even reminds me of Frank. No offence, Neville." To which Neville says: "That's understandable, Professor." The man looks shocked and asks:  
"Why is that?" And the boy shocks most of us as he says: "Because it's his wand. Gran told me I had to use it as it would help me honor my dad and all he did for me." To this I feel the need to go and visit Augusta, if only to tear her a new one and then Pomona shows she shares my thoughts as she shouts: "IS THAT WOMAN MAD?"

Neville looks shocked and Filius says: "Neville, you and your father couldn't be more different in your magical expertises if you tried. You using his wand does nothing but disrupting your core and keeping it from growing to its rightful length. If you keep using it you will end up with the core of a teenager for the rest of your life."  
The young lad looks shocked and Pomona mutters: "Honor his dad. Augusta, you're absolutely mad, you are." I then decide to take action and say: "Filius, why don't you go and tell this to Augusta at the end of this book and then I'll take Neville to visit Olivander. I'm sure the man must be anxious to get Neville his own wand."  
The man nods and says: "Good idea, Arthur. I'll take you up on that offer, thank you." But then Neville says: "But Mr. Weasley, I–I don't – I don't want to be –." But I hold up a hand and say: "Neville, my family might not have a lot of money, but we always safe some just to make sure our kids can have a wand of their own."

But then Charlie asks: "But what about Ron? He was forced to use my old wand, remember? How did that happen?" I sigh and say: "All I remember is that that hag told me she would go get Ron's wand with him and next thing I know she comes over screaming how wonderful it would be if Percy could get Hermes."  
Percy looks shocked and looks at his sleeping little brother before he mutters: "Merlin, I hate that woman." And I nod, wondering for myself how I could have ever loved her. Then, as I think of love, I feel my eyes draw back to Amelia Bones and shake my head, reminding myself of how my family now needs me as I read on.

 _ **"The whole … revising hard."**_

"Am I hearing this? Seriously?" Sirius, now sporting an eyepatch asks the woman exasperatedly and the teachers blush as he says: "First you lot drop the bomb on them of exams being way too early for them to properly study and then you tell that, even with all the panic going round, you have expected of them to study for those same exams."  
"Don't worry so much, Sirius." One of the twins tells the man, who is currently getting his right upper arm wrapped in a bandage and the other goes on: "Yeah, they were –." But then Harry snaps: "Fred, shut up. Sirius, don't worry. Professor McGonagall more than made up for this shock." The man nods and grabs his neck in pain as I read on.

 _ **Revising hard … this state.**_ _Part of him even felt amazed that the school was still open and the students still going to classes what with how little people knew of what was causing the threat, though he was also grateful for this as he'd rather have an unknown threat over the Dursleys.  
_ _ **There was … into slippers.**_ _He already had a brown pair hidden under his blankets, having worked on his spells to keep his mind off his irritation, but that was beside the point.  
_ _ **What had … an exam**_ _, let alone anything he had learned during the lessons as those – strangely enough – just didn't stay sticking in his photographic memory no matter how well he paid attention to the teachers during the class – he personally blamed it on his fear of what could be happening outside the classes_ _ **.**_

This makes the adults and myself shake our heads and Minerva says: "More evidence someone cursed him. The only question is why would anyone do that?" To which Hades, who had suddenly appeared, says: "Well, if I could lower Wonderbreath's strength – which is the main reason he can stop my plans – I would do it in a second, so –"  
The man shrugs and says: "I would sooner ask myself, does that little brat over there have anyone who wants him dead and or weakened enough to be an easy kill? Or is there anyone who would want that brat too weak to fight something and/or someone?" Instantly I know the answer and I see the other adults coming up with the same as we all say:

"Dumbledore!"

The Lord of the Dead looks confused and Sirius growls: "So putting my baby in an abusive home and putting life-threatening tests on his shoulders isn't enough for that white-bearded bastard? He also has to charm my son unable to properly study and become the wizard he deserves to be?" And growls escape his throat in anger.  
The Lord of the Dead on the other hand looks shocked and asks: "How old is that Dumbledore exactly?" And Remus answers: "We personally think he's around the 100 years old." Shocking Hades before he asks: "And how old is that little brat with you?" And Harry answers: "I'm fourteen. I'll be fifteen next July."  
The Lord of the Underworld looks shocked and asks: "So a century old, white bearded weirdo puts a fourteen year old with abusive people, puts all kind of crazy tests on his back that can kill him and puts spells on him to keep him from being the wizard he can be – why exactly?" And I answer: "Merlin only knows."  
The God of the Dead groans and says: "I'm going to go tell that Thunderhead of a brother of mine to hurry up. Those two Dumbledores need to be switched around first chance." And he leaves back down the staircase, while I slightly worry over the chance of this female Dumbledore being as bad as her family member and read on.

 _ **Ron looked … whistling loudly.**_ _Harry really wished he could let Ron switch wands with him, but he couldn't, because it would mean he was wandless during his own exams and buying Ron a new wand was impossible for two reasons; he didn't know what kind of wand would have suited Ron and his birthday had been in April, so he couldn't cast it off as a Birthday present – even though Ron had really loved the two dozen chocolate frogs that Harry had secretly charmed to look like Chess pieces a whole lot too._

This shocks Neville and he asks: "You made those? You said you asked Percy to transfigurate them." To which Harry says: "Of course I asked him that. I wasn't telling anyone what I could really do, remember? How would you think he had reacted had I told him; _Oh, the transfigurations? That was my work. You like it?_ "  
The slightly chubby lad looks contemplatively and says: "Good point, he would have flipped for sure. Either that or would have strutted around and told one and all of what you had done – that probably would have been worse." Now Harry cringes and says: "Hadn't thought of that." Before we all laugh at the two and read on.

 _ **Three days … silent, erupted.**_

"You decided to cancel those weird exams?" Sirius asks and Percy snaps: "Mr. Black, knock it off about the exams. And no, they didn't." This makes Sirius look at the boy shocked and my son says: "Sorry, I – I just want this chapter – this book, preferably – to be over with." And the man nods in understanding as I read on.

 _ **"Dumbledore's coming … yelled joyfully.**_

"NEVER!" A lot of people, probably the same as those who had shouted that all those years ago, now shout at the top of their voices, but then Remus cringe and says: "Sensitive hearing, everyone. Sensitive hearing." The same students cringe and some even come over to apologize before sitting back down as I continue the chapter.

 _ **"You've caught … Ravenclaw table.**_ _There was an empty spot on the bench next to her and Harry reckoned she was friends with the Ravenclaw prefect that got attacked together with Hermione.  
_ _ **"Quidditch matches … Wood excitedly.**_ _The twins groaned at this while Harry almost hit himself on the head and hoped that N.E.W.T.s would make his captain calm down some next year._

"They didn't." The twins and the Chasers of Gryffindor groan and Wood says: "Oh come on, I wasn't that bad?" But then Harry asks: "Ehm, remember your second conversation with me after Christmas? After you had visited McGonagall?" The boy whitens and the twins growl: "We sure do, insensitive prat." Making me snicker as I read on.

 _ **When the … joined in.**_ _His comments on Hermione and death were still fresh in the mind of the Gryffindor and he already had his entire plan for revenge ready. Only, he would perform it at the start of next school year – that or at the very end of this year._

Then, to my great shock, Draco shouts: "I deserved it! I admit, I totally deserved the punishment Harry gave me." This shocks Harry and he asks: "Are you sure? I sure felt a little bad afterwards. Thought I had gone too far." Draco shakes his head and says: "It was just right, exactly what I deserved." At which Ginny asks:  
"What did you do? Sorry, I – I don't remember." And Harry sends her an understanding smile as he says: "I changed a couple of pebbles into a pair of ear plugs and had the twins enchant them to whisper a certain couple of statements and then enchanted Draco's robe to make him look like a zombie as long as he wore it.  
He walked around looking half-dead all day and whenever he heard people talk, the plugs would make him hear them talk about what they would think of his death." By now Ginny has a slack jaw and she shouts: "How did I miss that?" And Blaise laughs: "Draco didn't leave the common room when he saw how he looked." At which I read on.

 _ **Ron, however … they're over."**_

"As if we would do such a thing, Mr. Weasley." Madam Pince snaps at my son, but I say: "Irma, he's asleep, remember?" The woman looks shocked, having been looking at the book instead of my sleeping son and then I raise the Dreamless Sleep potion to Ginny, but she shakes her head frantically and I sigh before reading on.

 _ **Just then … more porridge.**_ _Harry had to shake his head as the porridge was in front of Ginny and that gave Ron the initiative to sneak a closer glance at his little sister than he had been able to do in over 2 months._

The girl looks shocked and says: "I – I was – so – so nervous and worried, I hadn't even noticed that." She then smiles at her older brother and Hermione says: "Ron might not openly show it, but he cares a lot more for those close to him than he lets on." And all of my sons nod in agreement, while I smile at my boy in pride before reading on.

 _ **Ginny didn't … forbidden information.**_ _Harry wondered if the girl had done her own research, perhaps she had befriended Hermione and had, in her fear for the girl, done research in hopes of being able to protect her friend. Perhaps, she was just nervous about revealing what she knew because he was there, but Harry didn't want to leave, not if he could share the information he had found and hopefully gather some new information as well._

The girl sighs and says: "If only that had been true." But then Harry says: "Ginny, I have all confidence you would have done that, had you spend your first year under different circumstances." The girl smiles at his comforting words, while I feel relieved that he is still stalling on the worst of it all before I read on.

 _ **"I've got … said Harry.**_ _He so badly wanted to tell her what he knew and find out what she knew he was almost rocking on his own chair as badly as she was.  
_ _ **Ginny looked … acting oddly?"**_

"And here it all goes to hell!" Harry shouts, throwing his arms up into the sky and Andromeda asks: "What do you mean? Is she unable to tell you?" To which the girl nods and says: "My fear made me unable. My fear for –." My little girl gulps and Harry comfortingly shushes her, gaining another weak smile and I read on.

 _ **Ginny drew … and wan.**_

This makes Percy look offended and Harry says: "Percy, you know what happened that same morning. I'm not accusing you, I just believe it might not have happened had she had the chance to confide in us. We just needed five more minutes." My third eldest sighs and nods, while I wonder what is going on and read on.

 _ **"If you've … the table.**_ _Harry could not believe that the Prefect had missed the fear in his own sister's eyes._

Now both brother and sister look down in shame and Ginny whispers: "It–it wasn't Percy – who – who I was – afraid of." Harry nods and says: "I know, you told me, remember." The girl nods and Percy asks: "Was it – my Prefect badge?" And Harry answers: "More what it would allow you to do." My third eldest seems confused and I read on.

 _ **"Percy!" said … just rather -"**_

"It was not that, Percy. She did, in her euphory of going home later, tell us, but this had nothing to do with that." Harry tells my son and Percy sighs as Ginny says: "To be honest, if Ron hadn't asked, I would have never remembered about it in the first place." Now I really wonder what was shared between my kids and read on.

 _ **Harry had … so uncomfortable.**_ _He personally hated the fact he had classes next or he would have gone to look for Ginny, if only to share his information with her._

"I should have done so in the first place." Harry groans and I feel for the guilt that resounds in the boy's voice as Ginny mumbles: "You wouldn't have been able to, Harry. It – he – well, he let me go there the minute I left the hall." This shocks Harry and he looks at her in great worry, making me smile at him gratefully, before I read on.

 _ **"What were … Gilderoy Lockhart.**_

"How is that helpful?" An older student asks and Neville answers: "Remember that thing with Peeves at the end of the last book?" The elder lad, with blue trim on his robe showing he is a Ravenclaw and the chubby lad says: "This was similar to that event." And just the large grin on his face excites most if not all of us as I read on.

 _ **Lockhart, who … in surprise.**_

"You WHAT NOW?" Everyone shouts and Hermione screams: "HARRY! AFTER ALL HE HAS DONE TO YOU! AFTER ALL THE HATRED YOU FELT FOR HIM! HOW CAN YOU AGREE?" But the young black haired lad just shares a secretive smirk with those in his House and Year and I read on, wondering the same.

 _ **"Thank you… to pass.**_ _Lockhart had the same shocked look on his face as Ron, but Harry could already see the disgusting pleasure hidden inside those blue eyes and he knew he had to act fast._ _ **"I mean … all night..."  
**_ " _Of course you do." Harry lied through his teeth, trying and failing to show a sincere smile to the man._

"You're faking it?" Hermione asks shocked and Harry answers: "Hermione, don't forget who adopted me, remember?" And he motions for his parents, while Sirius and Remus still seem shocked that their son would agree with such a disgusting man. The girl smiles at this and asks: "Of course, how could I forget?" Before I read on.

 _ **"That's right … hurried off.**_

Now the parents look shocked and Neville says: "Told you so. He was brilliant. Knew exactly what buttons to press and played Lockhart like a violin he did." Now almost everyone laughs and then Harry says: "And it gets better." Before he mutters: "So glad she's not here." This confuses me quite a bit as I read on.

 _ **"Prepare his … of lines.**_

And as if the moment was heard by the woman on Destiny's Island, does she actually come through the portal, which had been a small dot in one of the corridors of the Coliseum and had enlarged itself to let the woman through and instantly I hear Harry groan as the woman asks: "Is something wrong? Did I miss something important?"  
And I tell her: "We're on _that_ day, Minerva. And a few things we heard since is that you teachers thought it right to inform the students of the exams only a week ahead of time and that Ginny had and lost a reason to tell Ron and Harry the truth, heard of how Harry played Lockhart and are now on them heading to History of Magic."  
The woman seems to realize what moment we are reading about and asks: "Are all those that will have trouble handling this chapter well taken care off?" And Poppy nods as she says: "All 1st years and 2nd years, as well as those prone to nightmares have been put under Dreamless Sleep potion." At which the woman nods and I read on.

 _ **"We were … to worry."  
**_ _Harry wasn't fully lying; he did want to tell Hermione about the Mandrakes, but he knew she would appreciate it more if he told her the Mandrakes were ready and that they had the entire mystery solved – and for that he needed Moaning Myrtle!_

"And you think I'm buying that, Mr. Potter?" The woman asks sternly and Harry asks: "What? It's the truth. We did want to visit Hermione, just after the Mandrakes were administered and we had solved the rest of the mystery. We just wanted to comfort her fears, your arrival just made us reschedule our visit." The woman moans and I read on, laughing.

 _ **Professor McGonagall … up with."**_

"I still think the Peeves thing was better." A Third year shouts and his friend says: "Of course you do, Peeves has been after you since you first stepped foot inside Hogwarts." This suddenly makes the two look at Harry and he holds up his arms and shouts: "Not my work, I never noticed a thing on you I could use against him!" The two nod and I read on.

 _ **They had … visit Hermione.**_ _Harry felt a little bummed as he had planned since breakfast to visit the girl once she was unpetrified, not while she was still lying on the bed with her limps making it look as if made of stone._

The girl huffs and Harry cringes as he asks: "Will you forgive me if I tell you that that visit saved us all?" The girl looks at his apologetic face with scrutiny and then bursts out laughing, as she says: "You are just too easy, Harry." Shocking the lad before he turns away from her laughing form with a pout and I snicker myself before reading on.

 _ **Madam Pomfrey … would do.**_ _Still Harry was confident that a brain as intelligent as Hermione's would at the least memorize their visit and would let her remember in due time._

This makes students look at the girl and she nods as she says: "I remembered about a week into the Summer holidays, the rest of Madame Pomfrey looking after me came after that." This makes many students smile at each other and the matron mutters: "Should have let others in after all." Making Sirius nod as I read on.

 _ **"Wonder if … right hand.**_

"The bright light at the end of the tunnel. Hermione's intelligence kicking in just when it matters the most." Harry mumbles, no longer pouting, but having his eyes closed and a peaceful smile on his face as the girl blushes, but smiles at him gratefully. I personally wonder what the two of them are on about and read on.

 _ **It lay … her fist.**_

Madam Pomfrey looks shocked and asks: "How could I not have noticed that?" Then Harry looks up and says: "Yes, how could you not have noticed that? Had you, you would have been able to –." But then he stops and growls: "Dumbledore." Everyone looks shocked and confused and Hermione asks: "Dumbledore?"  
Her friend nods and says: "He was way too confident when he left, Hermione, he must have seen it coming. He must have visited you, seen the paper and knew you had figured it out. He charmed it to make sure only Ron and I could see it. That way –." The girl gasps and says: "Of course, it makes perfect sense." But I don't get it and instead read on.

 _ **Making sure … library book.**_

"It was WHAT NOW?" Madame Pince shouts and she asks: "Mss. Granger, how could you?" But then Harry stops her by holding up his hand and says: "Madame Pince, first hear what she tore out and then judge whether or not it was the right decision." The woman remains glaring angrily at the guilty looking girl and I read on.

 _ **Harry smoothed …**_ _ **of Serpents.**_

"More deadly than the WHAT NOW?" Sirius shouts and he asks his son: "You faced a – a – a Basilisk? ARE YOU?" But then Harry shouts back: "I HAD TO! I HAD NO CHOICE!" To which Sirius whitens and asks: "What – what do you mean? Of – of course you – you had a choice." But Harry shakes his head and I read on.

 _ **This snake … most wondrous,**_

"Most WHAT NOW? WHO THE HECK WROTE THAT BOOK?" Sirius shouts and then Hermione humms and says: "You know, at the end of my Second, I wanted to –." But then she stops, her eyes wide with shock and Harry growls: "Oh no, he didn't." But the girl nods and says: "He did. He put it there for me to find it."  
This seems to be the final straw for Harry and he spats: "I'll be right back." And wants to enter the portal, but Sirius stops him by grabbing his arm and says: "You are not going in there, Mister. Axel, a portal to Destiny Islands, please." The redhead nods and Harry leaves through the portal, steaming with fury, before Dean asks:  
"What is he so angry over?" And Hermione answers: "Dumbledore put the book from which I got this page in the library. He probably did it right after the Diary was stolen. He was onto the culprit and monster all along, he just manipulated us into finding it out by ourselves, with all its consequences." The young man looks shocked and I read on.

 _ **for aside … to it.**_

"Hagrid's killed Roosters, of course." Parvati Patil mumbles with shock and her friend Lavender asks: "Huh? What do you mean?" And the girl answers: "Remember the start of the Polyjuice chapter? It was about Hagrid visiting Dumbledore with a dead rooster flying in his hand." Her friend looks shocked and says:  
"So – so whoever killed Hagrid's roosters – was – was doing this to give the Basilisk free room?" And the tanned Fourth year nods at her fearful friend, before Hermione says: "But it was not out of free will, that I can assure you. None of it was done out of free will." Her two room-mates look confused and I worry as I read on.

 _ **And beneath … his brain.**_ _The Parsletongue, the snake, the petrified students, the fleeing spiders, the killed roosters, it all made sense!  
_ _ **"Ron," he … around him**_ _, his mind processing what he just read and combining with whatever information he could gather from his surroundings and all he has learned throughout his investigation_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"The Basilisk … the reflection..."**_

"That was even more than I could gather from that page." Hermione says shocked and then she looks at the portal and says: "He really is good." Making many nod, before Madam Pince sighs and says: "Well, seeing it wasn't a library book and the information Mr. Potter was able to gather from it, will I not be mad at you, Mss. Granger."  
The girl smiles at the woman and says: "You have to understand, Madam Pince, I didn't want to tear it out, but I wanted to get out of the castle as quickly as I could and I didn't know any spells that would copy the text and overwriting it on parchment took too long in my feared state." The woman nods with an empathic smile and I read on.

 _ **He scanned … made sense.**_ _All the things he couldn't figure out the night before were now clear and the entire picture was before his mind's eye as if he had just laid down the last few pieces of a puzzle or reached the end of an exciting mystery novel.  
_ _ **"The crowing … would've seen..."**_

"That word." One of the twins gasps and the other goes on: "The one Hermione had written at the foot of the page." They then turn to her and mutter: "You really are a genius." Making the girl blush, while Percy grins and says: "Only right for that old codger, to have his book torn and written on." This makes many laugh before I read on.

 _ **Harry, however … it's in-"**_

"NO WAY!" Just about everyone shouts and then little Dennis Creevey pipes up: "Of course, if you want to hide something really bad, hide it where people would least expect it. Who would even think that Salazar Slytherin would enter a girl's bathroom let alone build a Chamber there?" Everyone looks at the little lad and Padma Patil asks:  
"How are you not a Ravenclaw?" The young First year shrugs and Collin smiles weakly as he says: "That's not the only talent he has. He can also make up the most amazing tales to whatever picture I show him and he's always right. It's as if he can see what happened the minute the picture was shot." The tanned girl looks impressed and I read on.

 _ **"– Moaning Myrtle's … to McGonagall?"**_

This question makes the woman sigh and whisper: "Please, please let my mistake of last year not still haunt that poor, poor boy." And I can only hope the same, while currently wishing that either Harry was with us or that Ron was awake. But then I look down at my sleeping son and shake my head, deciding against my earlier wish and read on.

 _ **"Let's go … jumping up.**_ _He still hated McGonagall for her actions of last year, but believed that the same rules counted for her as for Snape when he went to try and retrieve Quidditch Through the Ages._ _ **"She'll be … nearly break."**_

This makes the woman sigh in relief and Pomona says: "Well, at least he trusts us as a group. That's still something for a boy that mistreated and neglected." And Sirius says: "Definitely true and I speak from experience." Making Remus growl and hug him close, wanting to comfort him and I smile at the newly mated pair before I read on.

 _ **They ran … never came.**_

"Oh no." Minerva whispers and Filius says: "Don't worry, Minerva. They weren't there. They must have gone to find out why there had been no break bell and must have heard the message before following orders." The woman nods, smiling at the small-looking man in gratefulness and I sincerely hope he's right as I read on.

 _ **Instead, echoing … glancing around.**_ _He had waited too long, he had been keeping information about the Chamber to himself for too long. Now that there was another attack he had to take action and McGonagall and all other teachers coming here was almost like a signal that he had to come clean with all he knew. They had to stay._

"Oh no." This time Filius is the one making the worried comment and Pomona squeaks: "They can't have been there. We didn't see them. They didn't come to us. They just – they just couldn't have been there." But then I read ahead and sigh: "They could and they were, Pomona. They were there." The woman trembles in concern and I read on.

 _ **There was … found out."**_

This makes the teachers hit themselves on the head and Minerva mumbles: "Of course, that closet is always slightly open, just enough for us to easily reach in for a cloak and thus, opened far enough for those two to hear what we were saying." To which Pomona says: "Oh, those poor, poor souls." Worrying me even more as I read on.

 _ **They hid … McGonagall arrived.  
**_ _The white look she was sporting made Harry's stomach churn and made the excitement he felt for coming out with the information he had been able to gather change into a fear like he had only faced once; when he had been face to face with Lord Voldemort._

"The information I myself had gathered sure as hell felt that way." The woman then moans and then Harry comes back out of the portal, Axel closing it off behind him, and he asks: "Where are we?" And Minerva says: "You just saw me enter the Teacher's room." Instantly the calmed down look changes into fear and Harry sits down as I read on.

 _ **"It has … Chamber itself."**_

I let this information sink in, wanting everyone to know why all of us feared this chapter so badly and Roxas is the first to react. "No." He whispers softly and he goes on: "No, it – it can't be. How could – how could anyone do that?" But no one answers him and Axel pulls the young blonde close, kissing his temple lovingly as I read on.

 _ **Professor Flitwick … be sure?"**_

"It felt – like I had lost Lily all over again. The Heir of Slytherin was after all a title _He_ loved to call himself and I just couldn't bear the thought of someone just as evil doing something like that." The man growls sourly, but then Harry growls: "He wasn't just as evil, Professor." The man looks shocked and I read on.

 _ **"The heir … Chamber forever."**_

This shocks me as my wife and I had never seen this while we were there, neither in that year or a few days ago and I turn to my daughter. The girl is trembling something awful, but keeps refusing Bill to drink the Dreamless Sleep and I feel tears sting at my eyes as I see how my little girl tries to brave up against her worst fears.  
I then close the book and walk over to her, touching her soft skin with my hand and when she looks at me, I show her my love for her through my gaze as I say: "It's okay, Ginny. You've done enough. You can read that part for yourself later. Maybe during the three day break." My daughter nods, takes the Potion and falls asleep while I read on.

 _ **Professor Flitwick … Professor McGonagall.**_

"NOOOOO!" Fleur Delacour, Narcissa Malfoy, Andromeda Tonks, Nella Diggory, Roxas, Sora, Leon and Meg shout and the last of them shouts: "Even Hades wouldn't go for girls that young!" Before Hercules quickly hugs her, pushing her face in his chest and while the woman's fist are balled, can I see that she tries to hold back tears.  
Nella, Andromeda and Roxas have already succumbed to tears and Bill is watching amazed as Fleur rages over the floor in front of us, speaking in French in such a way that I am glad I never taught my children this Noble and Ancient Language. Narcissa seems to understand her and to my shock is she nodding in agreement with the young woman.  
Many elder year males are also pacing around and others are comforting the few females that are, instead of talking together about ways they can curse the Heir of Slytherin, crying something terribly and the only one doing nothing is Luna Lovegood, who just comes to sit with us and takes Ginny's head on her lap.

Sora and Leon seem to take out their anger and hurt in a whole other way and are dueling each other, having taken out their Keyblade and Gunblade and both raging at the other with one strike parried and blocked after the other. Riku, on the other hand, has his eyes closed and has his fists balled, while I can see dark flames encircle said fists.  
Kairi and Namine are both comforting each other, both softly crying and yet neither of them seems sad enough not to vengefully whisper plans in each other's ears. Even Phil and Pegasus are angry on our behalf and while Pegasus flies circles, neighing at full volume is Phil hitting the walls he can see with his horns.

I smile at all the companionship and the care others feel for me and my family and then turn to a shocked Bill and Charlie and say: "And now you know. This is why your little sister feared this story so much, why Harry was so proud of her holding back on her own fears." My two eldest nod in shock and I turn back to the entire group.  
I then finally notice how all teachers have congregated together and are whispering things, sometimes looking at my family sometimes looking at the book and I realize that they are doing now what they couldn't then; think of ways to get back at the Heir of Slytherin for taking my daughter. I smile and notice that everyone has calmed down.  
Sirius and Remus had been a few of the only ones barely doing a thing in honor for me and instead of that had they hugged Harry and had Sirius whispered: "Go after her. Save her. I don't want you in danger, but she doesn't deserve this. Not this. Please, help your friends." And I smile at his sign of indirect loyalty to me as I read on.

 _ **Harry felt … was beaming.**_

"And he was WHAT?" Just about every female voice in the Arena and Courtyard shouts and then Hades asks: "Did I miss something good?" And Auron growls: "The Heir of Slytherin took an eleven year old girl down to his Chamber of Secrets to die." The man looks shocked and asks: "You're joking, right?"  
But Auron shakes his head and Hades laughs weakly, making some people glare at him before he says: "Excuse me a moment." He then walks down the stairs a little and when his face has disappeared down the stairs, do I suddenly see furious flames shoot up and troughout the entire hallway as a furious shout comes from the underworld.

Everyone looks shocked and Meg says: "I knew even Hades would hate this, but I didn't expect that." But then Harry says: "Then I wonder how he'll react when he hears why Ginny was taken down there." Instantly everyone turns to the boy and Hades spats: "There was a reason?" Harry nods and Hades spats:  
"Then I'm staying. My brother seems to be doing fine down there, he's almost back up from that lovely pit of dying water, so I have nothing to worry about down there. I want to know why that monster sunk that low and I want to know now." He then turns to me and spats: "Read." Shocking me as I continue reading.

 _ **"So sorry … like hatred**_ _, but Harry already had his wand ready_ _ **.**_ _He was done with Lockhart and his overdone happy-go-lucky attitude in the face of danger and he was willing to get a year detention if only to let the man know how angered Harry was now.  
_ _ **Snape stepped forward**_ _, stepping in between Harry and his target and making him having to hold back on a ferocious growl lest he be discovered_ _ **.**_

"Still, I like your way of revenge better, Professor. It was definitely Slytherin worthy." Harry smirks and Hades asks: "Sorry, who are we talking about exactly?" And Sirius growls: "A man that enjoys touching 12 year old boys." Before hugging his son close. Hades humms and says: "Aha, read on." But I can tell he's still angry and read on.

 _ **"Just the … Lockhart blanched.**_

"Oooh, I like this already." Hades smirks and Harry says: "And it will only get better." Making the Lord of the Dead smirk evilly as he steeps his fingertips against each other, sitting on a throne made entirely of smoke and he asks: "Who exactly is this Snape?" And the black-haired Potions master stands up and says:  
"I am, and I have served the darkness once before. It took me the sister I never had, but always loved, so I will never more serve any form of darkness, whether it basks in the light or glorifies the darkness." This makes the Lord of the Dead scowl and he mutters: "How unfortunate." Before I quickly focus back on the chapter.

 _ **"That's right … spluttered Lockhart.**_ _Harry loved every minute of this, even if his worry for Ginny's life kept growing, he couldn't help but enjoy this. Lockhart was getting exactly what he deserved and the teachers were doing an even better job than his revenge spells could have done._

The two teachers in question now smile at each other and Pomona says: "Well, coming from Mr. Potter and knowing what we know of him." She stops and with her head motions for Sirius and Remus, to which Snape nods and says: "We can consider ourselves greatly complimented." This makes me snicker and Hades asks:  
"And why is that exactly?" But then the twins ask: "Why is what?" And I look at them shocked, before Remus whispers: "We charmed them to not notice any conversation or hint or otherwise that can indicate as to who we are." I nod and ask: "When will it stop." And Harry answers: "End Third." Making me nod before I read on.

 _ **"Yes, didn't … don't recall..."  
**_ _Harry almost had the urge to come out and shout about all the touches he had felt Lockhart give him, but that would only give Ron a heart-attack and he didn't want his best friend to worry about him and his sister; Ginny's life was way more important right now._

"While I do agree, do I still wish Mr. Potter had come out with his confession. Would have made things go a whole lot better, I believe." Pomona mutters, but then Harry shakes his head and says: "It had to be this way. You had to send him away. It had to happen, else everything would have failed." The woman nods and I read on, worriedly.

 _ **"I certainly … Professor McGonagall**_ _, her lips trying not to break into a smirk, which made Harry have to hold back a snicker_ _ **. "Tonight will … and weedy.**_ _Harry thought his outsides were finally portraying his inner disgusting person.  
_ _ **"V-very well … the room.**_

"Thank goodness. Now for that disgusting Heir of Slytherin. Time to deal with him." Hades moans, leaning back in his seat and sipping a living worm from a cocktail glass, causing me to shudder, but then I page through the book and say: "Sorry, Hades, next chapter." The Lord of the Dead growls irritably and I read on.

 _ **"Right," said … were flared**_ _and who seemed to have finally gotten her stern posture back under control_ _ **, "that's got … entire life**_ _, only matched with the day he heard that Erica had died of a Heart attack_ _ **.**_

This makes the woman in question hug the young man and she says: "Oh, my little sweetling." And Harry looks at his parents, who pull each other close as they nod at him, before he seats himself down in her lap, worrying me as he still easily fits there, even at age fourteen. Worrying about his health once more, I read on.

 _ **He, Ron … his dormitory.  
**_ _Harry had seen him do almost the same when Hermione had been attacked and he knew how close Hermione and Percy were, so unlike an angry Fred, did he know that Percy just couldn't stand the crowd of Gryffindor Common room with this much pain and loss weighing down on his heart, which was the only thing he told the three redheads before holding quiet again._

"I just – I hated myself so, so much right there and then. Constantly following orders of that witch, focusing so much on my studies and not paying attention to anything but my Prefect badge. I – I was sure it was my fault that Ginny had been chosen, because I was such a lousy brother." Percy tells us all and we all look shocked.  
Luna then lies the girl's head on Percy's shoulder and makes sure that my little girl is sitting on Percy's lap while asleep and the blonde girl whispers: "Just hold her." Her eyes clear and the silvery grey color sharper than I have seen it since meeting the strange girl. Percy smiles at her and she smiles back before I read on.

 _ **No afternoon … any longer.**_

"We just – we needed some time alone. We had – already told the other Fourth years not to come up for another half an hour and they had, bless them, fulfilled this request, not coming up until it was two hours later." One of the twins says and while I am shocked at the fact that there was no twin-speak, do I silently read on.

 _ **"She knew … eyes frantically**_ _, the tears he had been silently shedding all night being replaced by a fire Harry had only seen once before; when Ron had convinced them to let him be taken by the Queen during the Chess Match with the Giant Chess Set Protection of Professor McGonagall last year. Harry sincerely hoped that this determination wouldn't end up with similar injury_ _ **.**_

Now I look down at my little boy and ask: "He – he wasn't, was he?" Not feeling like I could take it if my son was hurt yet again, on top of my daughter having been taken by a monster. But Harry sighs and says: "No, he wasn't, but it was a close call. I'm not going to lie about that." I nod at the young boy gratefully and read on.

 _ **"I mean … do. Anything.**_ _He didn't want Ginny to be the next Erica, she couldn't be._

"Oh, little sweetling!" Erica moans, while Mss. Crenson goes to sit quite close to the two and Erica asks: "Why do you keep hurting yourself with my supposed death? Why, child, why do that?" And Sirius growls: "Because you and Fiona were all he had when he was a kid. He had no one but you." Erica sighs and I read on.

 _ **"Harry," said … still be alive.**_ _Subconsciously he saw himself, seven years old and hearing Dudley gloat about him killing Erica. He shook his head. No, it couldn't be like that, he couldn't bare another Erica._

This only makes Erica hug the boy even closer, Harry not even tensing or looking as if he's afraid he'll be hurt and I can barely believe that the woman can bring this loving, love-accepting side of the young, scared, neglected kid up in him. Smiling at this fact as Harry deserves to be loved more than anyone else, do I happily read on.

 _ **"D'you know … in there."**_

"A Basilisk, you say?" Hades asks, lounging sideways over his throne and he says: "Yes, I can actually see that possible. Seeing the water and the dead ghost, it does fit the situation and all we read about the creature. And the boy being a Parsletongue, of course. Could have come up with it myself." I just let the God rant on and read on.

 _ **Because Harry … doing something**_ _if only to prevent Ginny from ending like Erica did_ _ **, he agreed**_ _, no matter how much he hated Lockhart, especially after the episode of this morning_ _ **.**_

"I have to admit, Mr. Potter, that I would have preferred it if you had gone to one of us instead of that terrible man." Minerva then tells the boy and Harry says: "It had to be him. Things would have gone horribly wrong had it not been him." This, together with the soft tone Harry uses, shocks the woman and I read on, wondering why he thinks that.

 _ **The Gryffindors … hurried footsteps.**_

"Is he actually getting ready to fight that monster?" Sora asks and Riku asks: "If so, he wouldn't have been at his office by that time, seeing when he supposedly started getting ready. No Sora, he's doing something else." The boy nods and Roxas asks: "Then what do you think he's doing, Riku?" But the silver-haired boy holds quiet and I read on.

 _ **Harry knocked … the desk.**_

"Why does the sound of that room description anger me?" Riku growls and Axel spats: "Because it's the description of a room of a coward. A coward that rather runs away and leaves innocent girls to die than prove that he is capable of what he has done in his adventures." But then Harry snorts and we all look at him before I read on.

 _ **"Are you … to go..."**_

"Is he seriously thinking they are going to believe that?" Roxas asks angrily and Axel taps his nose as he says: "Roxas, lovely Blader of mine, you have to remember that this is a man that is dumb enough he thinks everyone even dumber than he himself is, and he knows he has to get it from his looks to succeed, so that says enough."  
Now everyone laughs and then Axel makes Roxas laugh even harder as he taps his temple with his finger and asks: "Got it memorized?" And Roxas holds onto Axel, his head down and his hair in his face as he laughs himself silly and says: "I missed that, Axel, Kingdom Hearts, did I miss that." The Redhead smiles and I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **What about … than I –"**_

"Did he seriously say that in front of one of the Weasleys themselves?" Susan Bones asks and I feel my eyes again stray to her aunt before focusing back on the conversation as Harry says: "Susan, remember who we're talking about." And another round of laughter fills the Colosseum before I focus back on the reading.

 _ **"You're the … Harry shouted.**_ _The man had hit his final nerve and he was done, his temper erupted. The whole year Lockhart had been promoting his books and the supposedly wonderful things he had done and described in them and now, when it mattered the most, when Ginny could be ending up like Erica, he was telling them those books could be nothing but lies? What was Lockhart thinking?_

"Harry, that is a question." One of my twin sons mutters and the other sagely lies a hand on Harry's shoulder as he says: "Not even Merlin can answer." Before sharing a grin with their surrogate brother and with Axel, both smiling back while the entire Colosseum laughs and I feel relieved that the tension gets broken so many times as I read on.

 _ **"**_ _ **My dear … come on..."**_

"Who the bloody hell cares for that? Those people were saved, why should they care how their heroes looked?" Hercules shouts and Phil rages: "Yeah, what you said, kid. I mean, I trained hundreds of heroes and only a handful of them were even remotely close to being good-looking, but did they care? HELL NO!"  
And he grumbles before Sora whispers something in Riku's ear that causes him to be hit over the back of his head. He yelps and while rubbing the back of his head, he asks: "What? It was meant as a compliment." The silver-haired boy laughs and kisses Sora on the lips, causing the boy to hold onto him tightly as I read on.

 _ **"So you've … work involved.**_

"There was a lot of work involved in stealing other people's fame and rightly earned fortune?" Sirius asks and Remus growls: "Is that bastard really that stupid he thinks it right to steal from other people just because _there's work involved?_ " The man quotes at the end angrily and I personally shake my head at this idiot as I read on.

 _ **I had … Memory Charms.**_

"And because of that, you think you deserve to be a hero over what others have done?" Harry growls and he goes on: "I might not like my fame – or what it cost me for that matter, but I would never say I did something someone else actually did and if I did something heroic I would always make sure everyone who helped got honored as well."  
This makes everyone smile at the softly growling boy and Viktor kisses him on the cheek as he says: "And that's why we love you so much, герой на сърцето." Before pulling Harry back onto his own lap and whispers: "And that is also why you are my Hero of the Heart. My герой на сърцето." Before kissing him wildly.  
Harry moans and softly, weakly grabs onto Viktor's neck, while I wonder if the so called Potter Curse that the book told us about is becoming active between the two or if Viktor fears losing Harry to someone else chosen by said curse. Thinking both possible scenarios to be quite cute, I smile at the lovely couple and read on.

 _ **No. It's … hard slog."**_

"A long hard slog? He calls his stealing to gain fame a long hard slog? Is he completely MAD?" Sirius shouts and Remus growls: "I don't know, but I surely hope that cub will never go through any long hard slogs concerning his own fame. He has enough of them as it is." His destined mate nods agreeing and I read on, also agreeing.

 _ **He banged … to them.**_

"He pulled out his wand and did WHAT?" Sirius shouts and I growl: "He better not have hurt them." But then a tired voice murmurs: "Didn't get the chance to." And looking down, I see my son waking up. He yawns and I ask: "Are you alright?" Ron nods and says: "I will be, now." I smile at him in relief for this and hug him close as I read on.

 _ **"Awfully sorry … open window.**_

"Not your best move, son." Moody growls and then Ron snickers sleepily and says: "Actually is this the same action as the spell I cast against that troll." To which one of the twins asks: "So an action we think stupid." And the other goes on: "But that will end brilliantly?" And Ron nods at them, making me smile relieved before I read on.

 _ **"Shouldn't have … at him**_ _, beyond exhilarated that he could finally get back at the bastard_ _ **.**_ _But then his mind focused back on the situation at hand, on the chance of Ginny ending like Erica.  
_ _ **"What d'you … wand point.**_ _He hated to force the man to do anything, but it felt good to finally be sure he could keep the man from doing all the wrong things – and the fact he could get revenge kept his disgust over his control at bay._

"You really are something else, you know that?" Viktor whispers to Harry softly, holding his chin and parting only slightly, before going back to kissing the boy before a dazed Harry can respond. Then a laughing Sirius pulls them apart and says: "It's no fun kissing someone when they're out cold. Let him catch his breath first."  
The Bulgarian boy nods and says: "I can't help it. I feel so pulled towards him and I have been holding back on this strange instinct to claim him for the last several chapters." This confirms to just about everyone that Viktor is indeed chosen for Harry by the Potter Curse, but then Sirius and Remus look at each other and chorus:

"Dominant."

Confusing me and Harry asks: "Excuse me?" And Sirius says: "Harry, the Potter curse has one extra aspect you must have missed reading because you wanted to do that little experiment of yours. Potter males don't marry, Harry. They bond." This shocks the groups around us and confuses Harry as Sirius goes on explaining:  
"The future of a Potter and mate is actually divided in five. One out of five Potters do indeed marry, two out of five bond and two out of five bond and marry. But the second chance happens a lot more often as bonding is a lot stronger, especially through the magic combining the two mates together, than marrying, do you understand?"

Harry nods and asks: "I do, but what does that have to do with Dominant?" And Remus says: "It has to do with Dominant, because Magical Creatures do the same, but then two out of four marrying and the other two out of four bonding and marrying. So because of that, the Potter Curse magic choses a Sub and a Dom."  
Harry nods and asks: "So – Viktor is my Dominant?" Sirius nods and Harry asks: "What does that mean?" And Sirius says: "Well, for one, the pull of the Dominant to the Submissive is much stronger when it comes to a Potter and Mate bonding. For two, the Dom is more physical in his love showing, the sub more emotional-like."  
Harry nods and asks: "Can I find out more in the book?" But then Sirius hands him the small book and says: "Read this, it has everything James felt when he was hit with the Potter Curse written in it. Do remember that he was a Dominant, so you might not be able to match your experiences with his." Harry nods and we both start reading.

 _ **"We think … was shaking.**_ _It was more and more adding to his revenge on the man.  
_ _ **Moaning Myrtle … said Harry.**_

"Wow, did you have to be that blunt?" A younger girl asks and she huffs: "You'll never get an answer out of her now, you know?" But Harry, still reading the book, asks: "Never met Myrtle before, have you?" And the girl looks shocked, while Harry snickers at something he reads and I shake my head at the young lad before reading on.

 _ **Myrtle's whole … "I died."**_

"Wow." One of the twins mutters and the other goes on: "Talk about an anticlimax." Making some of the girls around us snicker, but then the same girl as before mutters: "Can't believe she thought this to be a flattering subject to be questioned about." And she shakes her head, while I can't help but to agree with her and read on.

 _ **"How?" said … my glasses."**_

"That girl's lost it." One of the Patil twins exclaims. "First she dies just after being pestered and then she stays behind just to pester her own bully. How does that make sense?" But no one has the answer and Minerva says: "I will try to see if I can help her cross over." To which a lot of girls mutter: "Would be about time." Before I read on.

 _ **"Where exactly … on his face.**_ _Harry tried not to focus on how good it felt that the man was feeling the same thing he had felt everytime the disgusting teacher had forced himself onto Harry like he had. Instead he kept his mind and eyes on the matter at hand, the sink.  
_ _ **It looked … tiny snake.**_

"Excuse me! How did we never notice that?" The teachers shout and Minerva growls: "Why do you think I had to leave and calm down. That bastard has been endangering us all since the bleeding forties and I would love to know why. Amelia, please make sure to ask him this." And the Head of House Bones nods as I read on.

 _ **"That tap's … thought hard.**_ _He didn't even know why he had tried to object when his deepest wish was to make sure Ginny didn't become the next Erica, it just came out naturally, seeing what people thought of the talent. And that wasn't the only problem._ _ **The only … he said.**_

"That helped." The twins happily chorus and Ginny smiles weakly, as if aware of what we are reading. I look at my little girl worried and Bill says: "I'll take her home. It's better if she wakes up in the Great Hall or she could wake while we are still reading about this." I nod at my son and he leaves through a new portal before I read on.

 _ **Except the … to do**_ _, even if he had been amazed that he could finally hear what others hear when he spoke Parsletongue_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"I'm going … be alive.**_ _He just wasn't going to let Ginny end up like Erica. He had been unable to save the woman, but he wouldn't lose this young, innocent girl who was also the sister of his best friend._

This makes said best friend smile at Harry gratefully and Erica has by this time been brought to silent tears, hiding her face in Fiona's shirt and whispering: "Why? Why does that have to keep haunting him? Why does that have to keep being his reason to do this? Why him?" I look at the woman in pained worry and read on.

 _ **"Me too … the curves**_ _, probably because Ron was a good eight inches taller than he was_ _ **.  
**_ _ **And then … stand in.**_

"That's good, right?" One of the twins asks, looking at his fellow twin hopefully and Charlie sighs as he says: "Yes, it is, but I would have still preferred it to be a whole lot smaller as it would have made it impossible for the Basilisk to come through." The twins cringe and chorus: "Damn you, Charlie." I personally cringe too and read on.

 _ **Lockhart was … wet floor**_ _, Ron still holding Lockhart at wand point_ _ **.  
**_ _ **The tunnel was … rat's skull.**_

"Should we go and find Pettigrew after this to let him fall to the same fate?" Ron asks me and I shake my head, before Harry mutters: "Won't be necessary." Everyone looks at him and he says: "Just before the Cup took me home, I hit him with Bombarda and I saw him bleeding. He's probably dead already." Ron nods and I read on.

 _ **Harry lowered … found her**_ _as he was determined not to let her end like Erica had_ _ **, Harry led … the tunnel.**_

Now Harry gulps and says: "Here it will start. It will all start with what we find around this one bend." This worries everyone and Sirius asks fearfully: "The Basilisk?" But Harry shakes his head and says: "Just a dead part of it." This both confuses and comforts me as I wonder how a dead part of the creature can scare the young lad so.  
He then turns to Ron and says: "Ron, I'm sorry, but –." But Ron nods and says: "Harry, I can barely even say that fake name of his. It was better for me not to have been there. I would have screamed your ears off if I had known." The two smile at each other and Ron whispers: "Thanks, pal." Harry nods and I read on.

 _ **"Harry, there's … held high**_ _, his mind constantly on Expelliarmus and hoping the strength of it would be enough to save him if necessary_ _ **.**_

"Am I the only one getting a creepy feeling at how much Harry relies on Expelliarmus? Almost as if he's made it his custom spell or something." Ron mumbles and we all look at him as if shocked. He then asks: "What?" And Harry asks: "You think I would? I mean, in the books?" The adults and I shrug and I read on.

 _ **The light … at least.**_

"HOW LONG?" Sirius shouts and instantly the two Black sisters grab onto their children, while Remus growls: "Viktor, Harry!" And the Bulgarian quickly lifts the boy off his own lap and onto that of the Werewolf. Erica, Viktor and Fiona then all take a seat around the little family, all of them holding Harry and I read on.

 _ **"Blimey," said … jumped forward**_ _, not wanting Ron to end up in the same position he had gotten into during that wonderful reenactment_ _ **, but**_ _he was_ _ **too late**_ _to realize that that wasn't what Lockhart was after_ _ **. Lockhart was … his face.**_

"Wait, Ron's wand?" The twins chorus and they then look from Harry to Ron, who smiles and asks: "Caught on, have you?" The two then smile widely and one of them says: "You were right." And the other goes on: "This is exactly like your attack on that blasted troll." At which Ron mutters: "Told you so." And I read on.

 _ **"The adventure … your memories!"  
**_ _Harry was terrified. What would Lockhart be able to do after he had taken their memories? Who was to say the man wouldn't make them do things after doing so and then do it again? And who was to say the man wouldn't try to implant false memories in their heads – like the – he shuddered – the idea that they actually liked being touched like Lockhart had been trying all year._

Instantly all teachers whiten and Minerva shouts: "All students are to report to Madam Pomfrey at the end of this chapter. We will test you all for memory charms and will make sure you have not fallen victim to Lockhart's actions. If you have, Hogwarts will personally pay for all those of you who have to see a Mind Healer."  
The students whiten and then Snape says: "Only the First and Second years are excused, seeing as they were not present when this happened. Madam Pomfrey, please meet me at the Hospital Wing for preparations upon our return." The woman nods and I look at my five youngest children worriedly before reading on.

 _ **He raised … yelled, "Obliviate!"  
**_ _Harry closed his eyes, he didn't want to see himself losing his memory, he didn't want to see the spell that would change him forever.  
_ _ **The wand … small bomb**_ _, the sound of it making Harry look up shocked_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Harry flung … ceiling which**_ _he suddenly saw_ _ **were thundering … broken rock.**_

"Alone? What do you mean, ALONE?" Both Sirius and Charlie shout and Harry says: "Sirius, I had to be alone. It was better for Ron's safety. Charlie, Ron had run away from the cave in just like me. He was alright." The man whimpers in fear: "But what about your safety?" While Charlie smiles in relief and I read on.

 _ **"Ron!" he … the rockfall.**_

This written testimony to Harry's words makes us all sigh and sag down in relief, the tension of worry still holding us tense and Ron rolls his eyes, but smiles as he sees that Percy is almost lying in his own chair with relaxed nerves. Glad that my son is safe and that our bond is re-growing to its earlier strength, I want read on.  
But then Bill walks back through the portal and says: "The Female House Elves started caring for her the minute I entered the Great Hall. She's in a bed more comfortable than those of the Special Prefect Dorms and she has all kinds of stuff to keep her busy while we read." We all smile in relief and he sits back down as I read on.

 _ **"I'm OK … the shins.**_ _Harry really hoped he had._

"Better." Ron grins and the twins burst out laughing, while Hermione spats: "Ronald!" But then Ron shouts back: "Hermione, I saw the absolute fear Harry had on his face when Lockhart tried that spell and wanted revenge, seeing that Harry couldn't do it himself." The girl looks mollified, while I am very proud of my son and read on.

 _ **"What now … caved in?**_ _He knew he could use his wand to repair the cracks in the ceiling, but only on his own side as he didn't want Ron to see this and that wouldn't help them any further.  
_ _ **There was … to do**_ _if he wanted to have at least a small chance of making sure Ginny didn't end up like Erica_ _ **.**_ _Now that he was so close to where she could die and he had the means needed to save her, he wasn't going to let this be like when he was at the Dursleys and Dudley had suddenly come home, gloating about his actions. There was no Dudley here and he was going to make sure that Ginny would not die._

This makes my entire family smile at the young lad, held tightly by Remus and proudly hugged by Sirius and Viktor. Harry smiles back at me and Sirius quickly walks over and whispers: "We'll discuss Life Depths later." I nod at him and he keeps quiet as Harry asks him what that was about. I send him a quick grateful smile and continue reading on.

 _ **"Wait there … voice steady.**_ _Harry felt gratitude as he knew Ron now had Ginny and Harry himself to worry about and the concern was stronger than ever in the redhead's voice._ _ **"So you … shaking voice.**_ _The concern Ron felt for him was heart-warming, but there was only so much of it he could take after years of being told that he was a worthless freak who was undeserving of love and thus had gotten his parents killed in a car accident._

"Wow, wow, wow, wow!" Hades suddenly interrupts me, having his eyes closed and having his hands up as he pushes them forward and repeats: "Wow." We all look at him and he asks: "This boy, this – this young boy – was told his entire life that – that he was the – the cause of his parents dying in a – a car accident?"  
And Sirius growls: "And it wasn't even a car accident that killed them. They were murdered.""They were what?" Hades asks him shocked and Riku says: "Okay, next world we'll move to right after the first chapter." While Hades asks: "So this boy was told he was the cause of a murder and was lied about the origins of said murder?"  
Sirius nods and Hades says: "Okay, as soon as I have heard more about this Basilisk, will I instantly go down to the Fates and see what they can tell me about those people. Their names, please?" And Sirius answers: "Vernon and Dudley Dursley and Petunia Dursley Née Evans." The Lord of the Dead nods and I read on.

 _ **And he … it did.**_ _Still his determination not to let end Ginny like Erica and the fact that he indeed had everything he now needed to save her drove him on, he was not going to lose two females in his life, not if he could prevent it._

"I really should have come to you the minute you turned eleven. Should have known someone as special and amazing as you would have magical awesomeness." Erica tells her old friend and Harry smiles and says: "Trust me, if this is how worried you are over this year, you're going to hate the next 2 years." The woman moans and I read on.

 _ **And then … another bend**_ _, hating how the pipe was shaped like a snake as it gave the Basilisk an advantage over him_ _ **, he saw … strangely alive.**_ _He was still deeply worried for one reason; when he had landed down in the tunnel he had not felt the same amazing power he had felt since the Dueling Club, meaning that Hogwarts could not reach him here. Harry sincerely hoped he could sort through the spells and enchantments Hogwarts had presented him with fast enough to deal with the Basilisk, but this new entrance came first._

"That – is not good." Bill states and I see Charlie glance at Auron with a needy glance, to which – after a few glances – Auron reacts by sitting hip to hip with my second eldest and apparently none of my sons look up strangely as Charlie slightly leans against the elder man for physical support. I smile at the interesting pair they make and read on.

 _ **He could … walked inside.**_

I then lie the book down and Hades asks: "You're joking, right?" But I shake my head and say: "The kidnap and rescue of my daughter were rightfully so divided into two chapters." The Lord of the Dead shrugs and says: "Then give the book to someone else and lets read on. I want to know who that Heir is that Harry hates so much."  
I nod at the god and then Percy says: "I want to read." We all look at him shocked and he says: "Ginny feared what my Prefect badge could do and I want to know why. I also want to know why Ron thinks my titles and those of Riddle the same, but that he and I are nothing alike in other aspects." I nod and hand my son the book.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So I'll be honest, I actually wanted to pull that bit of Viktor kissing Harry passionately at Harry talking about how he views how fame should be treated out, but then I read the part of the Potter Sub-Dom bond and I decided to keep it in. However, this will be the only time where Viktor will indeed by kissing him like that.  
**_ _ **Why? Because I want to keep the whole thing with the Courting in place and that makes it so that Viktor has to keep to certain rules. The whole reason he is currently being so physical with Harry, holding him and pulling him into his lap and all, is because Sirius and Remus understand that he feels concerned for his mate.  
**_ _ **Also I had to do quite a bit of editing at the start of this chapter as the whole "Exams are a week away" thing made for quite some conversation between Sirius and Minerva in the original version, yet I personally think that replacing her with Pomona, Filius and Irma Prince was a fine choice to make and I hope you agree.  
**_ _ **Hope you enjoyed,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	55. Guilt Or Innocence

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So this chapter was edited much earlier than I usually do as I wanted to have as much of July's chapters done by the end of June, so I could have EVERYTHING finished in the first half of July, this because I would be on break with my family in the second half and I didn't want to spend too much family time on writing.  
**_ _ **Hope you understand,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **PS. Worries cause us to speak in our native tongue, so Bulgarian Translations, here we come:  
**_ _ **Добър is Bulgarian for Good (Short and stupid, I know, but required).  
**_ _ **моя красив малък покорен половинка is Bulgarian for My Beautiful Little Submissive Mate.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 54  
**_ _ **Guilt Or Innocence**_

 _ **Percy's POV**_

This story is going to be hard for my entire family and yet, I just can't fathom why Ginny would think my Prefect Badge would have bad consequences for her if she had come to me with whatever she knew about the Chamber of Secrets. Still I feel relieved that she doesn't have to listen along with this and start to read.

 _ **The Heir of Slytherin**_

This worries us all and Sirius whimpers: "The Basilisk is one thing, but the Heir too? Why did you have to face them both?" And to my shock, Harry growls furiously: "Because he planned it so." And I whiten as I wonder who could be cruel enough to do such a thing. Wishing all the more that Ginny had confided in me, I read on.

 _ **He was … chill silence**_ _, wanting to have a clear view of his surroundings before he moved on_ _ **.**_

"Good on you, lad." Moody suddenly comments and in my worry for my sister, I almost throw the book four feet away with a loud scream. Of course I am not the only one screaming, but Moody still glares at me and says: "Always know your surroundings and those confided in it, not to mention if they are to be trusted."  
But then Sirius moans: "Alastor, I know you're impressed, but please stop. There are scared First and Second years here. Please, save the Auror lessons for after this chapter." The scarred man glares and asks: "Gone soft, have you?" But Sirius retorts: "No, I just don't want to train these kids like Dumbles did." Moody nods and I read on.

 _ **Could the … one stir.**_ _He blamed it, after the shock, to the ancient magic that must have been saving and storing into this hall for over a millennium, but he wondered why it would then show itself to him now._

"Another good question, Potter. Have you ever met the Heir before then?" Moody asks and I whisper: "Please no, please no, please no." But Harry answers: "Yeah, three times in total, although I still think two of them don't really count." The man nods and asks: "And was there confrontation between you and the Heir?"  
"Please no, please no, please no, please no." I again whisper and again Harry greatens my worries as he says: "Not really the first few times, but there was the last time. And I did defeat him." The ex-Auror nods and Harry asks: "Why? How is that related? Is it even important?" Moody nods again and says grimly:  
"Very important, it means that the magic you detected all those years ago recognized you as someone who defeated the last blood-descendant of its creator. Therefore the magic bonded to you as new and first Heir and you gained the advantage." Harry looks shocked and whispers: "That sure explains a lot about what happened."  
But then Ernie MacMillan asks: "So Potter really is the Heir of Slytherin?" And Sirius answers: "The Primary Heir, but that does not make him the Heir of the Legend." And dad goes on: "And what Harry did down there proves he is not and will never be either." He then thanks the boy, who nods and while I wonder why, do I read on.

 _ **Then, as … chamber floor.**_

"And that is apparently my ancestry by victory or something like that." Harry moans and then he turns to his parents and asks: "My other ancestors were better looking, right." Before motioning to the angry Slytherins and snapping: "No offence meant." While all other Houses are laughing their heads off by his off-handed comments.  
Sirius is also laughing just as hard and says: "Seems that our adoption ritual is kicking in. The gene you now have from me, James and Remus seems to be coming up." But Harry hums and says: "Maybe, I just wanted to break the tension, really." Causing even more laughter and when everyone has calmed down, do I read on.

 _ **And between … her over.**_

"I know what you're going to say, Professor Moody, but that was a very good move, really. Made sure I had my hands free later." Harry tells his old ex-teacher and Sirius moans before he asks: "Why do I not like hearing you say that?" The boy shrugs and says: "I'm not going to lie, it wasn't an easy experience." The man sighs and I read on.

 _ **Her face … to side.**_ _For a second as he shook her, he thought he saw Erica in his arms and he shook her even more desperately, fighting the tears blinding his sight.  
_ _ **"She won't … pillar, watching.**_

"A boy?" One student asks and a Ravenclaw goes on: "Black haired?" While Bill growls: "Leaning?" This also angers me and Charlie voices my thoughts as he asks: "What is that bastard doing, leaning against a pillar, when he could be saving my sister?" And Harry answers: "He's doing the opposite of saving her."  
The man whitens and asks: "That? That is – is the Heir? The Heir of Slytherin?" Harry nods and I ask: "So it – it was a student?" But then Harry confuses me and says: "Yes, but not of that year." And he worries me as he says: "Still can't believe he made one of them at that age." And, while not wanting to know what he means, do I read on.

 _ **He was … Tom Riddle?"**_

"What?" A lot of students asks and Hades again says: "Wow, wow, wow, wow! You just said it was a boy, but Riddle went to school fifty years ago. How is that supposed to be possible? Even Gods age to a certain time and age. Look at me, look at my brother, look at just about every god on God-forsaken Mount Olympus!"  
But Harry growls: "You'll find out soon enough. I'll tell you as soon as we've reached the worst of this part of the chapter." The man looks shocked and then pants are heard from behind him. Everyone looks at the entrance and we all see a man with white hair and curled beard with a purple robe rapped around him coming up the stairs.  
Hades glares at the man and Hercules runs forward as the man heaves himself up with help of the wall and when the young hero reaches him, the man says: "Seems that river does affect us gods, Son. It can't kill us, but it can sure suck us off most of our energies." And he sighs even heavier as Hercules looks worried and mutters:

"Father."

Shocking us all as we had not expected this man to be the same amazing god as the purple and white blur that we had seen shoot into Hell a few chapters ago. Then Pegasus and Phil come over, both of them pushing a large seat made of clouds forward and Hercules smiles at them gratefully as he helps his father into the seat.  
Zeus, the Lord of the Gods of Greece, falls down exhausted and Hades mocks: "Not the best time to arrive, big brother. We have just arrived at the final battle of the story." But Zeus just weakly waves the comments away and I ask: "Lord Zeus, can I – can I read on?" Hercules looks worried once more, but Zeus nods and I read on.

 _ **Riddle nodded … she's not-?"  
**_ _He couldn't even say it – he had come so far, he couldn't let her be like Erica, not with how close he was to saving her.  
_ _ **"She's still … than sixteen.**_

"How is – how is that – possible?" Zeus gasps and Hercules says: "Spare your breath, father. Hades asked the same question just before your arrival. Harry says he'll explain once the worst of this conversation has passed." The God nods and I suddenly see just how weak his god-like glow is shining. This worries me and I read on.

 _ **"Are you … fifty years."**_

"Say what?" Sirius asks shocked and then he stands up, pacing, one hand behind his back the other in front of his mouth and he mutters something just audible enough that it lets me know he speaks of Dark Arts and their possible uses. Yet his voice isn't loud enough that I can decipher what Dark Arts he speaks off and Harry asks:  
"You know what they are, don't you?" Sirius looks at his son shocked and Harry answers: "Professor Snape and I found one in the Chamber just before the Third Task, it's what I realized when he spoke about that path to immortality." Sirius seems devastated by this and hugs his son tightly, trying to comfort them both as I read on.

 _ **He pointed … Myrtle's bathroom.**_

"How is that even relevant?" Cormac MacLaggen sneers and Harry snaps: "You have no idea." The boy looks at him with a disbelieving stare and Harry holds up a hand, still seated in his mother's lap, and says: "Just wait, the end of the chapter will show you." MacLaggen turns his eyes skyward and I glare at him before reading on.

 _ **For a … had gone.**_

"His wand WHATNOW?" Bill shouts and Moody goes on shouting: "Potter, this better not mean what I think it means!" But Harry nods and says: "It does, just wait, this was one of those adventures where my luck was better than my magic." The Ex-Auror glares at him, but sits back down and I read on, hoping my little brother is right.

 _ **"Did you … any longer.**_

"Boy, am I glad she's not here to hear you think that, buddy." Ron snickers, but while reading have I kept my eye on something else, something that worries me deeply. The more Zeus pants and seems to try and gather back his strength, the more the Aura of him being a God seems to falter and I worry about this as I read on.

 _ **"What d'you … to you."**_

"To speak with him?" Andromeda hauntingly asks and she goes on: "Who would be stupid enough to want to talk to someone in the –." But then she stops and while it looks as if she realized the answer to her own question, do I feel myself whiten as I realize the same she must have done. Begging to the Gods that I'm wrong, I read on.

 _ **"Look," said … on here.**_ _A second later Harry mentally berated himself for that thought as he believed something to be wrong the minute he saw Riddle, so of course, something funny was going on – why else would Riddle be this calm?_

"Why do I – why do I not like – the – the sound of this?" Zeus gasps and suddenly someone else seems to have jumped down from the top of the Mountain as a woman with her long red brown hair half standing up, half floating down her shoulders and with a long dark pink dress lands down near the man and asks him worriedly:  
"Zeus, what happened? Why were you gone for so long? Hercules, what ails your father?" And the young Hero answers: "He has been in the River of the Death for too long. He needs to recuperate." The woman nods and says: "Then I will stay here too." This shocks the young Hero and Zeus gasps worriedly:  
"What – what about – Olympus?" And the woman answers: "I have given Hermes straight orders to let everything go as it usually does and to find the God best suited for whatever problem another god might have. Only if someone is again kidnapped or otherwise touched by your brother is Hermes to bother me."

The Lord of the Gods smiles at him and whispers: "I love you, Hera. I love you so, so much." The woman, apparently the Queen of Olympus, smiles back at her husband and makes a chair of herself, seating herself in it, before making sure it's side by side with her husband's. She then smiles at Hercules and says:  
"I've got this, Hercules. You worry about Meg. She'll need your love and protection, seeing that Hades is here too." The Hero nods and says: "I worry more for Riku. Hades has his eyes on him and we both know how Hades is when he wants something." Hera nods, Hercules joins Meg, Phill and Pegasus and I read on.

 _His neck hairs standing upright and the Goosebumps on his arms told him he didn't want to know, but he had to – to make sure Ginny didn't end like Erica._

"What does that mean?" The Lady of the Gods asks worriedly and the woman in question: "As far as Harry knew until a few days ago, was I felled by a Heart-attack caused by his own cousin when he was eight years old." The woman looks shocked and asks: "And Ginny is?" And I answer: "Eleven." Before reading on.

 _ **"How did … Riddle pleasantly.**_ _Harry could not believe how the tone of the boy's voice had changed, if he had to go by that, you would believe they were in the Transfigurations Courtyard, not in a dangerous Chamber with a, possibly, dying girl. It irked Harry to no end._

"And not just you, lad." Phil growls as he again hits the wall with his horns and Pegasus sniffs before doing the same with one of his back-hooves. Hercules himself shakes his head and says: "That someone can be so careless about a young girl's life." To which Hades says: "I know. Even I'm not that cruel."  
This makes the young Hero glare at him and he says: "What? I'm not?" To which Hercules spats: "Sorry, but kidnapping an infant and turning him mortal just to let your little lackeys kill him says different!" Hades cringes and Ron says: "No offence meant, Harry, but am I the only one being reminded of Halloween by that?"  
And Hera asks: "Halloween?" And Ron looks at Harry, who nods, before my little brother says: "In 1981 a terrible man named Vol-Vol- Voldemort –." My little brother smiles widely and goes on: "Went and killed Harry's parents – just to try and get Harry killed. He just failed and that saved Harry's life when he was 1 year old."  
The woman whitens and then she glares at her brother in law and says: "No, that does indeed resemble my son being kidnapped and turned mortal, especially the attempt of murder at the age of infancy. Don't you agree, Hades?" And the Lord of the Dead cringes at the biting tone, which shocks me before I decide to read on.

 _ **"And quite … like her..."**_

This makes all of us look down in shame and I whisper: "Was this why she didn't confide in me? Because she feared my Prefect Badge would make me tease her more?" But Harry shakes his head and says: "No, it's not that, Percy. It's not that." This slightly relieves me and still makes me wonder what it could be then and I read on.

 _ **All the … in them**_ _, it kind of reminded Harry of the morning when Uncle Vernon taught him about the string with balls that he now saved in his trunk until he left for London and he feared what Riddle could want of him that made him look at Harry like that_ _ **.**_ _Even Lockhart's touches hadn't been this unnerving._

"This is bad, this is really, really bad." Sirius moans and he goes on: "He knows. That monster knows. He knows who Harry is. He knows what Harry did to him. That's why he wants to talk to Harry. because of what Harry did." This makes Harry nod sagely, but it doesn't get any of us any further and I read on.

 _ **"It's very … my pocket'..."**_

"She should have had friends with her brothers." Bill growled, while I can tell he isn't agitated with the situation currently being read, but feels guilty with himself, but then Dad shakes his head and says: "There was nothing you boys could have done that would have changed this." This shocks me senseless and he goes on:  
"You were and are extremely close to Ginny. She is your only and youngest sister and her growing up with you really turned her into a tomboy and a good one too, but in the end she is and stays a girl and girls don't confide their secrets with their brothers, whether they are the same age, younger or older than her."  
This relieves me and our dad smiles at us all as he says: "You did everything you could. Riddle and Ginny are at fault here. Ginny, for not coming to us when her diary first started talking to her and Riddle for being who he is. And yes, I know who Riddle is." This shocks me and I ask: "How do you know, father?"  
And the man answers: "Harry came to us, while the woman and I were in Minerva's office after he got Ginny out of the Chamber. He told us everything. We just believed it better for Ginny to tell you all about this and hoped it would help her get over this traumatic event." I nod, proud of my dad once again and read on.

 _ **Riddle laughed … Harry's neck**_ _, even those that were almost attached to the rest of his hair, causing his hair to rise with worry_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"If I … into her..."**_

"How could he?" Bill suddenly shouts, this time more furious than I have ever seen him and he shouts: "How dare that unbelievable bastard? His soul? His soul, of all things? Is he completely mad? Any graduated student knows that the soul, next to the core, is the most important part of a witch or wizard's person."  
But then Harry says: "Bill, I won't lie. It gets worse." This shocks me and I think: "Did he really have to say it like that?" But then Bill spats: "How can it get any – BLOODY – worse?" And Harry says: "The artifact I showed at the Maze after I came back with the Cup." This shocks Bill enough to let him sit down and I quickly read on.

 _ **"What d'you … of Secrets.**_

"She WHAT?" A Seventh year shouts and then he goes on: "How could she? That –." But then he holds silent as Ron, Bill, Charlie, the twins, Ron and Harry all have their wands aimed at him and I have too, while trying to focus on the story just to keep my anger in. Harry then growls: "Read on, Percy. Shut up, Robertson."  
The seventh year looks shocked at the venomous tone the boy uses when he spats out his name and asks: "How can you defend that little fiend?" But Harry just retorts: "Simple, because I know that there is no Slytherin blood in the Weasley line at all, so there has to be more to the story than you know now."  
The lad looks shocked and this fact seems to also calm down my brothers as they all smile at the lad and Harry says: "Ginny was not responsible for the attacks. If she had been Dumbles would have expelled her and she would not have feared this book as much as she did. So shut up and listen." He ends in a spat and I quickly read on.

 _ **She strangled … everyone, Tom!'"**_

"See, she thinks it too!" Robertson tries, obviously not wanting to give up on his theory and Harry spats: "Percy, could I please have the book. I'm afraid you didn't exactly get the tone right at that last part." I nod and hand Harry the book, while the boy keeps glaring at Robertson as if he's Voldemort himself. He then reads:

 _ **"'I think … everyone, Tom!'"**_

And just by the fear growing in Harry's voice the more he reads, the more everyone whitens. Harry hands me the book and says: "And that was how Ginny must have sounded when she wrote that. I can't be sure, Riddle's tone was nothing but mockery." He sits back down and says: "So as I said before, shut up and listen." And I quickly read on.

 _ **Harry's fists … his palms.**_ _He could not believe the tone Riddle was using; a honing, mocking tone as if Ginny's fears were something like an April's Fool's joke or something.  
_ _ **"It took … voice steady.**_ _He was furious that Riddle had used Ginny, that the boy had mocked the fears of an eleven year old girl, that he had used her own fears against her. Riddle was no better than Vernon in his eyes and he felt the need to hurt Riddle like his Uncle had hurt him.  
_ _ **"**_ _ **Well, you … grew hungrier.**_ _Harry's anger was shortly replaced by fear, but all he had heard was fueling his anger more and more and his fear was pushed to the side._ _ **"I knew … your trust."**_

"That – that bastard!" Hagrid growls, but then Ron laughs and everyone looks at him. Charlie then asks: "What's so funny?" And Ron answers: "That Riddle thought his framing of Hagrid would get Harry's trust. Harry's way too loyal to Hagrid for that to work." This makes more students snicker and I happily read on.

 _ **"Hagrid's my … laugh again.**_ _Harry felt as if all his hair was now standing up, but for some reason was the sound familiar to him as if he heard this high, cold laugh before; he just couldn't exactly place it._

Now the twins glance at each other and ask: "High cold laugh." Before whitening, making me know they realized the same thing I did a few minutes ago. I catch their attention with my gaze and nod when I see their questioning glance. This makes them whiten even more and they send a worried glance at Harry while I read on.

 _ **"It was … wrestle trolls.**_

"Okay, there he's just craving nonsense. He's just bloody stalling!" Sirius shouts and he goes on: "Raising werewolf cubs? That's bloody impossible. Why would he make up such idiotic lies?" And Harry answers deadly: "Because of what you said yourself, mum. To stall for time." The man looks worried and asks:  
"Why? Why would he stall for time? What does he have to gain for that?" And Harry's answer: "Life." Does nothing to comfort anyone, but then Cho Chang asks: "What do you mean, Harry? How can Riddle gain life by stalling?" But Harry only answers: "Ginny." Before closing his eyes, letting me know I should read on.

 _ **But I … the power!"**_

"I admit I don't have either, let alone the right heritage, but while it took you and your idiotic small brain five years, did Harry only need half a year to find you, your secret chamber and your little monster. And he put a stop to you too! SO TAKE THAT!" Hagrid shouts at the end and we all smile before I read on.

 _ **"Only the … was innocent.**_

"Of course he thought that! He must have known Riddle was aware of the Chamber and how to use it, so he gave Hagrid the Accromantula Egg and let it all play out. He and Dippet just coerced Riddle into stopping that madness when Myrtle died." Harry growls and everyone gasps as they must remember the Diary chapter before I read on.

 _ **He persuaded … teeth gritted.**_ _He didn't trust Dumbledore either, especially not after that weird sensation he had felt when he pulled off the cloak in Hagrid's Hut, but anything to make this boy feel uncomfortable.  
_ _ **"Well, he … noble work."**_

"That he actually decided to create something like that at such a young age." Harry sighs and shakes his head, while I wonder just what kind of artifact they are talking about. Harry then slams his hands into the clouds below him and shouts: "WHAT? WHAT DROVE HIM TO IT? WHAT DROVE HIM TO MAKE THOSE – THOSE!"  
But he can't seem to find a proper word for the artifacts and instead of that, does Sirius hug him close and does Hera worriedly ask: "Is he okay?" Sirius nods and while keeping Harry's face hidden in his robe, he says: "He is, he's probably just reliving the emotions he felt back then." The Goddess nods and I read on.

 _ **"Well you … been – you."**_

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM, YOU PIECE OF FILTH!" Sirius suddenly shouts, absolute fury written all over his face and one of his hands almost imprinting itself into Harry's flesh while the other hand is raised in a fist of fury and challenge. Harry tries to push himself away from Sirius, but seemingly can't and gasps:  
"Sirius, I'm not a God. I need to breathe!" And the man seems to get shocked by this as he hurriedly lets go of the lad. Harry lies a hand on his chest as he breaths in and out deeply and Sirius says: "I'm sorry, Pup. I just hate that you're facing him again and that, even then, he's after you." Harry nods and I read on.

 _ **Harry stared … was attacked.**_

"EXCUSE ME!" All teachers, all parents, my brothers, Erica, Mss. Crenson, most of the elder years, Parvati, Lavender and Hercules shout and then Axel, who has let go of Roxas, has stood up and has his weapons floating next to him, together with a circle of embers imprinted in the floor around his feet shouts:  
"SO HERMIONE WAS A TARGETTED ATTACK? HE ACTUALLY WANTED TO HURT HARRY WITH THE PETRIFICATION OF HIS BEST FRIEND? WHAT KIND OF MONSTER IS HE? NOT EVEN XEMNAS WAS THAT BLOODY COLD-HEARTED AND HE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A HEART!"  
But then Roxas opens a portal, this one actually making me shiver and he grabs Axel's arm as he says: "Just leave him to me. We need to meet at our usual spot and calm down. We'll be back soon." And he leads Axel through the Portal before closing it. Luckily does it seem as if Axel voiced everyone's anger and they all calm down as I read on.

 _ **And Ginny … very boring.**_

"Boring? BORING? He tried to kidnap her and she was resisting. How dare he call her resisting his crimes boring!" Sora is this time the one shouting, obviously not entirely calmed down and then Riku grabs him and pulls the young brown haired boy onto his lap, wrapping both his arms around Sora tightly and whispering:  
"It's alright, Sora. He was punished. Ginny was saved, remember? Harry saved her. She was with us, remember?" Sora nods and Ron asks: "Aren't you angry with this?" But Riku answers: "I am, but I won't let my anger control me. Not anymore." And while I wonder why he fears doing so, do I continue reading the chapter.

 _ **But there … were destroyed?"**_

"Why is he interested in knowing that? I mean, we all want to know, but why does he go through so much effort to find out? What's it to him?" Cho Chang's friend – Marrietta, I believe her name was – asks and Harry answers: "What parent names their kid Voldemort?" The girl looks confused as to why he asks this, but I read on.

 _ **There was … eyes now.**_

"A – a red – red gleam?" Professor Sprout asks shocked and then she whitens and whispers: "No – no. It – it can't be. It can't be – him." And she looks from Harry to the rest of us, but we all nod, all having come to the same conclusion as she has and the woman sags down in feared shock, making me use it as my chance to read on.

 _ **"Why do …**_ _ **LORD VOLDEMORT**_

This shocks everyone in the room and I speak the name with effort and fear, but the anger of what this monster did to my sister helps me say it in one fell swoop. Then Harry stands up, looks at Robertson and with strength in his voice, he says: "And that is why Ginny Weasley has no guilt in the case of what happened all those years ago.  
Not even adults like Quirrell could resist the dark powers and the lure of the dark arts that Voldemort offered him, so how was an eleven year old supposed to when this man – this monster – wanted her to attack Muggleborns?" Everyone looks at each other, many of them worried for their earlier thoughts and then Harry says:  
"Ginny Weasley is to be held no blame whatsoever and anyone calling her anything insulting concerning what happened that year will have me and my pranks to deal with. And don't forget that I can even control Peeves, so don't even dare, because I will not take it lightly if anyone attacks my friend. I hope I'm clear."

Everyone nods and Hercules smiles as he says: "You have a good heart, Harry. The Heart of a True Hero." And Zeus, Meg and Hera all nod in agreement. Zeus then weakly raises and moves his arms and we all look up, all shocked deeply when we see a constellation of stars shaping themselves to look like Harry.  
Harry has his mouth wide open as he sees this and Sora groans: "No fair, it took us more than two years and Harry gets it just by reading a single book." Making many of those around us laugh as he sits down on Riku's lap pouting. Harry then turns red and sits back down, taking a seat between Sirius and Remus as I read on.

 _ **"You see … a witch?**_

"Wait, what?" Seamus asks shocked and then Professor Snape sighs and says: "That is one of the three reactions Muggles can have when they discover their family members – especially their wives – are magical. The other is what happened with you, Mr. Finnegan, and the last is that the Muggle becomes violent to his magical family members."  
The boy looks at his Potions teacher shocked and the man shocks us all as he sighs and says: "The last option is, unfortunately, what happened to me and my mother, but that is mostly because my father was a Muggle and a drunk. It was also what constantly, over the years of my youth, strengthened my bond with Lily."

"Wait, Lily? My mother, Lily?" Harry asks shocked and Snape nods as he goes on: "We lived in the same neighborhood. My mother was just not as well-fortuned as their parents, so I was often forced by my father – like you were by your Dudley – to wear his old clothes and all that." Harry looks shocked and the man sighs as he says:  
"This, in itself, makes it even worse of me not to have recognized the signs of abuse you hid, seeing how familiar I am supposed to be with them. It must have been my absolute hatred for your father that just constantly made me disbelieve the chance of it even being possible, something I now deeply, deeply regret."  
The boy looks at his Potions teacher in shock and asks: "Is that why – why you are now trying so hard to undo all that – that stuff the Muggles did?" Snape nods and Sirius says: "Thank you, Severus. And don't worry, he's in good hands. He'll get over his abuse." The two men look at each other and I see acceptance for the other shine in their eyes.

This makes me smile and Hercules says: "Have you ever seen such a close bond before, father?" And the God smiles as he says: "I have, between you and Meg." This makes his son blush and Zeus asks: "So, when will she be added to our family, huh? It has been a few years since you chose her over your immortality, you know?"  
The Hero turns red enough to be called a Weasley and spats: "Father!" But the God seems to have quite well recovered and asks: "What? The bond between you is more than obvious! Don't forget it was you saving her soul that made you a True Hero in the first place. You obviously love her, so why not marry her already?"  
And Hercules turns more and more red the longer his father goes on before he storms over and whispers something in his ear, making Zeus look shocked as he says: "Aah, that explains it." He then waves at his son and says: "Forget I said anything. Work your best, my boy." Hercules nods and sits back down as I read on.

 _ **No, Harry … Albus Dumbledore.**_

"Not anymore he's not." Sirius smirks and he hugs his son tightly as he says: "My little boy can after all sense magic and connect his own core to Hogwarts and all. So he's without a doubt the strongest wizard ever now." This makes Harry turn red and he whispers: "No, I'm not." But I ignore this, smile at the lad and read on.

 _ **Everyone says … be true.**_

"Thank Merlin for that." Remus growls and Andromeda goes on: "Yeah, if he had indeed believed it, the Loyalty Oath Dumbledore must have tried to imprint on him would have worked. Thank Merlin he was wearing that cloak he had." And everyone nods, Ted Tonks hugging his wife close as her voice had been filled with fear before I read on.

 _ **Riddle opened … from somewhere**_ _and Harry suddenly felt the magic he could sense inside the pillars connect to the magic he received from Hogwarts_ _ **.**_

"It did?" Hermione asks shocked and Harry nods as Narcissa Malfoy comments: "It must have connected to just the part of the Hogwarts Magic that Salazar Slytherin created all those years ago. It must have connected to you when you saw the eyes move and recognized the magic you gained at the start of the year."  
Harry nods and says: "I guess so, I just wonder why it became so much harder afterwards to connect to the magic and knowledge Hogwarts gave me. It's almost as if something has been keeping me from reaching out deep inside myself or something." This worries the blonde woman and Riku says: "I guess we have to call Axel back."  
Everyone looks at him and he says: "Axel was able to let Draco meditate so well he was able to dive down deep enough inside himself to find his inner Animal form. Maybe he can help you reach just as deep down." Harry nods and Phil says: "We'll just use the next break to see if that works, Riku." The boy nods, but then Kairi says:  
"We can't." Everyone looks at her and she says: "We have to use next break to get back to Hogwarts. We have to read the last chapter there or the magic might not let time turn again there." Everyone looks shocked and then, realizing she's right, they all look down depressed and I decide to take their minds off of the upcoming farewell as I read on.

 _ **Riddle whirled … normal size.**_ _He felt like he had often done when Erica had been with him and yet as if he was back in the line of students waiting to be sorted; happy, but worried for reasons he couldn't understand._

This makes the woman in question smile at her young friend and then a young fourth year Hufflepuff asks: "But what kind of animal can make you feel like that?" And her friend answers: "Who cares, as long as it's not the Basilisk." But the Ravenclaw sitting near them shakes his head and says: "It can't be the Basilisk."  
The two look at him and he says: "Riddle said the Basilisk will only come when called and he has yet to call it. He was also, obviously shocked by the sound suddenly being there, so I don't think he knew what to expect either." The two Hufflepuffs nod, obviously relieved that it's not the Basilisk and I smile at the lad before reading.

 _ **Then, as … ragged bundle.**_

"Ah, I wondered when I'd make my reappearance." A smiling voice says and we all see Axel and Roxas returning from the portal, a strange, blue colored ice-cream in their hands and a smile on Axel's face as the student seated closest to him asks: "You? You made that sound? That was you, Axel?" Axel nods and says:  
"Don't forget what I was until Riku and Sora came here. I had, sort of bonded, myself to Harry's heart, I think it's the magic he gained back on Halloween that helped me do so, but anyway I bonded myself and felt he needed help, so I used my inner powers over fire and flamed over." The student nods and I read on.

 _ **A second … black eyes.**_

"Too bad." Roxas smiles, touching Axel's cheek and pulling his face towards his own as he says: "I really do love your green eyes just the way they are." Axel smiles and kisses Roxas on the lips, before – his ice-cream in his other hand – lifting the boy up and sitting him down on his lap, making Roxas squeak shocked as I read on.

 _ **The bird … Sorting Hat."**_

"That's what?" The twins ask and then one of them asks: "Axel, why give Harry the Sorting Hat?" And the other goes on: "How can that help him?" But Axel shrugs and says: "It too felt the connection and told me to take it with me. I did." The twins nod and Harry smiles: "Don't worry, it was exactly what I needed." Before I read on.

 _ **So it … at once.**_ _The fact that Riddle was Voldemort increased Harry's fear as well as his determination as now he didn't just want Ginny not to end like Erica, he didn't want her to end like his parents either, not by the hands of this monster.  
_ _ **"This is … stay alive."**_

"THAT INCREDIBLE BASTARD!" Sirius shouts and he goes on: "How dare he threaten Harry with murder just to let him answer a single question? That monster lost his mind! He –." But then Roxas, having gone to sit quite close with our group, pushes his ice-cream in Sirius' mouth and the man stops in shock.  
He then seems to taste the ice-cream and as Roxas lets go of the stick at the end, does Sirius grab it, a happy smile on his face and he pulls the ice-cream out as he says: "Wow, that's salty – but still very sweet. What kind of ice-cream is this?" And Roxas answers: "Sea-salt." This shocks us all and Sirius deadpans:  
"No really, what flavor is it?" And Sora answers: "Sirius, it really is Sea-salt Ice-cream. It's a very popular flavor in many worlds here. In Twilight Town, in Radiant Garden, in Disney Castle, but that last one was mostly thanks to Donald, he insisted his uncle brought the flavor to the castle." The man looks shocked and looks back at the treat.  
He takes another, tentative lick, and asks: "This – this is really Sea-salt?" Sora nods and asks: "It's really sweet, isn't it?" Sirius nods and says: "Yeah, Salty, yet sweet. It really is a nice flavor." Sora smiles and Leon says: "We'll go to Radiant Garden next. Then the others can try it too." Sirius nods, happily licking the ice-cream and I read on.

 _ **Harry was … kill me.**_

"Well, at least I knew part of it back then." Harry sighs depressed and Sirius asks: "Want a lick?" Harry smiles at him and does as asked, getting the same shocked but happy smile on his face as his mum before Tonks asks: "What do you mean, back then, Harry?" And the boy sighs, depressed again as he says:  
"It's just that the year after this book really helped me freshen up my memory as to what happened all those years ago." The woman, only a few years older than me, looks shocked and asks: "It did, but – but how?" And Harry moans: "You'll see." Before Sirius shares his ice-cream with his son again and I read on, not wanting Harry to dwell on this.

 _ **Because my … you're foul!"  
**_ _Harry didn't know why he was saying all of this to the man that killed so many, but the terror he caused Ginny, the pain he caused Harry when he killed his parents and the fact that, even as a teenager, this madman wanted him dead, made his need for revenge – a need he's had since he heard of what had really happened to his parents – go skyrocket and that probably gave him exactly the drive he needed to speak as he did._

This causes some of the students to smile at the courage of the lad, while my family and I can only worry about what his words would cause him, especially seeing who he was in the room with. Then Sirius asks: "Please tell me you don't do that anymore." And when Harry shakes his head, does this relieve us all and I read on.

 _ **Riddle's face … after all.**_

"Noooooo, nothing special at all!" Sora mocks, dragging out the _o_ tone of no, before he goes on and says: "He's just a Potions master, can sense magic from just about all around him and is, through mind and core, connected to Hogwarts. No, not special at all." This mock-angered tone makes a lot of us laugh at his mock-frown and I happily read on.

 _ **I wondered … something alike...**_

"Only difference, he was an orphan and turned into a beautiful young man. You were an orphan and you turned into an absolute monster. Oh, and his heart is beyond better than yours, let alone his soul." Viktor growls at the book and Harry says: "Okay, I don't want to know what you'll say if someone else will compare the two of us."  
"Will they?" Viktor asks him and Harry answers: "Dumbledore did. I think it's in the next chapter. After that, Voldemort only did it once and that was in the Graveyard, but only in the book as he didn't get the chance to when we had the Third Task." The young Bulgarian nods and growls: "добър." Before I read on.

 _ **But after … his wand.**_ _He was furious that Riddle called his mother's sacrifice a lucky chance, but he wanted Riddle to make the mistake of the first move before he would take his revenge. The first move was after always the easiest to dodge and or deflect._

"Good thinking there, Potter. Vengeful and angered, yet well thought out and understandable." Moody comments and then Harry says: "Good, but here it all goes to hell." This worries us all and the man deadpans: "He summons the Basilisk, doesn't he?" And Harry nodding silently makes me read on all the faster and all the more worried.

 _ **But Riddle's … Hogwarts Four."**_

"Surely, that's not the password Slytherin created for his Basilisk to come. Surely even he was not that vain." Hades then comments and he goes on: "I mean, come on, even I'm not that vain and I can get pretty, pretty vain when I believe one of my plans a guaranteed success.""Don't we know it." Hercules growls and I read on.

 _ **Harry wheeled … of serpents?**_

"Hey!" Axel shouts, but then Roxas deadpans: "Axel, he didn't know it was you and he was too young to know what Phoenixes were capable of." The man huffs and says: "Fair enough." Before hugging Roxas close and whispering: "Want to share my ice-cream, Roxy?" The blonde laughs and they happily enjoy the ice-cream as I read on.

 _ **Something huge … it coming.**_ _For a second he hoped the Basilisk didn't crush Ginny's body while it chased him, but fear of what the serpent was going to do to him drove that thought out, together with something else._ _ **There was … the wall.**_

"You didn't tell us about that!" Ron suddenly shouts and Harry cringes before he says: "I was watering the story down for Ginny's sake. She was still shaken up and I knew she would have nightmares would I tell her what happened in explicit detail. She already looked as if she would." My brother nods and I read on.

 _ **Waiting for … the pillars.**_

"What the hell?" Charlie shouts and he goes on: "What's happening?" And Bill says: "I think Axel is trying to distract the Basilisk from going after Harry." But then the elder redhead smiles and says: "Oh, I did a lot more than distracting that heinous monster." But as he keeps silent after this, I take it as my cue to read on.

 _ **He couldn't … it turned.**_

"OH MERLIN'S BEARD!" Sirius shouts, but then Axel says: "Don't worry, I was already done. And if I hadn't been, do you really think I would not have flown in front of Harry to shield his eyes. He wouldn't be here had that happened now, would he?" The man seems to calm down somewhat and I feel relieved myself as I read on.

 _ **Harry looked … in agony.**_

"You BLINDED it?" Blaise Zabini asks and he goes on: "You blinded a 20 foot tall Basilisk?" But Axel causes Sirius to worry once again as he says: "Actually, it was 25 feet tall, it must have shed its skin during the previous attack." To this Sirius shouts: "It must have WHAT?" And Axel cringes as I quickly distract Sirius by reading on.

 _ **"No!" Harry … Harry's arms.**_

"Was that irony – or just stupid dumb luck?" Draco asks and Harry says: "To be honest, now that I think back about that minute, I might have actually spoken Parsletongue or something without realizing it, due to my fear." This shocks his blond cousin and Blaise asks: "So the Basilisk obeyed you?" But Harry shrugs and I read on.

 _ **Harry seized … very tightly**_ _and Harry felt the magic Hogwarts had given him pouring into the Hat as if joining with its magic_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Something very … him out.**_

"HOW IS THAT SUPPOSED TO HELP?" Sirius shouts, but then Remus says: "Actually, that would have been something good." Everyone looks at him and he says: "If Harry had been out cold, Riddle could have mistaken him for death and Harry could have made a sneak attack.""Huh, good point." Sirius admits and I read on.

 _ **Stars winking … feet, ready.**_ _As he grabbed the sword he almost felt the magic returning, but payed it no mind as his full focus was on the beast before him._

"So first your magic connected to Hogwarts, then that connected to the Chamber, causing Axel to appear and then it connects to the Sorting Hat, causing that sword to appear?" Daphne Greengrass asks and when Harry nods, she asks: "What kind of magical core is inside you?" But Harry shrugs and looks down as I read on.

 _ **The Basilisk's … Chamber wall.**_ _Pieces of the broken wall stuck themselves inside the monster's head, but the pain in his eyes and nose seemed to have made the rest of his head numb to any other form of pain._ _ **It lunged … serpent's mouth.**_

"ALRIGHT!""YES!""YOU GO, HARRY!""GREAT WORK!" Goes through the entire Coliseum, but then a loud voice overwhelms that and shouts: "NOOOOOOOOO!" We all look around and see Sirius looking at Harry as if he's seeing a ghost. "How? How did you survive that? That's impossible." He says, but then stops and I read on, confused.

 _ **But as … the floor.**_

This makes me – and everyone else – whiten and Professor McGonagall gasps as she says: "Of course, the teeth were as long as sabers, so they were the same length as the sword." Sirius nods, still looking at his son in worry and disbelief. But then Axel whistles and when we all look at him, we see his easy smile. This relieves us and I eagerly read on.

 _ **Harry slid … dull color.**_

"Oh god no." Sirius whimpers, but Axel says: "Don't worry, Sirius. Don't forget that I was flying over the Basilisk's head so I saw everything. I knew I had to step in the minute I saw his arm sink into that disgusting mouth that deep." The black-haired man smiles at the tall red-haired lad gratefully and I continue the chapter.

 _ **A patch … He's crying."**_

"What an idiot!" Cormac shouts and he goes on: "Has he forgotten that Phoenix tears have healing powers? How can he not try –." But then a furious snarl stops him and Sirius growls: "Don't you dare finish that sentence." The boy whitens, realizing the anger he must have caused with his words and then Axel says:  
"And besides, it wasn't just the healing powers of the Phoenix I was using, I added a little Curaga magic to the mix as well to help him stay strong for a few weeks afterwards." This makes Harry smile at him and he says: "Thanks, I needed it." Worrying us all and making me silently curse the Muggles Harry lived with as I read on.

 _ **Harry blinked … unwisely challenged.**_

"Challenged? Is this man mentally challenged or something?" Hades asks and he goes on: "As far as I was told, he attacked Harry first, attacked his best friend and kidnapped his best friend's sister and set a deadly Basilisk on him. So, who exactly challenged who here?" But everyone can hear his sarcasm sounding through and I read on.

 _ **You'll be … he must."**_

"Is that man really that full of himself he speaks about himself in third person?" Zeus asks, his glow slightly back, but not quite there yet, proving he is still weak and he goes on: "Not even you're that arrogant." To which Hades says: "Tell me about it, this man is a murder for my reputation." Groaning afterwards before I read on.

 _ **If this … get away!"**_

"Really?" Hades asks and he goes on: "He only scares the bird off after the wound is healed, not when he sees the wound healing? Is he really that stupid?" But then Harry seems to decide to go easy on the God and says: "No, he's just more arrogant than you in such a way it doesn't make him see the faults in his plans until it's too late."  
The God moans and says: "Not even our alliance of a few years ago was that stupid – and we really had a bunch of idiots there." To this Sora asks: "Let me guess, Malificent, you, Ursula, Jafar, Clayton and Captain Hook?" But then Hades says: "You forgot that oaf, Oogie-Boogie." To which Sora asks shocked:  
"He was part of your alliance? That Maleficent used him, I knew, but I hadn't guessed she would let him in on her plans, let alone that alliance of yours." The God shrugs and says: "It was to make sure she could check whether or not there was a Princess in Halloween Town." Sora nods, but I feel confused and read on.

 _ **Harry raised … and scarlet.**_

"He actually shot a chunk of ice at me, of course I took flight." Axel growls and Roxas asks: "But you didn't leave Harry, did you?" Axel shrugs and says: "Only shortly, but that was out of tactics. I just went and fetched him what he needed to defeat that creep." His boyfriend nods, smiling at him and I read on, curious as to his plans.

 _ **"Phoenix tears … the diary.**_

"The diary?" A lot of students ask and one of the French girls asks Axel: "Are you sure you were fully conscious of your actions back then?" The redhead seems offended, but then Harry says: "Don't worry, that was the best thing he could have ever done, almost better than blinding the Basilisk." The French girl nods and I read on.

 _ **For a … through it.**_

"Of course it had, up until then Basilisk Venom was one of the three things that had no cure at all, next to Fiendfire and the Killing Curse." Sirius sighs relieved and he says: "And those – those monstrous things can only be destroyed with something that has no cure. Had it been an ordinary fang, it would have done nothing."  
This shocks us all and Moody asks: "What do you know of this, Black?" And Sirius answers: "Enough to know it was my reason to run away when I was 16 years old. It was one of the final lessons my parents gave me in Dark Arts, before I decided I had enough of their needs to let me switch sides and ran from them forever."

He then looks up and says: "The diary is an Item called a Horcrux. Horcruxes are created when someone commits murder, wanting the murder and being willing to use the murder for more than just the murder in itself. This act of total Darkness will then cause the soul to break and if that happens, one can put a soul part into such an Item."  
Everyone looks shocked and then Harry once again holds up the Locket and says: "Voldemort had several. One of them was my scar, one of them was the Diary and one of them was this Locket that Professor Snape and I found in the Chamber and that I used to destroy all his other Horcruxes, back at the Graveyard."  
Everyone looks from the Locket to the boy and Harry says: "This is what I thought of during the chapters of the Graveyard, what caused me to pace so much and what I had to twist my entire plan around. But, by using this Locket, I made sure the Basilisk venom instilled in the ritual destroyed Voldemort body and soul."

Everyone looks shocked and then Cormac asks: "Wait, your scar was a Horcrux?" Harry nods and says: "I first realized it when the pain in my scar intensified after I had stabbed the Horcrux and when I realized that my scar reacted to Voldemort's emotions and soul presence I realized the full truth of what my scar truly contained.  
But – it matters no more. Together with Voldemort, the Diary and the Locket, the Horcrux in my scar has been destroyed and my scar is just that. A piece of flesh, placed on my forehead and shaped like a Lightning bolt. It is no longer connected to Voldemort and will cause us no trouble now that he is dead." Cormac nods reluctantly and I read on.

 _ **Shaking all … Basilisk's mouth**_ _, making sure he kept well away from the other dangerous teeth as he didn't want to have to ask Fawkes for more tears_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Then came … was stirring.**_

"THANK GOODNESS!" All of my brothers and I moan and Ron groans: "You didn't tell me it had been this bad, you know?" And he glares at Harry, who says: "I repeat, Ginny was in bad enough a state and I knew she needed time, so I wasn't going to go in detail in front of her." My youngest brother nods and I read on.

 _ **As Harry … sat up.**_ _Seeing her do so, Harry felt happier than he had in ages. He had been worrying she would end like Erica more and more since he heard of what Riddle was doing to her and knowing that the destruction of the diary gave her back enough energy to sit up finally relieved him of the worry he had been carrying since he heard McGonagall say her name in the Teacher's Lounge._

My father, Nella, Narcissa, Amelia, Andromeda and Sirius all smile at Harry and Viktor hugs him close as he says: "You truly have a big and loving heart, моя красив малък покорен половинка." Before he kisses the black-haired boy's cheek lovingly, causing Harry to turn red as with shyness before I happily read on.

 _ **Her bemused … her face.**_

"And now you will know why she feared what you could do to her as a Prefect." Harry tells me seriously and I worry over what it could be as it actually made her stop from confiding in Harry and Ron that which could have saved her life. Already feeling bad, I know I will feel even worse as I read on and still I do so.

 _ **"Harry – oh … Dad say?"**_

"THAT?" I ask shocked and go on: "She – she thought I would chose my role as Prefect over my role as Brother? She actually thought I would expel her? Even if she was the victim?" Harry nods and says: "Yes, and I think part of her still sees herself not as the victim, but as the culprit." This shocks me senseless and Harry goes on:  
"Which must have been the reason she never confided about any of this afterwards to any of you. Not you, during summer, not Bill when you all visited him in Egypt and not Charlie when he came home for the World cup. She must still – even if just slightly – think herself guilty for all those attacks and all that terror and fear."

I look at the boy shocked, worried for my sister more than when she had actually been kidnapped and Sirius asks: "But – but why would she? Surely she's been seeing a Mind healer all these years?" But dad shakes his head and Madam Pomfrey says: "Albus ordered Ginny to just a cup of cocoa and bedrest, my hands were tied."  
The man looks shocked and then he goes on: "Arthur, in order to repay for the life-debt that Ginny has to Harry, seeing he saved her soul from being sucked dry, I demand that you accept a full funding of medical care for Ron and Ginny for all they – and your other sons, if it so happens – have or will go through in the coming years."  
I see my dad hesitating and Sirius says: "Arthur, your son is suffering from a concussion and magical problems caused by using a wrong wand for two years and your daughter has had a mental, magical and emotional trauma for which she has to see a Mind Healer. I insist on paying for all their care." My dad sighs and nods before I read on.

 _ **Fawkes was … soft hiss.**_ _He hated what had happened inside the Chamber, but the magic and how it had called to him fascinated him and he knew it was the only place he could study such forms of magic. He vowed to come back there once he was sure Voldemort could do so no more._

"And still I came back a few hours before this actually happened." Harry sighs and then he goes on: "Thank Merlin that I did." And Snape nods, looking just as relieved, which is only slightly visible through his mask of indifference. Wondering if these books will break through his years of wearing an impassive mask, I read on.

 _ **After a … through himself.**_ _He was personally very glad for the change of subject as he knew Ginny first needed to get herself together before anything else could happen, she needed help from an adult and he wanted to get her to one as soon as possible, preferably Madam Pomfrey._

"Then why didn't you come to me, Mr. Potter?" The woman in question asks and Harry sends a mocking glare at Axel's way as he says: "Because someone had other plans for me and my friends." But then the redhead says: "Not me, my Phoenix instincts took over. He was my bonded, remember?" Harry sighs and I read on.

 _ **"And how … Where's Lockhart?"**_

This makes all of my family smile at Harry gratefully and dad says: "You really have a good heart, Harry." Making my surrogate little brother smile at the man. Sirius then sighs and says: "One more chapter and then we'll have to part for a while." This makes Harry look at his mother hurt and Sirius kisses his forehead lovingly as I read on.

 _ **"Back there … we are.**_

"Only better, if that bimbo remembers who he is, he could just as well continue with what he tried doing to Harry." I softly growl and then Poppy says: "I've checked all the Third year boys and girls under Dreamless Sleep, they're all clean of memory spells." This comforts everyone beyond imagination and the woman goes on:  
"I'll check the other years when everyone's awake and we're back at Hogwarts. It will be the first thing to do once time starts running again, so I'll have access to my Hospital Wing and my Potions, in case needed." We all nod and Snape says: "I'll make more of anything required, if necessary." Madam Pomfrey smiles at him and I read on.

 _ **I told … up there."**_

"I really hate that you didn't know it was me. I'm getting sick of being underestimated all the time." Axel growls and Roxas laughs as his partner pouts, before he says: "It's not underestimating if they don't know you, Axel." Axel sighs and says: "Good point." Before suddenly brightening up and asking happily:  
"You wouldn't underestimate me, would you Roxas? You trust that I can pull those four up, right?" Roxas laughs again at his child-like excitement and says: "Yes Axel, after all I saw you do when I lost my memory and all I saw you do while part of Sora, I know I would never underestimate you." The Redhead happily smiles and I read on.

 _ **"Fawkes," said … the pipe.**_

"If I had had any more control of my own powers I would have simply transported us all through our portals." Axel mocks and then he shrugs and says: "Oh well, you can't have it all.""No, no, you can't." Auron comments, but when I see Axel's big smirk I am suddenly reminded of the twins and the man says:  
"You can't have it all –." He stretches the word all and grabs Roxas, causing the blond to shout as he pulls him on his lap and says: "Until you get the one you love." And he starts kissing Roxas on the cheek and in the neck, while Auron shakes his head and everyone laughs at the ridiculous statement. I too shake my head and read on.

 _ **Harry could … blushing silver.**_

"Should I be jealous?" Viktor growls and Harry comments: "Only if you don't want me gay." The Bulgarian looks at him shocked and Harry says: "What, she's a real side-turner. She'd turn any bloke gay with how she tries to seduce them." And his shudder seems to emphasize this as Viktor smiles and kisses him before I read on.

 _ **"Urgh!" said … Ginny's face**_ _and Harry gave him the almost standard hook in the side_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Where now … the corridor.**_

"Yep, that was your instinct leading them." Roxas tells Axel and he goes on: "Else you'd be as red as your amazing hair." This makes Axel smile and he whispers: "How long have you thought my hair to be amazing?" Roxas shrugs and says: "As long as I've believed myself in love with you?" This question is answered with a kiss and I read on.

 _ **They strode … door open.**_

"And that's the end of it." I say and everyone awake groans. But then dad stands up and says: "Let's quickly wait for Arianna and then get back to Hogwarts. I want to see how my daughter is doing." Everyone nods, but then Roxas gasps looking at the gate to Hell. We all turn there and see two woman coming out of the doorway.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **I want to apologize, cause I almost posted the last chapter twice. This is also the reason why the update was two hours late, cause I didn't find out about this until the end of the month, after I had believed myself to already be done with the entire chapter for this and next month. Just goes to show what I know, doesn't it?  
**_ _ **Still hope you enjoyed,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	56. Fields Of Time And Memory

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **This time the right chapter was edited nicely on time as I worked on this right after realizing and fixing the mistake I almost made on last chapter at the end of last month. So yeah, I know I could have provided you with a double chapter upload, but I have no interest in breaking my schedule, so I didn't go through with that.  
**_ _ **Sorry, not sorry,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 55  
**_ _ **Fields of time and memory**_

 _ **Draco's POV**_

That the sister of my evil, manipulative, bastard of a Headmaster would appear I had been expecting, but that a young girl with – with that beautiful black hair, an amazingly pale tan and totally stunning blue eyes, I could have never expected and thus, like many others, I am goggling at the young girl, but for a completely different reason.  
The girl wears the same coat as Axel and Roxas, but then with pointier shoulders, gorgeous high heels and with tighter fitting sleeves, making her thin arms looking endlessly long and making me wonder how they would feel around my shoulders. The girl is also wearing her hood slightly, and yet I can still see her beautiful face.  
She has a small mouth with soft lips that are just a few tans darker than her own tan, thus stand out nicely, a short nose pointing down to her lips, as if inviting me to kiss her and a slightly pointed chin, quite resembling my own and making me like her even more, without even taking a look at the rest of her form.  
The girl looks from her partner to the rooms at large and I feel as if fate gives me another sign that this girl is to be mine as her eyes stop with me and she locks her gaze with me, as if assessing me. Allowing her to see all of me, I send her a friendly smile, while my eyes try to mentally tell her how much I appreciate her looks.

 _ **Young girl's POV**_

I don't know what possessed me to, like Roxas, part with Sora, but it almost ended right for the blonde and wrong for me as I had – and I still don't understand this – ended up in a long, green, vortex-shaped river filled with other souls and next to a young woman, who had her eyes closed and a peaceful smile on her face.  
I had waited, wondering if Sora was around here somewhere, but then a shout had shocked me and I had seen someone with a white beard and blue eyes coming my way, glowing with some strange kind of aura and with great worry written all over his face. He had grabbed the woman's foot and my arm and had swum us up to shore.  
There it had become apparent that the woman had overheard the fates saying how she shouldn't have died, but how it should have been her brother and this had shocked me, but the one thing worse than that was how the man before us had been handling getting out of the river as he had been panting and gasping for breath.

The woman, named Arianna, had told the man to go up and that we would follow him up shortly. He had quickly told us where to go and how to get there and had then left, but I feared for the chance of him even making it. Arianna had then taken me aside and told me all she knew of the world she had been born in.  
After this she had taken the directions we had gotten from the man and while she still seemed weak from the disease she told me about, was it obvious she was determined to fix her brother's mistakes as she felt terrible that he had had to die, but she had also seen the fear of the Fates and had accepted that it was the better choice of life.

Now we have just one staircase left that we were supposed to take and we end up in a much lighter, much sunnier space that has a Greece style decoration, gigantic walls looking over the clouds and thunder forms cut into the doors between the staircase and the gigantic rectangle-shaped sandy room that stretches out before us.  
Having helped Arianna up the last 20% of the staircase, I am personally glad to see the sun and the amazing crowd of people, especially when I see my old friends, Roxas and Axel. Axel seems a little confused as to who I am, but I cannot blame him as I am originally fabricated from Sora's memories of Kairi and thus resemble her.  
Still I fear this will push us and our friendship a whole way back, even so far that the man will attack me for being a stray member of the Organizations, but the shocked, happy look on Roxas' face brings my hopes up as it proves that he still remembers me, if only slightly, just as he must be wondering how I can be here.

But then my eyes stray away from my two friends, who seem to have become even closer friends if Roxas sitting on Axel's lap is anything to go by, to further down their party of friends where my eyes suddenly meet with a pair of silver-grey eyes I have never seen before, but of which the emotions inside completely baffle me.  
Feeling my mouth open slightly, I feel things I shouldn't be able to, seeing I am nothing but material created and turned into shape thanks to powerful memories. Yet, by looking into those amazing eyes, seeing that slightly pointed nose and seeing that tan being almost as pale as my own, I cannot believe what I am experiencing.  
Trying to understand how I can feel something like this, I suddenly realize I often felt this way whenever memories of Sora concerning Riku would come up in me and with that, shockingly, realize that I have fallen head over heels for the young blonde, who – judging by the emotions in his eyes – might like me back.  
The boy does then bring my hopes up by being the first to stand up and walk over, taking my hand and formally bowing as he – shockingly enough – kisses it lightly, before asking: "Draco Malfoy of the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Malfoy is the name. What is yours, lovely lady?" And I happily answer: "My name is Xion."

 _ **Arianna's POV**_

I knew giving the elder man with the curled white beard and the god-like glow some more time before our arrival would be the better option as now everyone can focus on him and his recovery first and our return into their lives afterwards. Yet I never expected the return of my new female friend to have such an impact.  
The black-haired girl – who's arrival in the River of Death while still alive – was a sign for me as I had always believed my death to be too early, although up until today I believed this because I loved my brothers so much. To know that my brother Albus went so wrong after my death is something I regret more than anything.  
I look from her to the group of people she is looking at and to my great pleasure the group exists out of twenty-four members, under-which a young blonde haired boy my new friend seems to like very much as he is the first to stroll over to us and, like a true gentleman, kisses her hand and introduces himself as Draco Malfoy.

Then an elder woman with grey brown hair stuck up in a tight bun appears before me and says: "Arianna, we are very happy that you have returned to us. We sincerely hope you will help us put your brother to justice. We know you love him, but his actions to us were nothing but manipulative and caused tons of pain."  
I nod, glad to have my magic back to normal powers and having accepted that they are a part of me as I probably, over the course of my life would have done anyway, had I had the chance to live a little longer. The woman asks: "So you're willing to help us put a stop to the evil actions and disastrous plans of your own brother?"  
I nod and say: "I knew he was growing into the darkness and that Aberforth was doing nothing to help him come back to the good side, so part of me is very glad to have died on the day I did. It helped me accept my magic once more and it made sure I didn't have to be witness of my own brother further walking down that path."

The woman nods and raises her hand as she says: "Minerva McGonagall, I am Head of Gryffindor House and currently one of the Four Headmasters of Hogwarts as your brother is arrested and thus put out of function. But as this was done during the schoolyear, will we have to use this summer to find a new Headmaster."  
I nod at her and then a young man asks: "So – you're leaving now, aren't you?" And a young black-haired boy with green eyes and a scar on his forehead nods, before a brown haired boy with sea blue eyes says: "Don't worry, you, Meg and Phil can come visit us. Axel or Roxas just has to open a portal for you and you're good to go."  
This makes the young man with rust-colored hair with sky blue eyes smile at him and then a small satyr walks over to the young man and says: "And don't forget to keep training. That goes for both of you, but seeing that Zeus made you a true Hero already, it goes for you just that little bit more, are we clear, kid?"  
The boy nods and another boy, this one slightly chubby and with blonde hair, says: "Don't worry, Phil. We'll be sure to keep up with the training Hercules gave us and to improve it where we can so we can improve ourselves along the way." The Satyr named Phil nods and then McGonagall coughs and says:

"Attention students, get back in the lines in which you came here and get ready for transport. We will return for the Final Chapter in the Great Hall in exactly ten minutes. You have exactly ten minutes to find your own House. Just wait before searching as we will be undoing the Glamour off of the Coliseum first."  
And she starts waving her wand, scaring me slightly as it reminds me of what I was doing before those Muggle boys attacked me, but then I calm myself and think: "No, no I was not in the wrong, they were. They should have never seen it and they should have never forced more out of me or tried to stop me from doing it."  
Yet I feel stupid for not calling it by its name and I take a deep breath as I see a large walls, with many pillars and with two gigantic statues of men standing to the middle of the courtyard, their swords drawn and raised to the sky at the center of the courtyard. I am amazed as all of this is at least 20 times my own size and that only in height.

Then the students start to move and within 7 minutes 8 perfect lines have formed themselves, of which two are only of a few strangers not wearing any kind of school uniform and of which each group has one of the now three members wearing the long black robe. I feel amazed and then McGonagall leads me to the last group.  
I stay here and then the young blonde at the first small group, which only consists of himself, the brown haired lad that spoke up earlier and his silver-white haired partner, raises his arm and opens a dark and dangerous looking portal. I gulp and shiver a little and then the black-haired man of my group whispers:  
"Don't worry, we've used that portal almost ten times now. It's perfectly safe." This makes me nod and, out of instinct, I ask: "Under good control too?" The man looks at me, his grey-blue eyes showing confusion and he says: "Yeah, we wouldn't have used it if those guys haven't practiced using it countless times before now."

To this I nod relieved and then we all go through the portal, the small group of three first, then the ones with the thick cloaks, followed by the green-trimmed students, the blue-trimmed, the yellow-trimmed and the red-trimmed students and finally the group of female students with blue uniforms takes the portal before us.  
Once through the opening, I enter an amazing area of blue, pinks, purple and weird white signs and as I look around, I see the red-head that was with us, closing the door behind us, waving at the man that saved us, a red-haired woman, the man named Hercules and the brown-haired woman with him before closing off the doorway.  
I then focus on the doorway before us, but that is nothing but a ball of green and yellow light with swirls and twirls of darkness going round the edge. This confuses me, but the group of girls before us easily walk through and I decide to do the same. Shockingly enough nothing happens and within two steps I am within a whole new room.

This room is just as large and rectangle-shaped as the other, yet smaller in height and slightly in length and made of a different kind of stone with stained glass in all the windows and with gargoyles holding torches that are on metal platters and are currently unlit. There are all kind of seats around and all in all the place is amazing.  
McGonagall turns to smile at me while everyone else seems to get back to seats they must have been seated at before leaving and says: "Welcome to Hogwarts, Ariana." Making me smile at the kind woman. She then waves her wand yet again and an amazingly comfortable looking chair, made of blue velour, appears before me.  
She then waves around and says: "Just pick a group you wish to sit with, we'll start with the reading of the last chapter shortly. We just have to wake some students up." Only then do I remember how weird it was seeing a lot of black-robed students carrying younger kids with the same trim on their black cloaks as their carriers.

I nod and ask: "Was there any reason for their slumber?" And the woman answers: "They were too young to hear of what happened in the last few chapters. It was enough to make me want a Dreamless Sleep potion and that says a lot." I nod, wondering just how bad these books can be and say: "I would like to sit with Xion."  
Minerva nods and then another woman, this one short and stubby, but with a friendly smile on her face, lifts my seat with her wand and leads it over to the family of three blondes where Xion decided to sit on request of the young Draco. I smile at my new, hopeful, friend and she smiles back at me as I sit down next to her.

 _ **Axel's POV**_

"Well, seeing I was the last to leave the portal and seeing I have the books with me, why don't I read this one?" I propose to the room at large, quite impressed with how the Great Hall looks now that I no longer have to look at it through the eyes of a Phoenix and then Harry scoffs and says: "As if you don't know what'll happen."  
To this I huff and say: "Not all of it. The chapter has to be about more than that explanation you gave." The young boy nods, seated comfortably next to his mate and I hate the fact I don't have my own little flame near me right now. Deciding to fix that first chance I get, I open and page through the book before starting to read.

 _ **Dobby's Reward**_

"Definitely more than that explanation." I happily grin, but then a soft groan stops me from reading on and, looking up, I see Ginny waking up, having been laid down on Bill, Charlie and Arthur's laps before being given the Antidote to the Dreamless Sleep potion she took. She slowly, groggily sits up and asks:  
"Wh-whah – what happened?" And Arthur softly touches her cheek as he says: "We're all back at Hogwarts, Ginny. We're reading of you all arriving at McGonagall's office and what happened after that." The girl nods and sits down between her two elder brothers, who worriedly but lovingly wrap an arm around her as I read on.

 _ **For a … their daughter.**_ _By the tensing of the girl's shoulders Harry felt even worse and wondered if being hugged like that would be good for the girl, seeing the shocked state she must still be in. Still, he knew if he had been in her shoes, he wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else than where she was right now, in her mother's arms._

"Yeah." The girl groggily says and she shakes her head a little, obviously still a little bit under the effects of the potion before she goes on: "We just didn't know what a blind-sighted, old-fashioned, over-determined woman she actually was." To which Harry looks at her worriedly, while her brothers steady her and he says:  
"That doesn't matter, Ginny. She was there for you and as much as she wanted you in a way you would never be, she did love you as you were her only daughter." Ginny sighs and Arthur asks: "Remus, once you and Sirius get the chance, can you allow us all into your pack. We'll need it." The two men nod and I read on.

 _ **Harry, however … tight embrace.**_

"I hate that stupid instinct. I would have stayed with him had it not overthrown my own Nobody powers. God, I was so weak back then, I needed something as strong as the Time Reading Spell to get my Nobody Powers running and only then was I able to come back. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it." I mentally rant and read on.

 _ **"You saved … them everything**_ _he dared to tell them while in Ginny's presence, as he didn't want to traumatize her more than this event had already done_ _ **. For nearly … disembodied voice**_ _, how he just couldn't put all the hints he had into a logical order that would solve it_ _ **, how Hermione … her bathroom...**_ _constantly making sure not to speak a word about the dangers he, Ron and Hermione had faced, both for Ginny as well as for the still crying Mrs. Weasley._

"She must have seen all the plans she had with Dumbles fall before her very eyes when she heard her daughter had been taken to die in that Retched Chamber. Must have been a real pain in the ass for her to realize that." The girl in question spats angrily and Sirius moans: "That Mind Healer will be required for a lot of us."  
This shocks the young ginger and her father says: "Sorry Ginny, but Sirius insisted that, to repay for your life debt to Harry, he pays for full recovery of you and your brothers would anything happen to them. He is also paying to heal the errors done to Ron's core thanks to the wand he used." The girl nods and I read on.

 _ **"Very well … or Ginny**_ _, mostly for the girl's own sake_ _ **. She was … expelled her?**_ _She was the victim, but he had seen the victim be punished plenty of times – his life with the Muggles was the living proof this happened.  
_ _ **Harry thought … half-moon spectacles.**_ _It wasn't because he trusted the man, but he sincerely hoped watching the Headmaster would help him gain enough Hogwarts information for him to find the perfect proof inside the amazing library of spells, charms and other stuff that Hogwarts gave him all those months ago on Halloween.  
_ _ **"What interests … of Albania."**_

"So his sources tell him the monster is still alive and where he is and yet, he still doesn't go and destroys the lives-destroyer?" Sora growls and Roxas spats: "Heck, had it been in one of the worlds we had gone to, Xemnas would have told us to take him out the minute our recon spotted him." I nod at this and Sirius spats:  
"Of course he doesn't kill the bastard. He manipulates a young teenage boy to face him and then plays him into his death before taking him everything he's had rights to since his bloody birth." This seems to shock Ariana and she asks: "Albus did all that." Sirius nods regretfully and Xion wraps an arm around her as I read on.

 _ **Relief – warm … utterly bewildered.**_

"Okay, that was unlike what Ollivander said when he examined Harry's scar and that was definitely a compliment to the murderer himself, not the magic he has casted." Snape growls and he goes on: "That just further proves that Dumbles doesn't care what someone does, as long as he can gain some fame out of it."  
This makes Ariana lower her head and then she asks: "Can we call in Aberforth next book? I would like his support for when you, rightfully, insult and belittle my brother." Sprout nods at the woman and the young girl that, for some reason, looks so familiar to me, pulls the older woman all the closer, making me smile before I read on.

 _ **"Very few … Boy here."**_

"You mean that when he resurfaced in England he didn't even stumble over his birthname when he introduced himself?" Leon asks and Harry says: "Don't forget where that name came from. Riddle must have hated his father so much, his name was just as much a taboo to him and no one ever speaks of a taboo."  
The young Hero of Radiant Garden nods and I personally feel the strong need to show Roxy my own old home, even if I know that Maleficent has badly changed it and that there is now a giant castle with the Heartless Sigil on it. Deciding this won't matter when I get to return to my childhood home, I happily smile and read on.

 _ **"But Ginny … its brain.**_

"Not the best timing for a reprimanding, but I do hope you've learned your lesson, sweetheart." I hear Arthur gently tell his daughter and the girl nods, before Harry laughs: "Trust me, Mr. Weasley, that comment stuck with me for at least half a year. Still remembered it by Christmas." The man laughs and I read on, snickering myself.

 _ **Why didn't … at her.**_ _Harry wondered why there was such a commanding tone to such comforting words._

"It was to make sure I couldn't contact a bloody Mind Healer." Pomfrey growls and then Sirius says: "Don't worry, Poppy, I'll make sure to see how the Potter and Black Mind Healers are doing and will see when I can bring them into the group. I just feel I won't be able to do so for a while." The Matron nods and Harry asks:  
"Why both of them, mum?" And Sirius says: "Because I first want to see just how good the Black Mind Healer is and how well he can keep secrets regarding our side and because I also want to see who is now Mind Healer for the Potter family, seeing the long term of absence of a Head for your Ancient and Noble Family."  
The young lad nods and asks: "So you'll find out why you have to wait, check on the Mind Healers and then, perhaps, teach me more about what I have to know to be a good Lord myself?" Sirius nods and says: "But I will keep Lordship until your 17th birthday, so you have plenty of time to learn." Harry smiles at his mum and I read on.

 _ **"You will … said Dumbledore.**_ _For some reason Harry felt bad about the past tense of which the man spoke and he wondered if it had anything to do with that ordering tone he had heard earlier._

"Good on you, lad. You really know how to keep sharp, even if the situation doesn't seem dangerous at all." Moody compliments the boy and then Harry turns to Ariana and asks: "Would you mind if I use this against him when needed?" The slightly older teen shakes her head, smiling at him gratefully and I read on.

 _ **Mrs. Weasley … be punished?**_

"Don't worry, boys, Albus had already told me he would reward you would you come back alive. I, of course, did not take that lightly – but I had to keep my scolding simple seeing Arthur and she were in the same room at the time he said it. He played that one cleverly, alright." McGonagall grumbles and Harry sighs, his eyes skyward, as I read on.

 _ **"I seem … in horror.**_ _Harry, on the other hand, had decided to pay close attention to the man's tones from now on and this one didn't make him sound like a scolding Headmaster at all; at once Harry wondered what he was up to.  
_ _ **"Which goes … mouth again.**_ _Harry could barely believe the current situation himself, but it was for completely different reasons. Had Dumbledore learned of his mistake of last year? And why 200 points each? Was this a way to show he had learned of the points mistake he had made, but was unaware of the points incident of himself, Neville and Hermione? Harry didn't know what to think._

"Harry!" Seamus moans and he goes on: "Why couldn't you just be happy with the points you got?" And Harry says: "Because we were only on Second Place with only 10 points different. The 400 points, at the near end of the year, showed a picture no different than the one at the end of the Year Feast one year previous."  
The Irish lad looks shocked and Harry says: "If there is one thing I have learned from being a Hero it's about what images can be made by actions taken and to always be subtle in your actions or you will be quickly judged the wrong way. Trust me, I learned that the hard way." His year mate nods sagely and I read on, feeling bad for Harry.

 _ **"But one … about Lockhart.**_

"Wish Dumbles had kept it that way." Sirius growls and Remus says: "I don't. It made sure Dumbles knew he had to replace Lockhart and the further that monster of a man is away from cub, the better in my eyes." Sirius nods and says: "For that I am willing to listen to his idiocy, indeed." Making a lot of us laugh before I read on.

 _ **He turned … was I?"**_ _Harry was sorely tempted to tell about the touches and the glances now, but his mind was running full steam and he knew ruining the man's life while he was this helpless would not help keep his status in the Wizarding World neutral. He would have to wait and – he shuddered – hope Lockhart would heal. Then he could strike, just like he always did, when the victim least suspects it.  
_ _ **"He tried … sword, Gilderoy!"  
**_ _Harry's neck almost broke as he swiftly looked from the ex-teacher to the Headmaster and he could not feel more betrayed if he tried. Not even McGonagall's words of last year were this devastating. Dumbledore had known all along that Lockhart had been good with Memory spells and still he had let the man teach, even if the man in question could use that talent as a dangerous weapon. Harry was hurt, but he decided to add Dumbledore to his list of people to get back at, he would just do it once he was sure Lockhart had been fully healed._

"I do not want to be on the wrong side of you when that happens, Harry." One of the twins smiles at him and the other goes on: "Nope, neither do I, dear brother." And Harry laughs: "And don't you forget it." Making the two mock-scowl, while everyone else laughs their heads off at the cheeky comment before I read on.

 _ **"Sword?" said … unaccountably nervous.**_ _Dumbledore knew of Lockhart's talent for Memory spells. Did this mean the man had taught Lockhart himself? Had he ever used the spell? And would he use it now?_

"Another thing we better check once the story is done." Snape growls and then McGonagall says: "Sirius, please make sure the Potter Mind Healer is here the first chance you get. If you believe the Black Mind Healer better, do him, but I want either one of them to check all of Hogwarts, students and staff as soon as possible."  
Sirius nods, but then he asks: "Harry, are there any holes in your memory?" Harry shakes his head and says: "No, but I read up on Memory spells and the one Lockhart used was more one that changed one memory for another, sometimes a fake one. It could be that Dumbledore did the same thing, but I'm not sure."  
"Wait, does that mean that what we read here, might not be what really happened?" Sora asks shocked, but Harry shakes his head and says: "I'm sure Dumbledore made it happen whatever I remember, it's just that he might have wiped some memories of what happened before that right out of my mind."  
This worries my young friend and Madam Pomfrey quickly walks over to Harry, casting quite the array of spellwork over the young wizard and then sighing in what seems to be relief, before she says: "I know what spell you talked of, Mr. Potter, and there are no traces of it on your person." This makes Harry smile happily, before she says:  
"Unfortunately do I still detect some other mental spells on you, spells that cause your mind to purposely forget certain events from happening. Luckily enough are these events still recorded in the books, so there will be periods of reading where even you will wonder what is happening. Do you understand?"

Harry nods, this time looking scared and asks: "Can you see into any of these memories and find out how Dumbledore was able to get this done? He must have caused me to forget a whole lot of stuff, but these books are almost accurate to the second of what I remember so far." The woman nods and casts her spells once again.  
This time she locks eye-contact with the young green-eyed lad and then she hums and after a few minutes breaks contact and says: "It seems Dumbledore created fields of time around you to make sure you could do things he didn't want you to, then he would wipe your memory and cast spells to prevent you from further doing those things."

This shocks us all and confuses most of us and Harry asks: "Why would he do that? Why first let me do something he didn't want me to do and then wipe my memory of it? What use is there to doing such a thing?" And Snape answers: "It will make sure you never have any interest in the things he doesn't want you doing, that's what."  
And we can tell that the man is absolutely furious with what our latest discovery. Then Harry turns back to Madam Pomfrey and asks: "You said the books have these gaps of time and my memory still recorded in them. Does that mean we will read about Dumbledore actually casting these spells?" Madam Pomfrey nods and I read on.

 _ **"First of … watched him**_ _, but it was mostly at how Dumbledore's hand kept missing the Phoenix's head; if he didn't know any better he would think the Phoenix felt insulted_ _ **.**_

"Of course I felt insulted, that bastard was using my loyalty and bond to Harry to further glorify himself in Harry's eyes. He was manipulating the lad and there was nothing I could do about it, the Phoenix was still stronger than me." I rant furiously and Roxas comes over to sit with me, resting his head on my shoulder.  
I smile at him, happy to have him near me again and loving how his small head lies on my shoulder so comfortingly and lovingly wrap an arm around his deliciously slim waist, still finding it amazingly unbelievable that this brilliant specimen of a Nobody gave and stole my heart in one single event. I kiss his hair and read on.

 _ **"And so … his mind.**_

"Ugh, I hate this!" Sirius spats and he goes on: "He only meets you when you are most doubting of yourself and your actions and comforts you then on them, further strengthening his image of loving grandfather inside you. I really hope you will find something to hate him later on." Harry smiles at the rant of his mum and I read on.

 _ **"Professor," he … speak Parseltongue..."**_

"Which is completely barbaric and stupid!" Hermione shouts and Ron moans softly: "Oh Merlin, not this again." But then she goes on, ignoring the redhead and says: "I mean, Professor Lupin's a werewolf, yet he is the most amazing father Harry could ever wish for. So why should Harry's ability over Parsletongue be any worse?"  
But then Blaise hugs her from behind, suddenly sits her down on his own lap and whispers: "Calmati, amore mio. Stai diventando troppo agitato. Siamo tutti d'accordo con te. Appena calmati." And the girl seems to indeed calm down by this strange language, which makes me wonder how many dialects there are in this world.  
She then smiles at the tanned lad and asks: "What was all that exactly?" And Blaise says: "I said; Calm down, my love. You're getting too excited. We all agree with you. Just calm down." The girl shakes her head and says: "You're the worst." But her smile says different and Blaise happily kisses her cheek as I read on.

 _ **"You can … I'm sure..."**_

"The bastard actually confessed he knew about the damned Horcrux in your scar? Why the hell did he not instantly just take care of it? What on earth was his purpose for telling you, but not helping you?" Sirius growls and Remus says: "Because he's Dumbles and that's just not his style." This makes Sirius scowl at him and I read on.

 _ **"Voldemort put … seems so."  
**_ _Harry could not believe what he was hearing. If Dumbledore knew of it now, he must have known of it years ago. Perhaps even when Harry had gotten the scar. He hated Dumbledore from that moment on, but he vowed not to show it. Instead he would personally find out how to destroy his scar – in secret that is. In public he would act as his scar holding a piece of Voldemort inside it didn't bother him. And thus he changed the subject.  
_ _ **"So I … quivering again.**_ _Harry had to try very hard not to glare the man to death for the wrong timed joke.  
_ _ **"Yet the … once more.**_ _Harry could not believe anyone would want to be loyal to someone like this, the grandfather act was starting to disgust him.  
_ _ **"Which makes … the firelight.**_ _He was turning the sword this way and that, not to – as Dumbledore told him – examine the sword, but to memorize what it's made of and how it is shaped. If Dumbledore wanted him to look at the sword, he would, but he would also craft one himself first chance he got. He wanted to be better prepared next time he faced something as dangerous as the Basilisk. He was no longer willing to jump into a situation like this unprepared._

"I'm proud of you, kiddo." Sirius smiles at his son and Remus asks: "Did you get it done?" Harry nods and says: "It's even charmed to protect the secret compartment of my trunk. It will fly out in such a way only I can catch it." This makes the men smile and Harry says: "I'll get it out for next book." The two nod and then Harry looks down.  
I see him biting his lip and Sirius asks: "What's the matter, cub?" And Harry opens his mouth, but then seems to hesitate before he answers: "I don't know why, but for some reason I believe that you are going to need your space next chapter. I just don't know where or why." Now the two look confused and then I say:  
"How about they stay until the first chapter of next book and then we travel to Radiant Garden. Then they can have their space here in the Great Hall and we can wait for them in Radiant Garden." This makes the small family of three smile at me and I happily receive the kiss on the cheek from Roxas, before reading on.

 _ **And then … Godric Gryffindor.**_

"Seriously?" Bill asks shocked and Harry answers: "Yep, but I did some research the night before we left Hogwarts and discovered that Gryffindor had two swords made. One he was famous for and that is depicted on all of his portraits and another one he had made just before his death. Apparently he put that one in the Sorting Hat."  
"What's the difference?" Bill asks and Harry answers: "The one in the Sorting Hat is for those that want to help both themselves and others in the gravest of peril. It works best on Gryffindors, but also on those having Gryffindor graduates down their close family line. Say their father, grandfather or great-grandfather.  
The other one is the symbol of the family line. Gryffindor had his father make it for him and fused it together with Hogwarts before letting the other one be made. It's now part of the Hogwarts wards, supposed to keep them up even if the Headmaster or Misstress fails to do so and thus never to be found again."

Everyone looks shocked and Bill asks: "Gryffindor gave up a sword made by his own father to make sure the wards could never fully fall?" Harry nods and says: "The other Founders did similar things, you know. Ravenclaw added something to the library, Hufflepuff to the Grounds and Slytherin to all common rooms."  
"The common rooms? What did he add to that?" And Harry happily answers: "A special spell to make sure the beds would always be equipped with blankets and comforters designed for whatever season they are in and to also make sure that, no matter where you sit in the common room, the temperature will keep you from getting ill."  
The students all look shocked and Harry says: "Ravenclaw added some of her very own magic, actually transferring some of it from her core straight into the foundation of the Library to add an Undetectable Extension charm to it and to make sure there would always be at least ten-thousand books in the library.  
And finally Hufflepuff and the grounds. Her work was, in my eyes, far out the best as she too added an Undetectable Extension charm to make sure the grounds would grow or slink, depending on how many students there are inside the school and to make sure the herds of all animals would have equally large territories.

Pretty brilliant, if you ask me." The boy happily comments with his arms crossed and while leaning back against the egg-shaped chair and then Hermione asks: "Harry, where did you learn all of this?" Harry seems to focus and says: "You know, I just can't remember." This, the minute he says it, causes the boy to whiten.  
He then looks up and says: "It must have been something Dumbledore allowed me to learn before wiping my memory – one of those fields of time things. It must have stuck with me because of the magic Hogwarts gave me. I must have, unknowingly, filed it away in there." Hermione nods and Harry mutters:  
"Wonder what else I stored up in there that Dumbledore wanted me to forget." And he closes his eyes, seeming to focus really hard, but then Sirius stops him and says: "Harry, don't force the memories. They'll come, don't worry." Harry sighs and says: "I just know I learned this the night before we left for London.  
Else, I don't remember a thing. Not where I read it, not how I got to the information, not whether or not someone led me there. I just – just remember reading about it back then and that's it." Everyone nods and Snape says: "At least you're remembering. That's a sign for the better, something we can be thankful for." Harry nods and I read on.

 _ **"Only a … don't we?"**_

"And he makes that comment then? He's been running through DADA teachers for the last few decades and he makes it sound as if it's just been the last few years." Septima Vector rants and I am shocked as the woman has been keeping quiet all book. Looking at the brown haired woman in shock, I recover and read on.

 _ **Harry got … his face.**_

"Of course, I was furious. Sure I never wanted that Basilisk fang in Mr. Potter's arm or for Mss. Weasley to almost die, but for that man to actually appear back at Hogwarts, while I had been campaigning against him all this time. I was determined to see him leave office once again." The man in question rants and I read on.

 _ **And cowering … his face.**_ _Harry personally felt scared of a man with that much fury written on his face and he almost felt as if he was Dobby, but then shook the thought off with the memory of what he had witnessed Malfoy senior and his son do outside Borgin and Burkes – no matter how much that all still confused him._

To this the man in question sighs in relief and asks: "Let me guess, that is your initiative to go against all I have thrown at you so far?" Harry shrugs and says: "I just kept remembering that and used it as a hope that you were just holding up an act or something." The blonde man smirks at the lad and says: "Well noticed of you."  
Making Harry smile at the man before he asks: "So who are those two women anyway? Those women you spoke to Draco about? I never got round to asking before, you know?" The man looks shocked and asks: "Surely you know –." But then he stops and hits himself on the head as if remembering something before he says:  
"What am I saying? Those Muggles didn't even let you know your parents' names, let alone tell you the name of your grandmother from father's side." Harry looks shocked and Sirius says: "Yes, Harry. Dorea is your father's mum and thus your grandma. And through me adopting you, so is Walburga, who is my lovely mother."

I hear him sneering at the end and Harry asks: "What's with the tone, Sirius? Don't you like your mum?" Sirius sighs and says: "Harry, the Muggles – when I hear how they treat you, it – it reminds me of how my parents treated me. The only difference between them is my parents were magical, the Muggles were not."  
Harry looks shocked and Sirius whispers: "And that is why I want to help you get over what they did to you so badly! It is no better than what my parents did to me and your grandfather was so good in helping me, I just have to help you now, if only to finally be able to thank him." Harry smiles at his mum and I read on.

 _ **"So!" said … of fury.**_

"Did you, Lucius?" Amelia Bones asks and Lucius growls and says: "No, I said they would be indebted to me and my family and would serve under our Noble House if they didn't suspend that bastard. I never threatened their families as Malfoys take good care of those indebted to them." The woman nods and I read on.

 _ **"So – have … his fist.**_

"Nice way for that Elf to show how stupid I felt when I heard of the damage and fear that diary caused." Lucius moans and he turns to Arthur as he says: "I admit, I wanted your law gone, it scares the crap out of me, but I never wanted your family in harm's way. I wanted Dumbledore gone, so he couldn't support your law."  
The red-haired man nods and Harry says: "You know, I think I finally understand why Muggleborns and Purebloods conflict all the time." Everyone looks at him and he says: "Purebloods, you have lived in this world for generations and have seen the laws, traditions, rules and other ancient stuff come and go, right?"  
A lot of students and some of the teachers nod and Harry says: "But Muggleborns haven't. They have seen the same stuff come and go, but then in the Muggle world and that makes them – as they only enter our world at age 11 – instinctively loyal to Muggle stuff over Magical." The Muggleborns seem worried now and Harry says:  
"Take Hermione's S.P.E.W. for example. She saw House Elves being used as slaves, saw a House Elf being forced to do something she didn't want to do and thinks them slaves. She doesn't study what Purebloods thinks, she just looks at it from a Muggle Point of View, believes it wrong and thinks she should change it."

"What is wrong with that?" Hermione spats, anger on her face, but fear in her eyes and Harry says: "It's wrong, because you're not looking at it with respect for the Purebloods. You insult what they have known for years and instead of talking with them and finding a compromise, you try to entirely change it all together."  
The girl looks shocked and Harry says: "And that is what must have happened and worked for the Muggleborns thousands of times, making Purebloods see more and more of what they are used to, what they live for, disappear. But it disappears so quickly and so without their opinion asked that they resent the changers.  
The Muggleborns. And after a while, I'm sure, the Purebloods grow so sick of it, they create the M-word, try to get and stay in the Highest Position possible and undermine Muggleborns wherever possible – just so they can preserve those last few laws and traditions they have grown up and want to grow old with."

Everyone looks at the lad shocked and Harry says: "It's not wrong to want to preserve something, just as it isn't wrong to want to change something, but if these two wishes come from opposite sides – or in this case, Muggleborns and Purebloods – it's best to first try and find a compromise, instead of just undermining each other."  
Harry then shrugs and says: "That's at least how I see it." And Fudge says: "Mr. Potter, you are exactly right. We have grown to hate the changes Muggleborns so suddenly want to bring in our world and we have indeed grown into a community of two completely different sides. We have to change that if we want peace for all."  
Harry smiles and says: "And the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter will help wherever she can in hopes of accomplishing this goal, Minister Lord Fudge." The man looks happily shocked and then Harry looks to the side and asks: "Where the hell did that come from?" Causing shock and laughter to ring around the room.

I laugh as loudly as the others, but then whisper: "Who's the girl in the black cloak? She looks familiar, but I can't put my finger on it." Roxas smiles and says: "It's Xion. Remember? We used to have ice-cream with her after work. She was our friend, but made out of Sora's memories of Kairi, thus not a real Nobody."  
I look shocked and then vaguely, the memory of Roxas telling me someone has her ability over the Keyblade back, comes to my mind's eye and I say: "Wasn't she the one who lost her ability over the Keyblade?" Roxas nods happily and says: "Yes, yes she was! You remember!" And he kisses me on the cheek before I happily read on.

 _ **"A clever … suddenly mask-like.**_

"I felt beyond infuriated. The bastard was Headmaster and still he insinuated he would put all blame on that young girl just to keep this story covered up. I could not believe how manipulative and cold-hearted he could be." Lucius growls and Ginny whitens as she realizes this, making her brothers hug her as I read on.

 _ **"And imagine … in punishment.**_

Now Lucius sighs and everyone looks at him before he says: "I never wanted that for him. I never wanted him to punish himself. He never did it on my orders either." We all look at him shocked and Harry asks: "Is this one of those cases where one of my House Elves was sold away after my grandfather died?"  
Lucius nods and takes a deep breath before he says: "Bellatrix Lestrange first convinced Lady Crouch to buy Winky and then she herself bought Dobby and gave him firm orders, under which was the order to punish himself whether he did good or bad and to serve me and my family first. We had no choice but to let him obey."  
This shocks Harry and he whispers: "I knew that woman was mad, but ordering House Elves to abuse themselves? She's beyond insane." And Lucius nods as he says: "She's always been like that. At least for as long as I remember and I've spend six of my seven school years with her." Harry and Neville shudder at this and I read on.

 _ **"Don't you … the book.**_

"THAT OLD CODGER!" Amelia suddenly shouts and when we all look at her, she says: "Who cares if Tom Riddle was gone from that diary. One oath of confidence from Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley or Mss. Weasley and we would have all the evidence we need. How dare he say there was no way to let Justice be served.  
No offence, Lucius." She ends her rant apologetically, but the elder blonde shakes his head and says: "No Amelia, you are absolutely right. I should have proposed the oaths myself, but I used my Slytherin heritage and slithered my way to freedom, using the very leeway Dumbledore must have knowingly given me."  
"He was setting us up against each other." Harry growls and he goes on: "He knew if you would get a way out of being punished, you would continue making life hard for the Weasleys and thus for me and that we would, perhaps, eventually come face to face with each other had Voldemort truly risen back to the power."  
The blonde nods and says: "He did, he did indeed, Harry. And I must admit I find myself disgusted that I took the leeway to freedom offered to me by a man that vile. No offence, young Ariana." But the young woman shakes her head and says: "Vile is a word I consider to underestimate my brother's actions." To which I read on.

 _ **On the … his wand.**_ _Harry personally felt the very small need to urge the man to do so, as Dumbledore was just stupidly trying to push all the guilt on Malfoy's shoulders, while the Headmaster himself was friends with the Weasleys and thus would be the first to be looked at watching over the Weasley kids while at Hogwarts. Him not having done so made him just as guilty concerning what had happened at Hogwarts as Mr. Malfoy, who had apparently decided not to curse the Headmaster in question._

"A very valid point, Potter." McGonagall comments and she goes on: "Especially as that friend title should put extra pressure on his role as Headmaster, which in turn makes it all the more disgusting that he would do something like this." And she sighs, obviously still feeling hurt that Dumbles would do things like this and I read on.

 _ **Instead, he … thinking hard.**_ _He was, for a big part, freed of the Dursleys and their treatment of him, but Dobby could only be released of that treatment if he were to be freed._ _ **Then it … into it.**_

This makes Arthur and Sirius turn to Harry and they chorus: "You didn't." Both shocked yet both of them sounding excited at the same time. Harry smirks and asks: "Didn't do what? The story only described that I had a plan, not what it contained." The two growl and Sirius says: "You know what we mean, young man."  
But Harry lounges back, leaning into Viktor's lap and smiling widely when the young Bulgarian wraps his arms around Harry's waist as Harry hums and says: "Nope, haven't the foggiest." But then Lucius says: "You did a good job that day, Harry. But I would have preferred it if you had waited a few years." Harry shrugs and I read on.

 _ **Then he … Malfoy's hand.**_

Now the two adults who had been looking at Harry incredulously have trouble holding back their laughter and Narcissa says: "I can only imagine you didn't like getting something like that now, did you?" And Lucius shudders, as if remembering how the sock must have felt and mutters: "No, no I didn't." Before I read on.

 _ **"What the … fools, too."**_

"Now that was uncalled for." Sirius growls, having turned from laughing to furious in less than a minute and he goes on: "He pulls a little prank on you and you insult his dead parents? What the hell was that about?" But Lucius holds his head down and takes the scolding, making me shake my head at him before I read on.

 _ **He turned … at Harry.**_

"WAIT!" Lucius shouts as just about all of us now want to stand up to shout at him and he goes on: "This was not me! Yes, I was furious that he pranked me and that he freed Dobby in the process, but Bella had charmed her buy to cause irrational behavior if someone tried to free Dobby. I was under her spell, I swear it."  
Harry glares at the man and Sirius motions for Pomfrey to go over to the man, the hand not used to motion her over gripping his wand quite tightly. Pomfrey quickly casts a series of spells over the man and he says: "Twenty-eight of May." The woman nods and says: "Yep, an irrationality charm, quite powerful too."

Everyone nods and Harry asks: "You really wouldn't have attacked me had it not been for that spell?" Lucius shakes his head and says: "Had it not been for that Irationallity spell, I would have forced your House to pay up for the loss my family made and would have forced you into Ancient House lessons with me over summer."  
"How is that a punishment?" Harry asks and Lucius smirks: "It isn't, I just had to force you and use your whole Family Head stuff to make sure not even Dumbles could object against it." The lad looks shocked, but then he laughs hard and says: "Merlin, brilliant thinking." Making the blonde smile smugly before I read on.

 _ **"You've lost … of sight.**_ _Harry wondered about the strange magic he felt breaking when Malfoy turned his back on the House Elf before him._

"You actually felt the irrationality magic break before its broken effects registered with me. By the time that occurred I was already nearing the gates and knew I could do nothing to fix the damage or attempt my supposed forcing of your new lessons. Lessons Narcissa should really continue on with, if I remember correctly."  
He then teases his wife and the woman looks shocked as she says: "He's right. Harry, we will get back to it on the second day of our free time and we will spend one hour every day afterwards, is that alright dear?" Harry nods and Sirius asks: "Do you mind if I join, to help with the Potter part?" Narcissa shakes her head and I read on.

 _ **"Harry Potter … you see?"**_

"Great, so it was another one of those _you've got to be kidding me, this can't be it, it's too obvious_ hints. Just like with the information about Flamel. I mean, really? On a chocolate frog card?" Ernie MacMillan asks and a lot of his fellow Hufflepuffs laugh at him, while the twins send him a praising smile and I read on.

 _ **"Right," said … year running,**_

"Which was totally unnecessary as we only had a ten points difference, something Hermione could have easily fixed in those last few weeks of term." Harry grumbles and the girl blushes before Sirius says: "You deserved those points whether you like it or not.""The award would have been enough." Harry retorts and I read on.

 _ **or Professor … and sulky.**_ _Harry wondered how much he knew of his father's role in the terror that had been going on and whether or not the young blonde knew of the terror that had been felt by the Weasley family when they heard their daughter was kidnapped to be killed.  
_ _He wondered for a second if Malfoy thought of Ginny like he did of Hermione, but shook his head, not yet believing it was time for revenge on those two comments. He would have to wait for the blonde to think that everything was back to normal._

"First of all, I accept the revenge that was taken on me. Second of all would I like to offer myself to further punishment so that I, in name of Malfoy, may offer my sincere apologies for my actions and behavior of that year and time period." The young blonde tells us all, while the memory of those comments have brought back my anger.  
"Good." Sirius spats, obviously just as angry as I am and he goes on: "Then, under Snape's guidance as he is the only one I trust this with, you will be brewing every single potion needed to help Harry get over the effects of what those Muggles caused him. There is still a very long list of ailments and I want them all healed."  
Draco nods and Snape says: "We will start on it right after time starts running again. You will not see us until the third day, I can assure you." Sirius nods and then turns to Harry and says: "Harry, I feel I won't be there for most of the story, so I want you to listen to Andromeda, Viktor and Lucius and take whatever potions Snape gives you, alright?"  
Harry nods and asks: "Will you be alright?" Sirius smiles and says: "I may not be sure of what is going to happen, but I do feel it will happen somewhere between the start of our three day break and the first chapter of the next book. And that it will make our family even better and stronger." This makes the other two smile as I read on.

 _ **On the … Hogwarts Express.**_ _On the last day before their departure, Harry moved into the Library and studied all he could about the Founders, in the hopes of never getting into any Heir trouble like this year again .Strangely enough, afterwards, as he left the library, his interest in anything he had learned – if he even learned anything – was totally gone and he felt it better to keep it somewhere he never had to think about it again._

"And there we have the proof that Dumbledore pushed you in a field of time, let you study what you stored away together with all the information Hogwarts gave you and then wiped your memory. But what else do you remember doing?" Vector asks and Harry answers: "Just that I tried to study regular stuff." The woman nods and I read on.

 _The rest of the day passed away too quickly for his liking._ _ **Harry, Ron … at it.**_

"And again with the underestimation." The twins moan and one of them says: "Same as during Christmas." And the other goes on: "Could barely even grab our wands before he had us disarmed again." This makes many laugh, mostly at the image it makes them see and I shake my head at the good humor of it all before reading on.

 _ **They were … a girlfriend."**_

Now the boy in question sighs and says: "Seeing how you must have been trying to get your old life back and how you must have been glad to be away from Hogwarts for a while, do I have to admit that I am not mad." Before the girl giggles: "Just be glad I didn't tell her." Percy looks at his sister in shock and asks:  
"You didn't?" Ginny shakes her head and says: "She was even more treating me like a damsel in distress than before and almost swore I wouldn't go back to Hogwarts next year. I hated her right there and then. Her daughter was alive and all she cared about was that I was rescued by a hero and Hogwarts being unsafe."  
She shakes her head and says: "I didn't want anything to do with her and ignored her for most of the rest of my stay in the Hospital wing. And I wasn't the only one hating her back then. Madam Pomfrey actually wanted to keep me a few days, but she was insistent we listen to Dumbledore's orders of a single night stay."  
"She – she what?" Arthur asks shocked and says: "She told me you had grown the same hatred for the Hospital Wing as all other students and that they had to quickly sign your release forms before you fled the room." Ginny shakes her head and says: "I wanted to stay at least for the weekend, she just didn't allow me."

This angers the man and he goes on: "Is that woman mad? Had you stayed for the weekend then surely it would have helped your process of healing a mayor deal. What was she thinking?" And Leon says: "She was thinking like a manipulative woman who cares only for plans and nothing for mental stability of others."  
This worries us and Ginny asks: "What do you mean?" And the man answers: "An event such as this leaves traumatic effects on a victim, both emotional as well as personal and sometimes even mental. The fact you didn't get to heal of what happened caused the trauma to leave mental traces on you, making your mind unstable."  
"And thus making it easier for her to bond me to Harry and to let Dumbledore's evil plans to actually take place. They were both in on it. They just wanted me vulnerable and in debt with Harry so it would be easier to convince me that he and I were meant to be. That way, they could bond and control us both, altogether."

The girl looks shocked and hurt at the end of this revelation and tears are running down her eyes, the young girl named Luna coming over to hug her tightly and the young ginger hides her face in the girl's shoulder, crying her eyes out at the new form of betrayal she discovered her mother to have caused her and her life.  
I look from the girl to the rest of the family and see why none of them have come to comfort her as they are all too furious themselves to really notice it. Ron is whispering things with the twins and Percy is sitting behind them, writing everything down they say and Bill and Charlie are discussing things with Arthur.  
The rest of their group is also angry but it seems that Riku has no interest in an angry Sora as he is yet again kissing the young brown-haired boy sitting on his lap. I shake my head, but can't really say I blame him as I would have done the same thing had it been Riku reading and me and Roxas sitting in their places.  
I shortly wait to let Ginny get herself together, while I see Amelia discuss this latest sign of treachery with Fudge and Tonks and see that the first of the three is both discussing possible punishments as well as writing down everything they seem to be talking about. Deciding enough is enough, I bring attention back to me and read on.

 _ **Fred dropped … George, sniggering.  
**_ _Ginny whitened, but Harry whispered: "Don't worry, I'll make sure they stop when we get back to Hogwarts." The girl turned red, but still send him a small grateful smile before faking to focus on whether or not her cloths were neatly stacked in her trunk and Harry left it at that.  
_ _ **The Hogwarts … talk to..."  
**_ _He knew the Dursleys would be furious that he had given their telephone number to people of his world, but it was another last minute action of his – he after all had Mr. Weasley's phone number memorized to heart so if Uncle went too far or tried to lock him up again he could use that like he had tried using the 'No Magic' Rule to his advantage last summer._

"Wish I could have done that when it was most needed." Harry moans, shuddering something terribly and Viktor asks: "Did something happen?" And Harry sighs before he says: "Let's just say I didn't escape the Dursleys without reason that summer." This worries his Dominant boyfriend as well as it does me and I read on.

 _ **"Your aunt … Muggle world**_ _, Harry wishing he hadn't used the fake joking tone when he spoke_ _ **.**_

"Had you not done that, I would have taken serious matters, you know that?" Hermione asks before I interrupt her and say: "Book's over. Now can you please tell us what you mean with escaping those Muggles?" And Harry says: "I ran away three weeks before school started and the reason –." But then he shudders and stops.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So this chapter was a little harder to edit as it had all those mentions of Remus going in Heat and that is something neither Sirius nor Remus is supposed to know as I edited out of chapter 53 "A Divine Break." However, Remus will come to realize it come next chapter, yet I won't do more than make a mention of it happening.  
**_ _ **I know in the original version there was a whole chapter dedicated to it, but if I keep that chapter in, I run the risk of this story getting deleted off the site for going past the Mature content rule. I have no interest in that, so I will only mention Remus realizing it and him taking Sirius into the lair where it will happen, but not describe it.  
**_ _ **Hope you understand,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	57. The Days That Pass

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **I have some good news to share with those that have already once read the original version. Because the third book reading took place in Beast's Castle, while it was supposed to take place in Radiant Garden, did I believe that I would have to delete and rewrite the six chapters covering Prisoner Of Azkaban.  
**_ _ **However, I did a quick read through the next couple of chapters and in the chapter before the reading begins, Leon mentions how he wants to take Lupin's Heat into account and how he and his friends therefore decided to move to Beast's Castle. Trust me, I was very, very glad to read that little segment, it really relieved me.  
**_ _ **However, there will be a severe decrease in the number of chapters left as I plan to cover the three day break in one long chapter, making the next chapter be the one where Harry reads of the Owl Post chapter. That and I will, as stated before, be deleting the chapter that has Remus and Sirius going into Heat entirely.  
**_ _ **Hope you understand,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **PS. WARNING, THIS CHAPTER IS REALLY, REALLY LONG!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 56  
**_ _ **The Days That Pass**_

 _ **30**_ _ **th**_ _ **of July 1994  
**_ _ **Hogwarts School, Scotland  
**_ _ **Harry's POV**_

It's been so long since it happened. So long since that fated night where my determination and my drive were used against me. So long since a deal I thought could lead to me getting a release from the horrible treatment actually led to something I never thought Vernon would ever sink low enough to try and do to me.  
And yet my own words, heart and mind betray me, bringing me back to that faithful night and making me relive what happened – when Vernon went too far. And so the Time Reading Spell being cancelled for the next three days feels like a relief beyond words, even as the magic takes a small segment of my own health and magic.  
If anything, this feeling of something penetrating me to take something important only makes me feel even more as if I am back in that room, yet then I hear it. Voices. Familiar voices of people I never want to have learn of that horrible night. And so, forgetting where I and and what is reality, do I dash off and out.

And while my body seems to recognize that I am not where I believe I am, does my mind not register this as it is focused only on how I felt that one horrible night and the few times that my body fails to respond to the environment and falls down, does a horrible wave of fear overcome me as I think: "No, he can't have me. I can't let him."  
And so I dash up from where I fell and run off even more and even further. Yet finally I fall down one last time and instead of moss, bricks, grass or rubble, do I go down under, only to get up and out while sputtering. And looking around, does it take me a quick second before I realize that I have reached at the bank of the Black Lake.  
And finally do I realize that I am not at Privet Drive or in the Muggle World, I'm at Hogwarts, surrounded by friends, family and people who want to see me become a better person. "And who just saw me run from them all like a scared little chicken and who will soon find out just how weak their hero actually is against stupid Muggles."

And just like so many times before no, do I again regret making the decision to let an entire school, as well as several guests, into my private life, yet I shake this thought off with the thought: "If I hadn't, Cedric would be dead and Sirius wouldn't be my mum and Dumbledore would still be controlling every aspect of my life."  
Yet the word _controlling_ is like yet another trigger as I again feel my mind trying to overtake me, but I shake it wildly and shout: "NO, I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER! NOT ANYMORE! NOT YET!" And while I am in the water, do I move myself into a crouching position and try to hide my head between my hands and knees.  
And while my heart battles my mind to keep the memories from overwhelming me with that horrible memory, do I suddenly feel the water moving around me in a way that is in opposite movement of the current. And for a second I feel terror overcome me, but then I realize that the amount of movement proves it's more than one person.

I tilt my head a bit and see Sirius, Viktor and Professor Snape standing behind me, casting shadows over me and the sun that is actually still rising from behind the castle making it impossible for me to see Snape's expression, but this doesn't count for either Sirius or Viktor. And this means I can clearly see how worried they are.  
"Pup, what – what did that monster do to you?" Sirius asks, but I shake my head again, not wanting to relive that horrible night more than I absolutely need to or before I will be forced to. "Potter, I think a compromise is the best solution here. I still have some Dreamless Sleep left." Yet at this I shake my head again, only for the man to retort:  
"Let me finish, Potter. It's for when this terror of your mind gets mentioned in the upcoming book. However, in return, I want you to promise me that you will spend at least three breaks in the next book speaking of this terror; one with Mss. Erica, once with Mss. Erica and Narcissa and once with one of them and Black over here."

And while I am against the last order like no other, do I think: "What will it even matter, they will hear it from the book anyway. They will have known about it when I talk about it anyway. It – it really won't matter either way." And so I mutter: "It – it's a – it's a deal." And the man nods, handing me the bottle in question.  
I put it in between the two robes I am wearing, in the robe I have been using to store my most valuable potions and the man nods before he says: "I will be back later to give you your other potions. And Potter, if anything happens to your health, you better report to Madam Pomfrey right instantly, do you understand me?"  
And while I hate that he and people who I know haven't been changed in their opinion of me have seen me be such a coward and learned of so many of my weaknesses, do I nod, knowing that it's better that he knows rather than that Dumbledore knows. And the man nods back to me before he turns around and returns to the castle.

"малко пламъче, this is something similar to why you feared reading about Lockhart so much, isn't it? Some Muggle bastard tried what that Lockhart did?" Viktor asks once he seems sure that Snape is out of hearing range and I turn my head away, just not wanting to see how he will respond to having guessed this horrible fact.  
But while I can't see anything, do I still feel the water moving around me and so I feel it when both of them come to sit on either side of me, which makes me whimper as I really don't want to be here when they plan to shout and yell at me. Yet instead of that, do I feel Sirius wrap an arm around me, only to stop moving after that.

 _ **малко пламъче is Bulgarian for Little Flame**_

I look at the man and see a silent invitation show in his eyes, the same way it did when the Great Hall first found out that my primary bedroom had been a cupboard under the stairs. And this sign, this sign that the man is willing to let me take the lead, but wants to be there for me nonetheless, makes me dive into his embrace.  
Sirius hugs me close and pulls me so that one of my legs is now on top of his, neither of us really caring for the fact that we are getting soaked as I can only feel the warmth of his body against me and the love, acceptance and comfort that comes from his embrace, making me shed a few tears of gratitude for how he still cares.  
Like this we stay seated for quite some time, a part of me actually sensing that there is someone standing slightly closeby, but not sensing any sort of threat or danger coming from the person. But because I am so relieved and happy with Sirius' acceptance, does it take me a while to realize that I am hearing something.  
" _Скъпи предци на кръвта ми. Моля, позволете ми да докажа своята стойност. Използвай любовта, която е в сърцето ми, и магията в сърцето ми и дай ми с притежание, чрез което мога да докажа, че съм негов и той е мой."_ Viktor mutters, drawing my and Sirius' attention to him at long last.

 _ **Скъпи предци на кръвта ми. Моля, позволете ми да докажа своята стойност. Използвай любовта, която е в сърцето ми, и магията в сърцето ми и дай ми с притежание, чрез което мога да докажа, че съм негов и той е мой. Is Bulgarian for "Dearest ancestors of my blood. Please allow me to prove my worth. Use the love that is in my heart and the magic within my core and gift me with a possession through which I can prove that I am his and he is mine.**_

And as we do, does Viktor cup his hands together and does a light that really reminds me of the color of his eyes shine from his hands. And when the boy opens his hands, do I see a gorgeous set of braided bracelets lying in his hands, the two of them folded in such a way they form the symbol of infinity as they lie there.  
The bracelet is made of dark forest green and russet brown strands and the strands are woven together in such a way they actually make a heart, one after the other, one of them green, the other brown and the one after green again. All in all the bracelets look gorgeous and I look at them with great awe and wonder in my gaze.

"Here you go, Любимата ми приятелка. A gift from the core of my magic, to prove that no man, magical or Muggle, can change what I feel about you, nor can any book reading." Viktor then softly tells me as he hands me one of the bracelets and I look shocked at him before he asks: "May I?" And I nod, feeling dumbstruck.  
The elder teen softly takes my hand in his, but then Sirius says: "Stop." And we look at him as he asks: "Is this just a gift, or is this a gift with the promise for a better life?" And Viktor strongly answers: "This is a gift with the promise for a beloved life." Making my mother nod in pleased acceptance and making me blush.  
Viktor then gently ties the bracelet around my wrist and does the same with his own, yet as he does, do I feel an incredible sense of magic surging through me, coming from my wrist and ending in my heart, where it feels as if something warm and comforting heats me up from the inside and gives me a strength I have never known before.

 _ **Любимата ми приятелка is Bulgarian for my beloved mate**_

I then feel Viktor lie a hand on my cheek and he says: "How warm and sweet your magic feels, my love." Only for Sirius to ask: "Alright, what kind of bracelets are those anyway?" And Viktor answers: "They are promise bracelets, Lord Black. Yet because they are forged out of my magic, do they tie Harry and myself closer together."  
At this dad sends him an unimpressed look, which really surprises me, that is until he says: "This doesn't change anything about the courting period. You still have 27 days left, pal." At this Viktor nods and says: "I know, Lord Black and I intend to make full use of each and every day. But it won't change what I feel."  
Making Sirius smirk and he says: "I never said they should. I just want to make sure you keep to the rules we set up. Now – oh hey, Moony. What's up?" And I notice my dad coming over as the man asks: "Are you three okay? Why are you sitting in the Lake? Aren't you feeling cold? Come on, get out of there."  
And only then do I realize that we are getting more and more soaked sitting where we are. We all get up, yet I instantly notice Lupin's eyes focusing on Sirius' wet trousers and this makes me turn a horribly bright shade of red. "Eeeeeh, Remy, you feeling alright?" Sirius asks and the answer is an actual growl coming from the man.

"DAMNIT!" Sirius curses and he marches over to the man, actually casting a spell that causes for a blindfold to wrap itself around Lupin's eyes. "Sirius, what's going on?" I ask shocked and the man says: "I'll explain later. Viktor, stay with Harry. I know we just discussed the rules, but special circumstances have come up."  
And while I wonder what could be going on, does Viktor nod and gently hug me close as he says: "I will make sure to remain within sight of those with Black Blood, Lord Black, you have my word." And my adopted mum nods before he starts dragging Lupin, who is still growling like a canine, back to the castle.  
I look at the two in shocked confusion as they walk away and ask: "You got any idea what just happened? I mean, I thought my family was here to get together and then suddenly, Sirius blindfolds Lupin, takes him and drags him away. What was that about?" And while Viktor seems to hesitate, does he say:  
"If I have to venture a guess, my Harry, I – I'd say that Lupin has gone into Heat." And finally it all falls into place, why Sirius felt like he had to wait with checking on the Mind Healers, why I felt as if the two of them would need their space soon and why Sirius asked me to listen to Andromeda, Viktor and Lucius in his absence.  
Yet then I realize what it means that Lupin has gone into Heat and I ask: "Wait, you mean – I could be getting a baby sibling?" And Viktor laughs at me as this really shocks me and he says: "Let's go assure the others that you are alright again." And he gently leads me back to the castle, my mind still stuck on that one thought.

 _ **At the same time  
**_ _ **In the Great Hall  
**_ _ **Xion's POV**_

"Do you think he'll be okay?" I ask as the boy I am sitting next to and I watch the black-haired boy who this movie seems to be about running out of the Hall before he gets followed by someone who is slightly older than him and two adults with black hair and Draco smirks as he says: "Oh, don't you worry, he'll be fine."  
"How can you be so sure about that?" I ask shocked and he says: "See that one man that followed him? He and that teen will put all the worlds we have been to so far together and make it one if it makes Harry happy. Trust me, with the two of them going after him, he'll be feeling better in no time, I'm sure about that."

This makes me sigh in relief and then I notice that the boy is looking at me and I ask: "Is there something wrong?" And the boy asks: "Did you know that Viktor, the teen with the two adults, is in a Courting period with Harry, the teen that just ran away?" This shocks, yet also confuses me and I answer: "No, what is that?"  
And the boy seems to feel a little shy as he says: "A courting period is where one person asks or gets offered the chance by a guardian to court a person of their liking for a certain period of time. And where the guardian sets rules to make sure that the person getting courted will be treated to the best ability of the one who courts."  
This really amazes and intrigues me and I ask: "And what exactly falls under courting?" And the boy shrugs as he says: "It could be anything, really. Though the best way to describe it is a set of actions that prove that the one who courts proves that he really knows the person he wants to court. Usually through special gifts."

This really makes me feel quite intrigued and I mutter: "I wonder if there will ever be someone who will want to do that for me." To this Draco looks away and he says: "Well, even if they _would_ want to, they will need someone who can be considered your guardian. You know, the person who will stand up for your rights and all that."  
To this I smile and say: "Oh, that one's easy. That's Axel. He, Roxas and I used to be friends. It was just so that – well." Here I hesitate and Draco asks: "What? What's wrong?" And because he has been so kind to me this entire time, do I decide to just entrust him with the darker side of my past, just before I fused with Sora.

"It's just – you know how Roxas and Axel are Nobodies, but with hearts, right?" Draco nods and I say: "Well, I'm actually not even a Nobody myself. I'm what my former associates would call a puppet. I was an empty husk build specifically to suck Sora's memories out of Roxas and to absorb his powers and abilities.  
Long story, I'd – I'd rather not talk about it. Let's just say that, because all of my existence was based on someone else, Axel only has vague memories of me as I, for most of my original life, wore my hood up and only had it look like my hood was down when someone thought they saw someone in me, like Sora.  
Roxas was, more or less, the one who gave me my actual looks as he was the first to start seeing someone in me. But because he was already being affected by the fact that he was Sora's Nobody at the time, did he give me looks that are quite similar to Kairi's, not that I'm complaining. Yeah, that is kind of the long story short."

This seems to shock and intrigue Draco and then he shocks me as he says: "I don't think you look like Kairi." And I look at him as he shrugs and says: "I don't. I think you have a beautiful look that is entirely your own. In fact, would you follow me, please?" And while feeling amazed, do I follow the blonde as he walks away.  
And to my confusion does he walk over to Axel before the blonde gives me such a shock I almost feel myself getting shocked out of my existence. "Lord Axel, as the one chosen by Heiress Xion as her guardian and the one to protect her rights and set the rules to secure her a good and prosperous life, do I have a request.  
Please accept my request to a 30 day courting period of Heiress Xion. If you accept, I swear that I will use the products and assets available in each world we will travel to throughout this reading to create a gift worthy of her beauty and that I will treat her whenever, in the books, I prove myself worthy of punishment and unworthy of her."

Yet all that Axel does is look between us and ask: "Wait, what?" But then Narcissa Malfoy, who had gone with us, smiles and says: "Just say that, in your friend's name and as her appointed guardian, you accept, dear. That is all." And Axel looks at Roxas bewildered, yet my blonde friend gives him an affirmative nod at which he says:  
"Ehm okay. I – eh, Axel, appointed guardian of – eh – Heiress Xion, hereby give my acceptance to – ehm – Heir Draco of House Malfoy to a 30 day courting period with the rules set that he will present her with a gift exclusive to each world we travel to and that he will treat Heiress Xion every time the books prove his unworthiness."  
And I actually feel like smiling as Draco nods his head in gratitude at my older friend before he happily guides me back to where we are sitting. And as we walk away do I feel like giggling as I hear Axel ask Roxas: "So, what's just happened?" And the blonde laughs as he says: "You got proven that Xion really trust you."

We then go back to our seats and I ask: "So, what is this going to include?" And Draco answers: "Basically? I am going to make your current life better than anything you have experienced in your past life, bar your time with your friends. Oh, and you need to pick two people who will need to be with us when we're together."  
To this I think and I say: "Axel – and your mother." At this I nod and the woman in question asks: "Are you sure, dear? Wouldn't you rather have someone like Leon?" But I shake my head and say: "No, I'm good. You're someone Draco knows well and Axel is someone I know well. It just seems like the best compromise."  
And the two blondes smile at me before Draco pulls his wand out of his pocket and he gently raises my left hand up before casting a spell that causes for a bit of my robe to be cut off and changed beautiful bracelet made of gold and silver gems that appear around my wrist. I gasp at the beauty and he says:  
"My first gift to you, made of gems that are exclusive to House Malfoy. Now everyone will know that you are my Heiress to court. And with how I saw some of the older students gaze at you when you first arrived, that is only for the better. They too do courting periods, but – well, theirs are a little more – vulgar, to put it lightly."

This makes me wince in disgust and fright, but then I smile at Draco, glad and grateful that he is willing to prove his worth this fast. Then one of the adults that followed Harry comes back in and says: "Draco, I do believe you promised to go through a certain period of punishment." At which the blonde sighs and says:  
"Sorry, sweet beauty of mine, but I gave my word and now I must follow through. Be sure to stay close to Axel and my mum and to follow their rules, okay? I'll be back once we start reading the third book, I promise." And I feel my insides warming up with shy care for him as he softly kisses the hand he holds before leaving.  
"The last time I saw a Malfoy be this sweet, Lucius was vying for my attention and trying to prove my father that he was the best option to be my courting partner. You really bring out the best in him, you know that dear?" His mother then asks and this makes me smile at her, feeling warm with how happy she seems with all of this.

 _ **At the same time  
**_ _ **Axel's POV**_

I really don't know what just happened, but Roxas seems happy with it and so I don't really care either. Still I can't help but follow the two that just approached us with my gaze and I feel amazed and pleased at the same time as I actually see the blonde take a bit of Xion's robe and change it into a very nice-looking bracelet.  
"Looks like he's definitely planning to take this courting thing seriously. Good for Xion. I wonder if she can make him a better person than we have seen him be in the books so far." Roxas says and I wonder the same, even if I still barely remember this Xion girl. Yet even with that, can I not deny the feeling that she is someone important.  
I then look over to the Great Hall doors and just in time as Snape seems to have come back to make sure Malfoy would keep to his promise to accept punishment for his actions of the last book. I then remember what he did before he came back here and think: "He went after Harry, to see if he is okay after he ran off."

And this makes me remember that the boy's parents are both male now and I mutter: "Guess Harry is going to remain a single child from now on." But to this Arthur Weasley smiles and says: "Not true. Because Remus is a Werewolf, Sirius, as his mate, can get pregnant. Most people who are or have soul mates can get pregnant, you know."  
This shocks me and before I can stop myself, do I ask: "Wait, you mean Roxas too?" And the blonde exclaims: "What? AXEL?" And we both turn red as I can barely believe I just asked that. Only Arthur Weasley laughs and says: "Well, I can't say for sure, but I do think Poppy can perform the spell needed to check, if you're interested."  
At this Roxas and I share a startled look and then I hear Riku ask: "What about you, Sora? You interested?" And the both of us look at the boy, my own eyes wide when the brunette looks off in the distance and says: "Well, I definitely won't deny that I've sometimes dreamed of what it would be like if I could have your kid, so –."  
And the boy instantly gets rewarded as Riku presses a passionate kiss against his lips before he whispers: "Let's go find out." And the two head over to where the teachers have put the Head Table back together. I then spot Roxas looking at me again and I ask: "Ehm – well – I mean – you – eh – you want to find out too?"

And Roxas seems to hesitate in his contemplation for a second before he says: "I – guess." And I nod before I say: "Only if you're sure, Key of my Heart. I mean, I'm sure Madam Pomfrey can do it whenever we're sure. She will probably be a permanent part of the reading group, after all." At this Roxas nods, but then he says:  
"Let's just go do it. Before I change my mind, that is." And while I feel amazed at his sense of courage, do I nod and we follow Riku and Sora over to where the Healer seems to have spotted us approaching. "Are you boys alright? Do you need a visit to my Wing? I was planning to head there right now anyway, you know?"  
And instantly I feel like we have been given a brilliant opportunity as I say: "It's not that we really need a visit, but – I think what we need your help for is better off discussed somewhere more private." At this the woman nods, but then Naminé approaches us and says: "I just wanted to let you know I am going after Lockhart, okay?"  
"Will you be okay?" Roxas asks instantly and I remember that she was trying to help but Roxas, DiZ and myself when Roxas was placed inside the fake Twilight Town and the girl nods as she says: "I will be. Madam Bones will be going with me and so will Auror Tonks and Auror Shacklebolt. They'll be with me at all times."

This makes both of us smile at the girl and then Sora asks: "Naminé, do you think there is any chance I will get my memories back? You know, of when I was in Castle Oblivion?" But the girl shakes her head and says: "Sorry Sora, but most of those memories are fabricated. They are fake and created out of your current memories.  
If I were to return those, I would have to put you back to sleep, dissect your current memories and reset them the way I did back then. And I – I never want to do that again." The girl shivers at the end and Sora nods as he says: "Okay, that's alright. Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." But Naminé smiles at him and says: "I know, thank you."  
The girl then turns around and joins the Head of the DMLE and her two Aurors in leaving the Great Hall before Sora, Roxas, Riku, Madam Pomfrey and I follow her example. The three of them head for the castle gates and the five of us head for the Hospital Wing. Yet upon arriving there, do we spot two intriguing other people.

"Sirius, Remus? What are you doing here?" Madam Pomfrey asks shocked and Sirius says: "Poppy, Remus has gone into Heat. I need potions before he ravages me. Moony, please, just a little more patience. We'll head for the Nest after this, I promise." The man moans as Lupin is growling at him and Pomfrey says:  
"Follow me. You boys stay here. I'll call you when I'm done." And the four of us nod, Roxas looking a little relieved and Sora looking intrigued with what is going on. Lupin, in the meantime, seems to growl even louder, almost snarling as Pomfrey takes his mate away from him, yet the Matron silences him with a stern look.

And a few minutes later, does Sirius come back out of a cubicle that had its curtains drawn and the man actually seems to be gulping down a potion as Madam Pomfrey says: "Alright, that should do it. But do try and see if you can come back here tomorrow, so I can evaluate your progress. And Remus please, be gentle with him."  
And while Lupin growls in anger, does Madam Pomfrey glare at him and say: "I don't care. Try your best to make sure that you put his physical state above the amount of time you have been waiting for this. Or else, you might have to wait until your last day here to ever get this chance again. You don't want to hurt him like that, do you?"  
And while I feel amazingly impressed with how she is treating the wild man, does Lupin whimper and the matron nods as she says: "I thought so. Now, both of you, go have some fun, gentle fun." And Lupin takes this as his cue, shocking me as he actually pulls Sirius off his feet and carries him out of the Hospital Wing.  
"Well, that's a good sign." Madam Pomfrey sighs and I ask: "What do you mean?" And she says: "The way he was holding Sirius. It was in the way a groom would hold his bride as he walks her across the threshold of their new home. If he had carried him over his shoulder, it would mean he'll be ignoring my warning."

This makes me look at the doors where the two just left through in shock and then Madam Pomfrey asks: "So, what did you need my help in?" And Sora rubs the back of his neck and he asks: "Well, you see. Ehm, a Heat is when someone has more chances of getting pregnant, right? Cause we were – well – we were wondering if – that is –."  
And the way that the boy is starting to stutter makes Riku smile at him in adoration before Madam Pomfrey asks: "Surely you boys aren't thinking of getting pregnant already? You've only gotten together a day ago." But we all shake our heads and Riku says: "We just want to know if it's possible, for future reference, is all."

The Matron nods and then asks: "I am going to assume that I need to check young Sora and Roxas then?" And the two boys, now both quite red, nod in agreement before she says: "Alright boys, just come this way. I'll do a quick spell to check you guys out and see if you, by chance, need any potions to help the process."  
This shocks me, but then she says: "In case you boys need help growing the necessary organs. You are of other worlds, after all." And this makes us all feel much better before I give Roxas a kiss of reassurance on the cheek and Riku does the same to Sora before the Nobody and his Somebody walk over to the same cubicle.

 _ **Inside the Cubicle  
**_ _ **Sora's POV**_

"All those dreams. All those dreams of what life would be like living with Riku, being married to him, giving birth to his kids. I – I just can't believe that they might finally be coming true." I mutter at Roxas as Madam Pomfrey closes the curtains around our cubicle and the boy is still a little red as the woman smiles and says:  
"Does that mean you would like to go first, Sora?" And I happily say: "Yes please, ma'am." And the woman tells me to go lie on the bed as well as tells me to show her my stomach. At this I unzip my black jacket and pull the red colored part of my shirt out of my black pants with yellow belts around the hips and knees.  
I raise my shirt up and expose the skin of my stomach to the elements. Madam Pomfrey then runs her wand across my stomach and I feel like shivering as she passes over my belly button, to which the woman: "You are sensitive there, are you? That's a good sign. Most teens who are growing a womb have that sensitivity there."  
And this makes me beam again, feeling excited over the idea that, even if I don't have my reproduction organs yet, I am actually growing them and then the woman runs her wand over my stomach yet again, this time chanting a single spell over and over again and at the end of this does something happen.

Just like the bottom half of my shirt is shaped like an upside down heart with a single stripe running through the center, does a circle appear on my stomach with one half being a soft light blue and the other half being a soft light pink and the woman hums in appreciation while Roxas asks: "Wait, what does that mean?"  
And the woman answers: "It means that, once his womb is fully grown, he will have an equal chance of birthing either gender. His firstborn can be a girl just as much as it can be a boy and these two small lines here." And she motions with her wand for two small white lines at the very center of the circle before she says:  
"Indicates that he has an increased chance of birthing twins over anything else." And this amazes me even more, but then something confuses me and I ask: "Ehm, Madam Pomfrey, how will – well, how will I go into labor? I mean, don't – don't babies usually come out of –?" And the woman giggles before she says:  
"So I don't have to give you the Talk, huh? Good. As for how going in labor goes? Simple, for men kids either come out the other side or – if the couple prefers it – they can help the Healer in charge in performing a C-section on the birth-mother. Though that is only if both the mother – or carrier – and the father agree to this."

And at this I see Roxas turning white and green as I have no doubt he is thinking of Axel using his Chakrams to cut Roxas open and I laugh as I say: "Just wait and see if you can even get pregnant before you get scared like that." But to this Roxas rolls his eyes and says: "Hello, I am your Nobody, remember Sora?"  
And I shrug as I say: "So, you're still your own person. Now come lie down here, it's your turn." And I jump off the bed, pulling down my shirt and zipping up my jacket once again. And while Roxas seems to hesitate in fear yet again, do I send him a reassuring smile. The blonde sighs and Madam Pomfrey says:  
"I won't do this if you don't want to, dear." But the boy shakes his head and says: "I – I do want to know. I – I guess I just don't get enough of this whole _getting pregnant and giving birth_ thing to feel my usual level of confidence.""Well, if you want I can give you the Talk." The woman says, but I wince and say:  
"Thanks Madam Pomfrey, but I will do that for him." And while the woman sends me an unimpressed look, does Roxas ask: "Are you sure, Sora?" And I give him a thumbs up and a wink, knowing that it's better he hears this from a friend than that he gets the medical version with all of the facts and the excruciating details.

The blonde then goes to lie down and he unzips his black shirt before flapping both his shirt and his vest open and Madam Pomfrey does the same thing as she did with me. And instantly we get a sign that Roxas really is like me as he too shivers when the woman runs her wand down over his belly button, making us both smile.  
"Guess that's a good sign, huh." Roxas says as he looks at me and I nod as I say: "Yep, Axel and Riku are going to be over the moon when they hear this." Making the blonde smile widely as Madam Pomfrey recasts her chant of a spell and yet, unlike with me, does Roxas' stomach shine a bright blue color with just a hint of pink.  
"Ah, you are more like most other Ancient Heirs and Lords. Your womb is also, for some reason, in a further stage of development than Sora's and you will have a stronger chance of birthing a boy. Also you will probably only give birth to one child at a time, but my spell does say that you will heal faster after each time you go into labor."  
At which I mutter: "Lucky bastard." Not even caring for the fact that my Nobody has a womb that is further developed than my own and I think: "It must be because of that year I was in that restorative sleep. My body must have been put under stasis or something." And with that does Roxas get off the bed and zip up his shirt.

"Let's go tell our men." I tell him, but then Madam Pomfrey says: "Not so fast, you two." And we look at her shocked and confused as she says: "Roxas, I'm sorry, but you are developed far enough I feel I must insist that you start taking this potion every month until you are ready to get pregnant. It's a Non-Contraception Draught."  
And this makes me turn bright red as I can't believe that Roxas is already that far developed and I again think: "That lucky bastard." As Roxas asks: "What's it for?" And the woman says: "Exactly as I said, it will ensure that, even if you and Axel take your relationship to the next level, you won't be able to get pregnant of it."  
And this time the boy turns red as well as the woman asks: "Are you sure you don't want me to give you the Talk?" And the boy nods feverishly as I say: "Don't worry, Ma'am, I've got it covered." And my Nobody takes the potion hurriedly before we dash out of the cubicle and hurry back over to where Riku and Axel are waiting.

"You two okay? What happened? Why are you so red?" Axel asks worriedly and I mutter: "Madam Pomfrey offered to give Roxas – the Talk." And instantly do both of them wince before Riku says: "I see. So, what were the results? Are either of you able to get pregnant?" And we both nod, making them smile as I say:  
"I have a stronger chance to birth twins and my chances for birthing a boy or girl are quite equal and Roxas is more likely to birth boys and will only birth one at a time, but he will heal faster after every time." And both of our beloveds share a huge, gleeful smile before Axel says: "Come on, let's find a tower and celebrate."  
And Roxas smiles in relief at the prospect of finding a tower, which I know is thanks to the time he spend together with Axel at Twilight Town's Train Station's Clocktower and the four of us head back into the castle, taking the Grand Staircase up and exploring the castle for the highest tower we can possibly find.  
And after a while do we find ourselves at the top of what is known as the Astronomy Tower and while this tower has its wall divided between columns of stone and golden brackets, do Roxas and Axel take one set of brackets and do Riku and I take another a few feet away and do we happily watch the day pass by from where we are.

"Wow, you four aren't waiting for the grass to grow, are you?" A voice suddenly sounds from behind us and we turn around as we see a couple of older teens and Riku asks: "What do you mean?" And the boy says: "Right, you probably don't know this. The Astronomy Tower is known – for the privacy it offers hot couples."  
And while the two leave for somewhere else to spend together, do they leave us all looking red and Roxas mutters: "I will never look at this tower the same way again." To which Axel softly kisses his cheek before he whispers: "Don't worry, we'll be in Radiant Garden soon enough. Maybe even Twilight Town soon after."  
And the blonde smiles at him gratefully before I decide to change the subject and ask: "So, what do you think your kids will look like?" And Roxas cringes before Axel says: "Well, to be honest, I really hope our kids will have my physical strength, but else I want them to have Roxy's gorgeous looks, his eyes and his hair color."

This makes me smile at the two and Riku sighs as he says: "I hope our kids will have Sora's natural resistance to Darkness and, if I have any say over it, the girls will definitely have my long hair, maybe even my hair color and the boys will have Sora's. Maybe with a mix of our eye colors." And these images make me whisper:  
"That sounds like heaven." But then I look up as Riku is sitting behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist and I say: "But even if our kids get my resistance, I also want them to have your incredible power. After all, you always are the stronger one of us, even if I always manage to catch up with you from time to time."  
And this makes Riku laugh and the rest of the day do we laugh and exchange ideas on what we would love for our kids to look like, mixing our hair color with our hair style with our eye color with our physical form and strength and after a while does even Roxas, who had been quite red at first, happily join in on the conversation.

"Axel, you don't mind, do you? That I can only birth one child at a time and have a smaller chance to have girls instead of boys?" Roxas then suddenly asks and Axel smiles at him as he says: "Not at all, Roxy. I love just the fact that I can have kids with you. It doesn't matter to me what kids or how many, just that it's possible."  
This makes Roxas smile in relief and the two share a hot, passionate kiss, making me lean closer up against Riku as I look at them and my beloved warrior of dawn wraps his arms a little tighter around my waist as he whispers: "And I don't care either. Though I would love to know more about those dreams of yours." At which I turn red.

 _ **Ten minutes ago  
**_ _ **St. Mungos, London  
**_ _ **Naminé's POV**_

The man lying in bed before me looks every bit the same as what the book described him to look like and even though his eyes are slightly vacant, while his body is lying a bit slacked off in the bed and while there is even some drool coming from his lips as he boasts his lies – which he doesn't even remember – do I sense it.  
A lingering sense of darkness that comes from his actual emotions and the way that sense strengthens as he smiles _winningly_ at me makes me shiver and feel glad that Kingsley Shacklebolt is standing at my side. Still, the fact that this man – this creep – is feeling this about me even with an Auror next to me actually worries me.  
I then take a deep breath and say: "Thank you for letting us see him, Mss." And the female Healer nods, even if I know that she is strongly doubtful of my abilities and she says: "Of course. I love the fact that my lovely Gilderoy is finally getting some company. I just can't understand why more people won't come and visit him."

Yet this is something that makes me feel better as I think: "The less people that are around this creep, the better for them." And with that do I turn to Madam Bones, who nods as she says: "Now, Healer Strout, please remember to let our Mss. Naminé do her work and then Gilderoy Lockhart can get back to his true life."  
And this makes me smile as I know that Madam Bones means Lockhart going to Azkaban for his acts of fraud, illegal use of the Memory charm and even the allegations that he could have raped several students at Hogwarts before wiping their memories of this. "And then they don't even know his worst crime yet." I think to myself.

I then move over to where the man is lying, trying not to shiver as I notice how his eyes follow my every move, but then Kingsley says: "Mr. Lockhart, please focus on me, you are distracting our aide to help you get your memory back." And the man sends me a smile that is meant to be apologizing, but I can easily see through that.  
"Great Keyblade, he's like a male Larxene." I think to myself and then focus on the task at hand. I nod at Kingsley and he pulls a bowl and a bottle of water as well as several plates of metal out of a small bag that has an Extension charm on the inside. And while this makes the Healer hum in confusion do I take my usual course of action.  
I use my special form of magic to have the plates of metal form around the man's hand and then use it to turn the metal transparent before gently letting the water seep in through a small hole in the top. "What are you –?" The Healer shrieks and I say: "Don't worry, the water will put him to sleep, so he won't drown while I work."  
And while the woman frowns, does Madam Bones says: "Healer Strout, I can personally vouch for having witnessed this magic working. I saw her do this to someone who had a different kind of issues with his memories. It was done in front of a large crowd of witnesses." And the woman nods, having been reassured once again.

I then take a deep breath as the next bit requires me to get close with Lockhart so I can have better access to the metal around his head and the water within the globe. Then I feel Kingsley put his hand on my shoulder and he says: "I'm right here, Naminé. You can do this." And he whispers silently in my ear: "For Harry."  
And I nod at him, his words having given me my determination back and my need to see this through and while I fight back the urge to feel horrible over the fact that I am facing a male version of a past demon of mine, do I move the man down the bed a little and then take a seat on his pillow, his head between my knees.  
I lie my hands near the hole and close it off before moving my hands all over the globe, the water starting to light up more and more where my hands move and the light moving along with my hands. And slowly but surely do similar lights start to shine all over the man's face, neck and his hair which floats in the water.

Yet this isn't something I really see as my inner eye has taken over my sight and instead of that do I now have a sight that looks like a magical version of the inside of Lockhart's mind. And the mess that is his mental state makes me smirk, even though I know it's my job to reconnect all these broken chains and heal this creep.  
Luckily enough did Madam Bones also give me another task to do alongside this healing task and I happily focus on that as I take hold of the first two broken chains that look like they should fit together. Yet instantly I feel like regretting that I grabbed these two as they are actually part of the other task I was given.  
And so I drain myself off all my emotions, turn my heart and my conscience off and start to work the special bits of my magic, not just connecting the two horrible links and making a chain, but also making a perfect copy of the chain that I pull out of the man's mind, causing for it to be a small globe of light within the water.  
And like this do I keep working, linking more and more chains together and focusing only on my task and nothing more. The chains get stronger and stronger with every second that I work and more and more chains start to get lined up together, making the amount of loose and tied up chains decrease in number more and more as I work.

Then finally, after what felt like weeks, if not months of work and make me wish I was back in Twilight Town, working on putting back Sora's memory, do I link the last small, insignificant chain – that holds one of the man's first memories as an infant – to the rest of the now endlessly long chain and think: "Done at last."  
And while I had found more and more chains that needed my duplication magic and while I have no doubt that the globe around the man's head is now alight with these small bulbs of light that are his duplicated memories, do I also know that I made a different colored light out of one chain that I know holds a very vital memory.

I then pull my focus back out of my mind's eye and back into the rest of my body. And while it shocks me, does it not surprise me when I realize that my face is covered in tears of disgust. But when a smooth voice says: "No need for tears, my dear. I am here to –." Do I hiss: "Leave my virginity alone, you sick-minded bastard."  
And the man looks at me shocked before I suddenly wonder how he can even speak when he is supposed to be asleep in the globe. Yet before the Healer can do more than shriek, do I look at Kingsley, who nods and uses his wand to lift the globe off of Lockhart, making sure to keep the water and the lights intact and within.  
"Now what is that lovely little bit of magic, hmmmm?" The man asks as he looks at how Kingsley manages to put the globe inside his small bag and I feel a great sense of just delight as I say: "The evidence against your sick and twisted deeds, you disgusting dirtbag. Oh and Kingsley, please don't forget about this."

And I happily pull out the disturbing choker I pulled from Harry's neck while healing him, delighting greatly in how I hear Lockhart scream: "HOW DID YOU GET THAT! GIVE IT BACK!" But Kingsley, with a smirk similar to my own, says: "Sorry Lockhart, but that is evidence handed in by a specialized witness."  
And he uses the summoning charm to pull the choker out of my hand, making Lockhart fumble all over his hospital robe, but then Madam Bones says: "Don't bother, Lockhart. Or did you perhaps forget how Mr. Ronald Weasley threw your wand out of the window in the office of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor?"  
And instantly Lockhart turns to her with his face having turned white, allowing me the chance to finally slip away from him unnoticed and he whimpers as he asks: "How – how – how – how do you – how do you know about –?" And the woman smirks as she says: "Mr. Potter has been very helpful in assisting our search for unexpected criminals."

"You're accusing poor Lockhart of _what now?_ Have you forgotten what he's done? How many people he's saved and helped and aided? What evidence could you possibly –?" The Healer shrieks and I coldly tell her: "I am a witch, a witch with the ability to infiltrate one's mind and work on their memory in all kinds of fashions.  
I can unlink memories, link them back together, link real ones with false ones, forge false memories, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. And I recently worked on helping Harry Potter with some memory issues of his own as well as unlocking the choker you saw me hand to Auror Shacklebolt. And Lockhart's reaction? It speaks for itself."  
The woman looks shocked at hearing what I have to say and then snaps: "And how do I know that you're not –." But this makes me actually angry, an emotion I barely ever feel and instantly the woman halts as I furiously hiss: "I _know_ how it feels to make false memories. Don't _ever_ accuse me of willingly doing so."

And the woman nods faintly before Madam Bones: "That being said. Gilderoy Lockhart, you are under arrest for fraud on other people's royalties, excessive, illegal abuse of the Memory charm, forging and selling misguided material in regards to DADA and the potential accusation of raping several students of Hogwarts school.  
You have the right to remain silent, everything you say can and will be used against you in a Wizengamot trial and you will be appointed a lawyer by the DMLE within 24 hours of your trial. Until such time will you be detained in a Ministerial Holding cell, will your magical abilities be blocked and your visitation rights monitored."  
And before the shocked eyes of the Healer, do Kingsley and Tonks step forward, one of them grabbing Lockhart as he tries to make a mad dash for it – and to my shock aimed at me, no less – and the other conjuring a pair of cuffs to wrap around his wrists, which she ties behind his back as she says: "Don't even think about it, freak."

And as the two escort the man out, does Madam Bones turn to the Healer and say: "I do hope that what just happened proves our case to you, Healer Strout. Instead of trying to escape, Lockhart was instead intending to use our special help here as a hostage to keep us from harming or potentially stopping his escape."  
And while the Healer herself looks faint with the realization that this actually almost happened and mutters: "Why, Gilderoy, why?" Do I then get shocked as I see Neville Longbottom walk in and ask: "Madam Bones, is Naminé done with that sick bastard? I – I want to ask her if she's willing to help me with – well, something personal."  
And the way that the two elder women smile at him make me feel that it will be a good idea to do whatever Neville wants me to do for him. Madam Bones then gives Neville permission to come over and the boy guides me over to another part of the ward as he says: "You see, it's – well, it's like this. Naminé, meet my parents."  
And he pulls the curtain apart at one cubicle, my eyes widening as I see the state that the woman is in. "This is my mum. She's actually the one that is in the better state. Over there – is my dad. They – they've been like this for over 13 years and – and I know that's a really, really long time, but – but I was – I was hoping –."

And yet, before the boy can mumble any further, do I purposely walk over to the woman who is slowly trying to sit up in bed, but who seems to have forgotten – or at least slightly – how to do so. And while I march into the cubicle, do I say: "Madam Bones, more water and more plates of steel, if you don't mind."  
And while this makes Neville send me a teary-eyed smile of gratitude, does Madam Bones look at the Healer and at something else. The Healer nods and to my shocked delight does Madam Bones dissect one of the empty beds, only to change the parts into metal plates that she sends my way. And with that do I get back to work.  
And because I am so focused on putting the plates back together in the shape of a globe, filling up the globe with water, sealing the hole the water came through and lying the woman down comfortably, do I not even hear what else Madam Bones says and only hear something like a door close as if several hallways in the distance.

 _ **Twenty minutes later  
**_ _ **Great Hall, Hogwarts  
**_ _ **Madam Bones' POV**_

It felt _really_ good to instantly solve one of the biggest unsolved issues of the book we just read and while it took a while to set up a team of Aurors to search for all those that actually committed the heroic deeds Lockhart claimed to do, do I still feel satisfied when I manage to leave the Ministry, having covered every task at hand.  
Lockhart is in a holding cell only half a hallway away from the Courtrooms, meaning that the enchantments on his cell are quite severe, the Aurors that guard him are all men that have grown disgust for his actions when he was still a public hero or people who actually believe the truth and his visitation rights are indeed limited.  
"Or better said, the only visitation right he has is with the Aurors guarding him and the lawyer he will get the day before the trial. Though I sure am glad that time freezes whenever we do these readings. Huh, wonder how many trials I am going to have to hold once we've finished the final book. Oh, well, onto my next job."

Goes through my mind as I enter the Great Hall, but I don't have to go far to spot my target. Arianna is sitting at the edge of Slytherin table with Xion and Narcissa Malfoy, the two younger girls listening as Narcissa apparently catches them up to speed on something. And when I approach them, do I snicker as I hear the actual topic.  
"And that is just one of the things you can expect when you have someone of High Society wanting to court you into a long and happy life together. Ah, hello there, Amelia. Here to take one of my girls away?" At this I laugh again as Narcissa has always let her guard down around me, just like I always did around her.  
"I am indeed. Are you still sure you want to see Albus, Arianna? You know I would love just as much to just take you to Aberforth right away." And the girl nods as she says: "I am sure, Amelia. I want to see him. I want to either see if he will regret it if I voice his actions and if not, I want to just – say goodbye to him."

And while I have a very strong doubt that the former will happen, do I still nod in understanding with why she would want to do the latter and then Narcissa asks: "Are you sure about this, sweetie? Will she be safe, Amelia?" At which I nod and say: "She will, Narcissa. Kingsley and Rufus are coming along with us.  
That and Alastor will be under various invisibility charms as well as an Invisibility cloak of his own and will be standing next to the cell door at all times." At this Narcissa nods and a few minutes later I am back at the Ministry and helping Arianna feel better after her first experience with the Floo, feeling Apparation to be a step too far.  
I then get the young woman registered and while her name draws quite a few looks, do I make sure to look as official as possible and everyone who spots me with her make sure to keep away, recognizing that this young female Dumbledore is here with me on official business. And with that do we head down to where the cells are.

And after a quick check-up with the Auror that registers all those who visit certain cells and prisoners or people who are being detained until their trial, do I feel slightly concerned when I hear that the man had to refuse Cedrelle Black from visiting Dumbledore and I think: "Molly must have convinced her to do so. That is not good."  
But then the Auror says: "You know, for someone who is known as the Stubborn soul of the Black Family, Lady Cedrelle sure gave up quite fast, Madam Bones. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that she didn't want to be here. But if she didn't, why did she go through the effort of coming all the way down here, you think?"  
And I smile as I say: "To prove her current charge a point. I have no doubt that she has a Pensive and that she will alter the end of the memory to make it look as if she fought you tooth and nail to get permission. It's to have her current charge know that trying things like that are just a waste of both of their and our time."

And while the Auror seems intrigued by this, do I say: "Also, please let it be known that this is the only visit of Mss. Arianna Dumbledore. So if someone else under that name comes in here, refuse them and report them to me immediately." And the Auror salutes to prove he recognizes my orders before we leave him be.  
"This new charge, who is she?" Arianna asks me as we approach the cell that holds her brother and I say: "A woman who is as destructive to her former husband, sons and daughter as your brother has been to Harry and you. She only got to be part of the reading of the last few chapters of the 4th book, but nothing more."

At this Arianna nods and I mutter: "Prepare yourself, Arianna, his cell is the one after this one." And the young woman nods before we pass the last cell that keeps us from reaching the cell of the one man I always thought would be responsible for filling these cells with criminals and other scumbags, not inhabit one himself.  
And it seems as if the man either expects one who can help him or has lost what little sanity he has left in his near-week stay here as he says: "Cedrelle, good to know that you have come. You must help me. Amelia has made a horrible mistake. Molly has probably already told you this, but I don't belong here, I belong out there.  
Out there where I can guide Harry Potter to his proper place. Where I can keep wrong and hurtful influences away from him. Where I can make sure he helps make the world a better, safer place. Please Cedrelle, talk to Amelia for me. The world needs its hero and its hero needs the right kind of person to lead him as well."

This makes me want to look at the girl next to me in concerned pity, but the young woman seems to have hardened herself against how delusional and careless for his own crimes her brother has become. And instead of that does she stomp over and I look up, feeling relieved to see a small sliver of evidence that Alastor is here too.  
And while I hear Kingsley and Tonks coming to join me standing here, does Arianna coldly ask: " _Leading a hero?_ Is that what you call it, Albus? Cause what I've heard of you so far sounds like you haven't changed a bit since that horrible, horrible fight you had against Aberforth. Remember the one, Albus? The one that _**killed me**_!"  
And I delight in hearing Albus gasp as he hears the young woman's voice and he reaches for the small, barred window in his cell door as he asks: "Arianna? Is that you? But – but – but how? What? Who used –?" But Arianna says: "There are worlds outside this one, Albus. And one of them – has an entrance to the Underworld.  
And guess what?" She glares at her brother and he tentatively asks: "What? What is it? Why are you like this? What has the Underworld –?" But Arianna interrupts him and says: "Not the Underworld, Albus. This is thanks to you. The Mythical Fates of Past, Present and Future were there and they told me something very vital."

The young woman then sends him a look that actually reminds me of myself when I am holding a trial for someone who breaks one of our most sacred laws and she says: " _I_ wasn't supposed to die that night, Albus. _You were_. The Fates had actually been the ones to create Gellert in order to destroy you before you got too bad.  
They failed, found out and felt horrible enough they were willing to bring me back to life. And now I want to know only one thing. _Even if_ you come out of here, Albus – _even_ _ **if**_ – what will you do now that you know I am back to life?" And this makes everyone – Alastor included, I know – look at the man, who instantly rants:  
"I would take you in, of course. You and Harry. And I would lead him to greatness and have him make sure that you would want for nothing. And we would be great together, Arianna. Great and loved and honored for all eternity. The Greatest Wizard ever, the Chosen One and the Witch brought back by the Legendary Fates. Can you see it?"  
And by now I have my hand covering my eyes and am shaking my head as I think: "He sealed his fate, that's what he did. Ugh, poor Arianna." And I turn to look back at the girl, who has tears glistering in her eyes as she says: "No Albus, I can't see it. All I see is a man who has become more misguided than even the Fates predicted.

Goodbye, Albus." And while I can only imagine how hurt she is, do I not hear any of that pain through her voice, only finality and I whisper: "Tonks, get that poor young woman to her brother, pronto." And I hear the Auror behind me move her arm in a salute, before she guides the young woman away from the cells.  
"Amelia please, I know you're there. You have to let me out. Arianna –." Albus then tries, but I glare at his cell door and say: "Sees you more clearly than you see yourself. And you will be let out, Albus, on the day of your trial." And with that do I turn my back on the cell, ignoring the man screaming at me to come and release him.

 _ **At the same time  
**_ _ **At the Hogs Head  
**_ _ **Arianna's POV**_

I know I told Amelia of one of my hopes, but I had more or less already given up on this even before we passed the Auror in charge of keeping an eye on who visits which prisoner. And so I barely felt anything when Albus proved that he still believed he was on some kind of sacred mission that put him above the law or something.  
I had also, because I'm not sure if he was responsible for my dead or not, taken some delight out of how badly I got to startle the demented old man and had easily interrupted him the few times he thought he could convince me that I should listen to his statements and that what he believed was the only truth to exist.  
And when I had asked him what he would do if he could get out of his cell knowing I was alive, was his answer exactly what I expected and I had thought: "He hasn't changed a bit from that self-centered twenty-year old who thought he could create a kingdom out of the Magicals being his army and the Muggles his slaves and servants."

And so I had only felt a few tears come up in my eyes when I heard his words and then told him what I thought about his statements before saying goodbye to him and turning my back on him. Yet I still feel very grateful when Tonks comes to walk closely beside me and when we are in hallways by ourselves, she wraps her arm around me.  
And I do get why she won't do this in hallways with others around us as she does have her reputation and her job to think about, but this also makes me feel all the better when we leave the Ministry and talk a short walk over to a small side road that is covered in shadows and then Tonks asks: "Are you alright?" And I nod.  
"Okay, I am going to use Apparation this time. I know that the boss only used the Floo, but I have my orders and Apparation is the fastest way of travel. Please note, though, it is also one of the most uncomfortable ones." At which I nod, grateful that she is warning me beforehand and she says: "Alright, hold onto my arm."

And a minute later I get the reason why this is considered the most uncomfortable way of traveling as I feel as if certain bits of me are still left behind near the Ministry. I breathe deeply in and out to regain myself and feel sure that I am in one piece before I look around. And instantly my eyes are drawn to a sign hanging above a door.  
"So, is this Abey's source of income?" I ask, shocked to see a chopped off head of some wild beast with tusks hanging on a wooden board above the door and Tonks winces as she says: "Yep, as well as his home. He lives above this pub and, to be honest, his annoyance with his brother's fame made him develop a pretty nasty rep of his own."  
And while I can definitely understand and agree with this way of living, does it also make me worry for my brother and then Tonks says: "I'll go see if anyone untrustworthy is indoors, else I will just keep an eye on the door, okay?" And I nod at her gratefully, glad that she won't try to be part of my reunion with my brother.

We then move indoors and Tonks does stop me at the doorway as she lets her eyes roam over the few people who are sitting around the pub. "They may not be to that idiot's taste, lass, but I know just fine who I let into my pub, I'll have you know." A rough voice suddenly says and I turn to it in concerned curiosity, only to gasp in shock.  
While Albus looks as if he has only been in the cell for a few hours instead of almost a week, does Aberforth look as if he has spent decades at the bottom of a pit that he fell in and was forgotten about afterwards. His hair and beard are grey colored and are both long and stringy, but his blue eyes are still bright and sharp in sight.  
Yet it seems as if Aberforth has forgotten what I looked like shortly before my death, or at least somewhat, as he looks at me strangely and he asks: "You look familiar, lass. Have we met before." To which I sigh and say: "We at least have one thing in common. We have a brother we both consider a pain to all of destiny and light."  
At this the man snickers and he says: "You're alright, lass. What can I do for you? And why are you suddenly so cautious around here, Auror lady? I've seen you hang around this town plenty of times, much more relaxed. Something about my pub that makes you turn around like this? heh?" Yet Tonks sighs and says:

"I hate saying this, Lord Dumbldore –." But then my brother snarls: "That is that stupid lowlife –." But Tonks shakes her head and says: "Your brother was arrested on multiple charges a little under a week ago. And what I was going to say, Lord Dumbledore, is that you were tricked into hosting a possessed man in 1992."  
This really shocks my brother and then he laughs and says: "That egocentric oddball has finally been given his due. About bloody damned time. And what is this of a possessed man? Possessed by who, lass?" And Tonks turns serious and professional as she says: "Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort."  
And instantly tension is felt throughout the entire pub and the man mutters: "I – I – I hosted that – that – that –." And I feel horrible as it sounds just how devastated and disgusted the man sounds as Tonks goes on: "And to make matters worse, did Lord Voldemort sell a stolen Dragon Egg to Groundskeeper Hagrid – inside your pub."

At this Aberforth puts his face in his hands and causes for his beard to swipe across his filthy bar as he mutters: "Let me guess, you're here to take me in. I'm going to be sharing a cell with that disgusting filth that is my brother, aren't I?" But Tonks smiles and says: "No, I am here to reunite you with your one true sibling."  
The man looks up and I happily walk over, softly running my hand through his hair the way he used to when Albus refused to care for me the way that was his responsibility and I whisper: "The fates send that killer to stop him, Abey, but that stupid mistake made everything messed up. But I'm back now, my brother. I'm back now."  
"A-a-a-a-Ari-Aria-Arianna? Is – is that – is that really you?" The man stutters as he asks me and I kiss him just like how I pet his hair and I whisper: "I missed you so much, big brother. Come back to Hogwarts with me. It's being cleansed and so much good is being done there. Please, come with me." And the man hugs me as he says:  
"Of course, little sister. I'm never letting you go again. And anyone of you creeps thinking you can do anything to harm her can go to hell and leave my pub right this instant. I'm closing her down for an undisclosed amount of time this very night, so do what you must and get out! And be glad I am not kicking you out right now."  
And yet the patrons that are in here seem loyal to Aberforth enough to respect his wishes and while only one of them grumbles about how close he was to winning a card game, do they all leave the pub without any other fuss. Aberforth smiles at me as he sees this and I smile back as I say: "Come on, big brother, let's go."

 _ **The Next Morning  
**_ _ **Back at Hogwarts  
**_ _ **Auron's POV**_

Normally I take things as slow and patiently as possible. I stay in the back and study whoever has my interest or whatever situation needs my help. But the last twenty-four hours have made it really hard for me to do so. This because, for the first time since I have been resurrected, I have found someone to _truly_ devote my heart to.  
Someone who makes me feel things I didn't even feel with my friends or when I took guardianship over their kids after their deaths. Someone who still, like my former friends, makes me feel like I have to be at my best, but who doesn't make me feel like I should just be there as a travel companion, trainer or guardian.  
And while the lad had been feeling sure that he was meant for another, do I feel as if he is meant for me and I for him the more I get to know him. And what happened the other day made me really want to be there for the lad. It had happened just before dinner and had proven the lad that his beliefs of the last year were not to be.

Harry and Viktor Krum had walked into the Great Hall, after the former lad had rushed out of the Hall in a panicked hurry earlier that morning and after the latter had apparently spend the rest of the day making the former feel better about whatever had made him feel bad. And at the same time was it plain as day to see.  
The bond between them, which had already been obvious to see when I first re-entered the Olympus Coliseum and been introduced to everyone here, had obviously gotten an incredible boost over the hours and now it was almost as if an aura connected the two of them together, tighter than the way they held and linked hands.  
Harry's friends and two women who have been with him ever since I met this lot had instantly come over to check on them and ask Harry if he was feeling better, but I didn't care for this. Instead, my focus had been with the lad that caught my interest earlier and I had felt quite bad for how he was hiding his pain with joy for the two.

I had studied the couple that has obviously grown closer as well as the red-haired lad that had obviously crushed after one of them and the longer I did so, the more I felt pride and other feelings grow within my heart as the second born of the family seemed to slowly but surely grow true acceptance for this couple.  
Then everyone had gone to bed and I had taken my refuge in the Antechamber of the Great Hall, using my robe as my blanket and actually dreaming of myself and the ginger lad being happy together, doing crazy dangerous, but awesome and amazing things together and then healing each other of any injuries we gained from the stuff.

And then the next morning I get evidence that, what I saw a blonde do with the lad named Axel and the girl named Xion I should do myself as Charlie actually approaches me as I leave the Antechamber and he says: "Hey, thanks for what you said." And I remember that I had a talk with him about his crush on the other lad.  
He then looks at the lad in question and says: "It really was quite hard, you know? Looking at those two and seeing them so happy and content with each other, while also trying to envision if I could make Harry just as happy and if we would really be just as happy in the years to come, just like you told me I should.  
However, as I woke up this morning, I realized why it was so hard. It was hard, because my beliefs were wrong. Yes, I crushed after Harry, but he is the first boy I have crushed after in almost five years, so I – I guess I just forgot how it felt to crush after someone. And if nothing else, that realization came with another one."  
At this I turn to the handsomely gorgeous lad as we had both been gazing at how Harry has gone to sit with Mrs. Tonks, his friends and boyfriend, and Charlie says: "I don't want to crush after someone who I will need to look after later. I want to crush after someone, who is willing to take care of me. That's why my crushes always die out."

And to hear those words are like someone opening the door to my destiny for me, giving me the green light to do what I must and want to at the same time and I say: "Come on, walk with me." And while Charlie looks at me confused, do I hide a smirk at a little thought that pops up in my head: "I am already taking care of you."  
And with that do I walk over to where the lad's father is sitting with his other two eldest and the father and his eldest are laughing as they notice Charlie and I approaching and while Charlie takes one of the empty seats beside his family, do I keep standing, my back straight and my entire stance proving I am a man of power and will as I say:

"Lord Arthur Weasley, I am Auron of Spira and the Underworld. I have died in Spira and have been resurrected by Lord Hades. As such I have barely nothing other than my being, my character and my sword. However, all that will be your son's if you accept my request to join Charles Weasley in a courting period of 30 days.  
As I said, I have only my strength of will, my strength of mind and body as well as my sword and the cloths on my form, but I will use all of that to not only prove myself worthy to your Second Heir, but to, one day, start helping him in getting everything he wants in life. Everything that is mine will be his, I do so swear. Do you accept?"  
This actually makes Charlie look at me shocked and while I pulled out my sword, stuck it in the stone before me and bowed to prove I am submitting myself to his will and decision, do I still hear Bill whisper at my own crush: "You lucky bastard, you just had to go and get yourself a bona vide perfect loving husband to be, didn't you?"

And this makes me feel slightly better about my chances to get accepted. And then Arthur says: "You are not to be in my son's presence without me there and you are to prove your strength, both in character and in force, by having at least one conversation with each of my children every day and fighting the strongest of each world."  
This makes me smile and I think: "He went easy on me, I can't believe this." At this I stand up and make a bow down the waist as I say: "Your son's brothers are my brothers. His sister is my sister. I will do what must be done to see them as happy as your Heir wants them to be. You have my word of honor, Lord Weasley."  
And the man nods before Bill walks over and slaps me on the shoulder as he says: "Welcome to the family. Get ready, cause we're a crazy lot." Yet at this I smirk and say: "I once fought the Lord of the Underworld, escaped him, fought his pet Cerberus and then got freed of his Mind Control. I can handle crazy."  
And the eldest of the Weasley laughs at my words, yet I don't pay attention to it. This because the greatest reward I could ever ask for is right in front of me. Charlie had been shocked at everything that happened, but now he is actually looking at me with a spark of how he gazed at Harry and I feel ready to ensure those emotions will grow.

* * *

 _ **You go, Auron.  
**_ _ **Also, I want to make a little something clear. Harry and what he goes through with Viktor and Sirius takes place early morning, Draco asking Axel for Xion's hand takes place just before lunch, the testing for a womb takes place during lunch, Amelia and her Ministry visits between lunch and dinner and Aberforth meets Arianna at dinner.  
**_ _ **Meaning that every time I write "At the same time" I mean at the same time that the previous segment ends. I felt a little bad for creating that potential bit of confusion as most of it sounds to take place during the morning of the same day and then suddenly we are almost 24 hours later. Still I hope that cleared things up.  
**_ _ **And WOW, nineteen pages. I will be honest, part of me felt like dividing everything up, yet while I could have made this either three different chapters or even two, did the story just flow too flawlessly for me to want to stop writing. That and I promised that this would be a compilation of several deleted chapters.  
**_ _ **Hope you enjoyed,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	58. Recapping And Restarting

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So I added a bit more stuff to the start of this chapter – such as Leon mentioning how he changed the location of travel due to Lupin's Heat – as well as Harry recapping what happened between the end of last chapter and the other days that passed. Part of me did feel like writing another chapter like last, but – heh.  
**_ _ **I decided not to. Also, I made another little decision. I am going to make some really MAJOR edits to the chapter regarding Marge. The reason behind this is the same as to why I deleted the chapter describing Lupin going in Heat and what he and Sirius do while in Heat. I am too close to editing the whole story to take such risks.  
**_ _ **Hope you understand,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 57  
**_ _ **Recapping and Restarting**_

 _ **3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **of June 1994  
**_ _ **Great Hall, Hogwarts  
**_ _ **Harry's POV**_

The books seem to have taken to the students the same way the mentioning of the Tri-Wizarding Tournament coming up did and I notice more and more students and guests talking about either what they thought of the book describing my Second year or gossiping about what they think could be described in the third book.  
Still, because of what I remembered when I ran off, did I make sure to ask Professor Snape to re-stock his supply of Dreamless Sleep Potions as well as the other draughts he prepared for the sake of the last book. And while the man had assured me that he had already started this process, had I offered to pay for any potential additional costs.  
Yet the man had told me that the Hogwarts funds got him covered and had send me on my way so he could – as he said – _get to work on what he knew he had to do_ and I had taken to other activities for the other two days. And Mrs. Malfoy, Mrs. Tonks and Viktor all made sure to keep me properly distracted all the time.

Mrs. Tonks put me through a serious regiment of exercises that, as she told me, would benefit and help the potion regimen I am on. Viktor would take me for long walks, wondrous flights on our Firebolts and cuddling with me in front of the Gryffindor fireplace before bed. And Mrs. Malfoy continued my Etiquette lessons once again.  
This time she focused on things that were important to House Potter and things that were often topic of discussion in today's high society as well as the Wizengamot. I didn't really get why she was explaining me this, but I did agree with her assessment it would help me make sure that Sirius could properly represent my House.  
I was less excited about the idea of House Potter being expected to hold three Balls to the Ancient Houses on a yearly basis, but when I told her of how I experienced the Yule Ball, she actually blamed it on the teachers not properly helping the students and just expecting too much without offering the required assistance, at which I agreed.  
The woman had obviously been very upset that teachers just keep expecting without helping those who can't meet their expectations without aid, but she had obviously been determined to help me get through these lessons before the reading started again. However, the fact that she did this alone didn't go unnoticed by me.

"Aunt Narcissa, where is Draco? I haven't seen him since the reading ended." I asked and the woman smiles as she says: "He is sitting out his punishment for the behavior he showed in the last book. And whenever he's not there, he's proving himself worthy to young Mss. Xion." This shocks me and I ask: "Wait, Draco and – the new girl?"  
And the woman nods as she says: "I noticed it the minute he walked over to greet that quiet little thing back in Colosseum. He is as crazy for her as your father for your mother." And this had again made me look out the window, out into the forest where I know my parents are still going through Remus' latest Heat together.  
And while I really don't want to know what that entails, did I still ask Hagrid to keep an eye out while he was out caring for the beings in the forest. And Hagrid complied, but I did have to remind him from time to time that I only cared if they were still healthy, _not_ what he believed he saw them doing. And each time I felt really embarrassed.

The lessons Aunt Narcissa taught me also did not go without a fair share of arguments and while most of what my family stood for was something I felt proud of and agreed with myself, were there also things that I actually went in argument against her. And in the end, she mostly agreed that they needed to be changed, at the least.  
The fact that a woman who has been Pureblood for so long can accept that certain beliefs, customs and traditions need to be updated, just because someone with a Muggle upraising said so really amazes me, but it also makes me feel better about the chances that, one day, my parents and the Malfoys can really become one family.  
And the way that Viktor treats me whenever I'm not on my regiment or busy with my lessons makes me even more excited for this kind of future and also makes me even more proud that I decided to cast the Time Reading Spell in the first place. Cause the prospect of what would happen if I didn't becomes worse and worse.

Madam Bones had definitely enjoyed telling us of what she questioned Dumbledore about as well as how she continuously used Arianna and the threat of recalling her and Aberforth – or really just Aberforth as she had no intentions of hurting Arianna more than needed – to get him to give her the answers she wanted.  
Needless to say Dumbledore's sentence is getting worse each book, yet Hermione did feel curious as to whether or not the Wizengamot would count the books on the future as well. To this the officials had debated a while and in the end, they decided to only count his worst of crimes. Though his current record didn't make that any better.

My friends have also been kept quite busy. The twins have been showing Roxas, Axel, Sora and Riku around, even though Axel was once Fawkes and Ron has been – more or less – chaperoning Blaise and Hermione and making sure he keeps to his own rules of the Courting period. Yet one other pair also shocked me.  
Auron, the guy that had been annoying Hades throughout the last reading, had actually come back with us, having told us that he had nothing left in Colosseum and he had later proven why he was so adamant in this belief as he actually asked Mr. Weasley for a courting period in regards to Charlie, Ron's second eldest brother.  
And because Mr. Weasley wasn't as much into Pureblood tradition – and probably because Charlie was more capable of setting the right boundaries than I – did I discover that their rules in regards to the courting were much more lenient, yet Auron has been going above and beyond in proving his worth to his new future partner in life.

"Galleon for thought?" A pleasant voice asks me and I turn to see Ginny sitting a few seats away from me, the girl having been with her friends Luna and Collin as well as Bill for the last few days and actually undergoing a bit of mental healing thanks to Madam Pomfrey and I say: "Just recapping the last couple of days."  
"Wouldn't it be better to think about whatever is going to be in the next book?" The girl asks and I shrug as I say: "They're my thoughts and memories and Third year is still quite fresh. I don't think I really need to. So, why are you sitting so far away, Ginny?" And the girl rolls her eyes as if thinking me stupid as she asks:  
"Haven't you heard it yet? Hagrid spotted your parents leaving the forest just five minutes ago?" Yet thanks to Aunt Andy, do I ask: "How could I have heard that if it happened only five minutes ago?" Making the girl send me an angry glare, only for us both to start laughing, me glad that the last few days have obviously helped her lots.

I then look up and see that the girl is right. With Hagrid on one side and – interestingly enough – Leon on the other, do my parents walk into the Great Hall, Remus showing a few snarls to students he thinks are getting too close to them and Sirius happily cuddled up against him and rubbing his back as they walk over.  
I stand up and rush over to them and when they see me, do they both stop to hug me tightly, the muscles Moony is obviously providing Remus making me feel as if I am back in Mrs. Weasley's arms, were it not for the fact that these arms provide more than just physical strength. They also convey care, love and warmth.  
And the way that Remus growls from the back of his throat makes me feel as if the wolf within is glad to have his pack back together. "Which is a good thing, cause that's really not going to be the case in the upcoming book." I think, but then realize that, the more we read of our separation, the more Moony will want to be close.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Leon suddenly asks and I realize that he has gone to stand at the Owl Stand while Hagrid has taken his seat at the Head Table and Remus, Sirius and I take our seats near Ginny as he says: "The reading will commence soon. Please remain here until the Great Hall Doors close and the spell reactivates.  
And please know that there has been a slight change of plans." This confuses and worries me and Leon goes on before anyone can do more than mutter, thus gathering the attention back to himself as he says: "Instead of Radiant Garden, will we be moving to Beast's Castle. The location is wider, more complex and has more living space."  
This instantly makes me look at Sirius and Remus and the two nod as Sirius says: "Remus is still experiencing Heat, but it's gotten to the point where he has periods of time where he can control it the way he did in the Colosseum. Though we will need to hurry. Your presence calms him down, my presence –." And a cringe is his finish.  
This makes me cringe as well and then it happens. The doors close, the Enchanted ceiling turns the same colors as those that sparked from my wand the first time and I feel a small twinge in my body as if I just got Petrified. And to my relief does Remus sigh as he says: "Seems the spell has an effect on my other side – for now."

I nod at him and then look at the books that are once again in the corner of the room and while everyone stands up to let Professor McGonagall turn our tables and benches and chairs back into their more comfier forms, do I walk over, slide the third book from between the rest and check the title of the first chapter silently.  
"Harry?" I hear someone ask and I see Viktor stand next to me, great concern shining in his eyes while his parents – who I only just now realize have been taking a backseat all this time for reasons I really don't understand – and he asks: "Are you alright?" And I nod as I say: "I just wanted to check what the first chapter was about."  
"Because of how you ran when the last book ended?" He asks and I cringe as the many distractions he, Aunt Narcissa and Aunt Andy have been providing have helped me keep my mind off of that. I nod and he asks: "Does it come up?" But I shake my head and say: "Probably next chapter. I better start with the reading."  
"Are you sure about that?" He asks and I nod as I say: "I want to do this. This chapter seem easy, fun even. I want to – to use this to –." And while I don't say it, does Viktor nod and say: "To gather enough courage to face the next chapter – when _it_ happens." And while he doesn't know what it is, does he still sound grave.  
I nod at him and he reaches out, softly letting his fingers rub over the wristband that is now around my wrist and has been there since we were in the Lake together a few days ago. He then says: "Draw courage from this too, okay?" Before he smiles and turns around. And I smile at his retreating back before I start to read.

 _ **Harry Potter and the**_

I laugh and say: "And another title covered by the magic of the Time reading spell." Everyone smiles at this, obviously happy that I can find my joy in this and I say: "Of course, it's not hard to figure out what this one is about, but it will probably be covered next chapter." And while some students are now curious, do I read on.

 _ **Owl Post**_ _ **… a wizard.**_

"Nice start, mate." Ron laughs and Amelia Bones says: "Mr. Potter, I can't stress it enough, you are worth more than you really know." And I mutter: "Or at least more than I believed back then." And the woman smiles, obviously happy that my self-confidence has risen since that summer. I smile back at her and read on.

 _ **It was … and read:**_

"Is anyone against it if I don't read this?" I ask the school out loud and Fred asks: "Other than the fact that you explain it much better than Binns?" And all those that had the teacher laugh, while I personally feel glad that Ghosts don't have to be present for the spell to work as Binns hasn't been around at all during the reading.  
Then Sir Nicholas and Moaning Myrtle float in and Myrtle says: "I heard that you read about me. Did you mock me or something?" I shake my head and say: "No Myrtle, we just read of the second attack of the Heir of Slytherin and how you helped us solve the mystery." The girl ghost nods and I smile at Nick before reading on.

 _ **Harry put … the summer**_ _– he didn't even want to think of the beating Uncle Vernon would surely give him, even if the man was half asleep_ _ **.  
**_ _ **The Dursley … towards magic.**_

"And that's softly putting the case. Not even the Medieval Muggles were stupid enough to try and stamp out a wizard's magic. They just used means against which, after certain times, we learned to defend ourselves against." Burbage says and I state: "Why witch-burning was useless discussed." And everyone laughs before I read on.

 _ **Harry's dead … of him**_ _, not that Uncle Vernon hadn't tried worse, with his fists_ _ **.  
**_ _ **To their … the neighbors**_ _– as if he wanted to talk to people who believed those idiots_ _ **.**_

Everyone laughs and Dennis asks: "What exactly did they do to explain your ten-month absence those two years?" And now my smile disappears as I feel the same anger I suppressed the first time I found out myself. Everyone looks at me shocked and I say: "It'll explain next chapter." Dennis nods, slightly worried and I read on.

 _ **This separation … the holidays.**_

Now my happiness returns and I say: "I really owe you two." Turning to the twins. Instantly everyone looks interested and Bill asks: "How on earth did those two help you get your spell books back?" And Percy jokes: "And do we even really want to know?" Making the twins look mock-offended and making me laugh before I read on.

 _ **While Uncle … by night.**_

"Although I hate the fact that you have to hide your talents even from your own relatives, do I feel very proud of your inventive way to avoid them and a detention, Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall says with a quick, sneaky smirk aimed at Snape, which causes me to hide my own snicker behind a fake cough and I read on.

 _Harry now also had found a way to make sure he could still stay at his own level and keep up the appearance he had been maintaining at Hogwarts since his first class. He had sown a side compartment in the inside of his trunk's lid before school ended, courtesy of the House Elves, and had been writing two essays, one which he would hide there and the other that he would hand in with the teachers._

The teachers look shocked at this and I feel relieved over the fact that I too hid my trunk in the Antechamber as I had expected something like this to be in the book and had therefore decided to show them evidence whenever they asked for it. But now the teachers seem too shocked to respond and I quickly read on.

 _It was his way of performing well without causing trouble with anyone and_ _ **Harry had … school holidays.**_

This makes Ron cringe and the Muggle Studies teacher says: "Mss. Granger, thank you for the models of Muggle Items I found on my list. Once we move to the other world, will I ask for a short break where you and other Muggleborns can explain us how to use these items." My best friend blushes and nods at her.  
I then look at the Muggle Studies teacher and see her put several miniature models on the table in front of her, miniatures that I recognize as a Radio, a telephone, a bike, a remote control car and chopper, both with remote control and – to my shock, amusement and the confusion of many teachers around her – a colored toy cube box.  
The colors on the cube are the size of needles and still I can see how they are all puzzled up and realize that Hermione will let the Purebloods get used to Muggle toys while wanting to give the Ravenclaws something to rack their brain over. I laugh at the innovation of my friend's idea and send her a smile before reading on.

 _ **Ron Weasley … the call.**_

"Why?" Ron moans and he goes on: "Why didn't you explain me how to use a telephone before giving me that number?" And I retort: "I explained your dad over summer, like I said. Why didn't you pay attention to that?" The students around him snicker as Ron turns red, but I send him a well-meant smile and he says:  
"I was focusing on keeping away from her and whether or not I had to distract her so you could give dad some fun. I didn't want her to rant you out like she did us upon arrival and I saw how much you enjoyed it. I just wanted you to have some fun after the conditions we saw you in when Fred, George and I rescued you."  
I feel touched by my best friend and then suddenly wonder how he could have known that I was having fun as I was trying myself not to show that to make sure I wouldn't get the Prewett woman on my neck and I think: "Could Ron be an empathic Seer? How much is my friend denying of himself because of his insecurity?"  
I look at my best friend closely, having been encouraged to try and see his and other forms of magic since people discovered I could sense the magic in the wands stored in Ollivander's Wand shop, but feel myself blocked by something and wonder if it's his magic or my own inability. Deciding to let the matter drop for now, do I read on.

 _ **"Vernon Dursley … the time,**_ _once again being treated no better than a House Elf – of which he discovered the existence in the previous year –_ _ **froze as … FROM – SCHOOL –"**_

"And there I signed my best friend's death contract." Ron moans and I smile as I say: "Actually, I think he was too shocked to really do much. He only shouted at me, really." The boy smiles at me and I smile back, still silently trying to see if I can sense any special or hidden abilities that my best friend might have.  
Still coming up blank, I sigh and Mr. Weasley asks: "Is something wrong, Harry?" I shake my head and say: "I'll tell you later. It's just something I've been practicing on since the Diagon Alley chapter in the first book." The man nods, smiling as he was the one to encourage me and I smile back at the man before Oliver asks:  
"So, what's a football field?" And I shrug as I say: "It's about the same size as a Quidditch pitch. It's also a place where the Muggle's most famous sport is played, just like Quidditch is the most famous sport in the Magical world." And while this seems to really excite my former Team Captain as well as others, do I continue reading.

 _ **Uncle Vernon's … the spot**_ _, already anticipating how he was going to be punished for this and trying to – inconspicuously – physically brace himself_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"THERE IS … poisonous spider.  
**_ _This reminded Harry of the snake Draco Malfoy, his rival at Hogwarts, had conjured and he silently cursed the Stature of Secrecy as he really wished he could do the same as Uncle Vernon turned on him.  
_ _ **The row … with spit.**_

"Mr. Potter, that is most unhygienic." Madam Pomfrey tuts and I mutter: "Try telling that to my uncle. He doesn't even realize how unhealthy his own health really is, let alone his son's. And Dudley has been put on a diet, for Merlin's sake." I rant at the end and everyone looks shocked before Dean coughs and asks:  
"That baby whale has been put on a diet and he still doesn't realize that he is heavily overweight?" I shake my head and mumble: "And they call me incurable." To which Fred says: "You are, Harry." I look shocked and George says: "You are an incurable disease called _best friend_ and that is one we don't want to be healed of."  
I laugh, ranting at myself for not realizing what the twins could be up to and feeling relieved that the Prewett woman isn't here as she would surely rant at them for this. Hoping that the two will now show their full genius without their mother breathing down their neck I can only hope that Mr. Weasley will soon find new love.  
I then look at the man, who has Amelia Bones sitting not far from him and his family and wonder if there could have been something between the two of them as Madam Bones' sense of justice quite equals Mr. Weasley's if her behavior to old Dumbles is anything to go by. Hoping the two will be happy together, I happily read on.

 _ **Ron obviously … to Hogwarts.**_

"I did want to call, Harry, but I was scared of your uncle and just couldn't think of a good excuse to tell your uncle. He after all pretended, just the year before, that you didn't exist and the things he told Ron only further proved he would lie about your presence. I just didn't know of a way I could explain to him that I knew you."  
My best friend tells me, her head down and I smile at her and say: "I fully understand, Hermione, and you're right. I didn't have any friends at school, which you must have guessed from Vernon's behavior and primary school would have been the only way you could have excused as to how you knew me."  
The girl smiles at me as Blaise wraps an arm around her and I smile at the tanned Slytherin who has proven to be quite the interesting lad if the conversations I've heard him have with Hermione over dinner are anything to go by. Glad that my intelligent friend found someone of the same intellect, I happily read on.

 _ **So Harry … the time.**_

"He should have never wanted to lock her up in the first place!" Fleur shouts angrily and then – to my shock – does my owl fly into the room. Everyone looks shocked and Angelina says: "I – I thought time had stopped outside the hall." I nod and Hedwig hoots indignantly before landing regally on my left shoulder.  
I laugh at her and say: "Nothing can stop you, can it girl? You're as stubborn as I am." This makes the owl hoot and then I see many of the teachers look at each other shocked while Hagrid rubs his beard in contemplation while looking at Hedwig and myself. Wondering what they could be contemplating, I shrug and read on.

 _ **Harry finished … tomorrow night...**_

"I don't encourage stalling work, Mr. Potter, but seeing your condition back then, I guess it's only reasonable, seeing the hours you have available." Flitwick says, but then the same thing happens as that has been happening silently since the subject choices were read about and the man is glared at by his other colleagues.  
I feel shocked that they are still mad at him for it and say: "At least that only lasted another week." But then the thought of the last night of that week makes me almost want to puke and clench my teeth and stomach together in an attempt to keep myself under control, my sudden white look enough to distract the teachers and I read on.

 _ **He replaced … his bed.**_

"Loose floorboards. Where would we be without them?" Fred asks and then I decide to cheer myself up a little and ask: "Hey, how many of you have one?" And almost half of every house raise their arms, making me smile and then Dennis asks: "Wait, at home or at Hogwarts?" I shrug and the boy smiles as I read on.

 _ **Then he … whole hour.**_

"Well, it's not really like your fifteenth or seventeenth birthday where you feel your magic stabilizing." McGonagall says and I ask: "Why fifteenth?" Before slapping a hand on my mouth, the chapter making me feel as if I'm eight years old again. This makes many of the people around me look at me worriedly.  
I take a deep breath and say: "I'm sorry, the chapter's just affecting me more than I thought." The woman nods and asks: "Would you like to let someone else read?" I shake my head, not wanting to miss out on this and say: "Just explain the whole fifteenth thing, please." My Head of House nods again and says:  
"There are three points in a wizard's life where his magic stabilizes. Eleven, when he gets his wand. Fifteen, when his talents can truly grow – which is also why we do Career Advice Days and O.W.L.s in fifth year and seventeen, when a wizard's magic has fully matured and when the Trace is taken off the wizard's wand."  
I feel confused as to the last, but then the magic of Hogwarts reaches me once again and, in my mind, I see one of the many books that Hogwarts gave me open and – somehow – mentally read about the Trace. Shocked at what it truly does to an underaged wizard's wand, I try not to look at mine and instead continue the story.

 _ **Yet another … his life.**_ _At first when he learned he was famous in the Magical World, he had thought this strange, but he had simply waved it off to the Dursleys stealing and destroying any mail meant for him as they had tried to do with the letter that, in the end, sent him to Hogwarts for his first year._ _ **The Dursleys … this one.**_ _Though after all the years of living with them, he had also learned to wish that they would simply forget it._

I shudder again and Ron asks: "They didn't, did they?" I shake my head and gather all my courage, just like I did when facing Riddle, as I say: "Let's just say that the day before my accident – was the day I stopped considering two of them as humans." The whole Great Hall turns white in shock and I suppress a shudder as I read on.

 _ **Harry walked … back soon.**_

The owl in question nips my ear softly, having not left my shoulder since she arrived, and I smile at her softly, not able to produce more than that as the distant memory of – I shudder again – that night keeps replaying itself in my mind and seems to get clearer every time and again. I shake my head, not wanting to remember, and read on.

 _ **She was … of lightning.**_

I then look on and gulp, whispering: "Viktor, would – would you mind?" But Viktor is already beside me and asks: "That woman?" I shake my head and whisper: "Halloween." The boy tenses behind me and then wraps his arm around me from the back, pulling me against his front and takes the book from my hands.

 _ **Viktor's POV**_

I had been prepared for the worst, but to have to see my beloved Harry, who I have grown to love more and more through the last three days where I saw him dreading the reading and where I tried valiantly to distract him, having to read about that terrible Halloween is something I can't accept, and so I read instead.

 _ **Of all … car crash.**_

"I still say the Aurors should have visited them along with Lockhart." McLaggen says loudly and I glare at him, knowing my love can't handle the memory of that terrible man together with whatever that woman will do to him. The Gryffindor cowers under my gaze and I sniff angrily at him before reading on.

 _ **They had … thirteenth birthday.**_

This makes Lupin howl softly in pained fear and Harry smiles at him as Sirius sits in his lap to calm him down and Harry looks at the book shortly, before taking it from me and kissing my cheek in thanks. I smile at him and whisper: "Just tell me when you need me." Harry nods and I go back to my seat next to the two men.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I couldn't feel more blessed with all Viktor is doing for me if I tried and I again look at the brown and green-colored wristband, something I have been doing since Viktor created it and I smile at it as it represents the depth of his feelings for me – feelings that are too strong to be changed or affected. And with that thought do I read on.

 _ **He scanned … Harry's direction.**_

"Already? We're only on the first chapter!" McLaggen says, but I smirk and say: "If you had let me read on, you would have known that shadowy shapes aren't always a threat." The elder Gryffindor glares at me, but I pay it no notice – something I learned from my years of fame – and instead of that do I turn back to the book.

 _ **He stood … Weasley family.**_

"And it really represents how worthless some people think the Weasleys." McLaggen laughs and I hold back on my anger as I spat: "Well McLaggen, if that's how you think of Errol, why don't you turn into an owl and try flying from here to Egypt and back." The boy holds silent, glaring at me, but ignore it again and read on.

 _ **Harry dashed … birthday card.**_

"That." Hermione says and she goes on: "Is just so wrong on so many levels, I just don't have words for it." Everyone nods and Sirius looks at me directly as he says: "You do understand that this means we'll be spoiling you for your next fourteen birthdays, don't you?" And everyone laughs as I turn red and say:  
"You – you really don't." But then Sirius says: "There is having to and there is wanting to. Those Muggle monsters _had to_ , we want to. You really have to learn the difference, kiddo." I smile at the man, feeling warm at the fact that he so openly wants to express his care for me and feeling slightly awkward by it, do I read on.

 _ **Fingers trembling … newspaper cutting.**_

"Thanks for that, by the way." Sirius then tells Arthur, who looks at him curiously and Sirius says: "Let's just say I needed some incentive to escape Azkaban." And Percy asks: "And us getting into the Daily Prophet was that incentive?" But Sirius shakes his head and says: "Just listen closely." And I happily read on.

 _ **The cutting … sister, Ginny.**_

"And right there, halfway through the sentence, was my incentive." Sirius says mysteriously and I have to snicker, wondering how much the man will be able to hold back about the story when suddenly the twins ask: "Wait a minute, didn't Scabbers get eaten by Crookshanks that year?" But I shake my head and Ron says:  
"No, Scabbers is just brilliant at faking his own death – just as brilliant as he is in faking a whole lot of other things." I know my best friend is furious at what was once his pet rat and know he will be feeling horrible every time the story will mention his defending of the rat and so read on, wanting to take his mind off his anger.

 _ **Harry couldn't … extremely poor.**_

"Not anymore!" Amelia Bones suddenly smirks and everyone looks at her shocked as she says: "After interrogating Dumbledore and arresting Lockhart, did I take the liberty of talking to the Prewetts and just for everything Molly did over the years were they willing to open at least two of their Vaults for the Weasley family."  
The Weasleys look shocked and Arthur says: "I – we – we couldn't." But then I say: "If they hadn't done that, I would." Arthur looks at me shocked and I say: "The Prewetts are more closely related to you, Mr. Weasley, they are the family of your ex-wife. It's only right that you accept what they offer you, whether it's money or something else."  
The man smiles at me and says: "Thank you, Harry, you're right. Amelia, thank you as well. I've always wanted to give my children everything they deserve, but Molly had a firm hold on our finances and I was too busy with my job to really notice what she was doing with it." The woman smiles at him and I read on.

 _ **He picked …**_ _ **have shouted.**_

"I really should have asked him more about the damn thing before I started using it." Ron grumbles and I ask: "Why didn't you?" And the man in question says: "I think Molly knew I would win the Lottery as she was ever so vigilant upon me that summer. Ron just didn't get the chance of a moment with me alone without her."  
I nod, hating the Prewet woman all the more and Ron and I share a glance as he had told me about the little thing he thought could help us get the woman arrested. Feeling terrible for not realizing the seriousness behind this little something myself when it occurred, I read on faster, wanting revenge on the woman more than anything.

 _ **It's brilliant … and stuff.**_ _I know Ginny doesn't like it being treated by mum the way she is, but after last year –._

The girl shudders and Luna, Hermione and Blaise quickly hug her, while I feel hurt but proud as her mental healing involved her rereading the chapters that involved her kidnap with Aunt Andromeda present to comfort her and Madam Pomfrey ready to give her Calming Draughts. Hoping Ginny will be alright, I read on.

 _ **I couldn't …**_ _ **school grounds.**_ _It was something he was very grateful for as he still didn't want to think of what Lockhart could have done had he used a good wand when he tried to erase Harry and Ron's memories at the end of last year._

This makes me and Naminé shudder and I ask: "You saw what he was planning, didn't you?" The girl nods and Kairi and Sora quickly go sit with her, while Xion sits with Draco and Roxas sits – slightly grudgingly – on Axel's lap. All of them sit near or next to Remus and Sirius and I smile at them all before reading on.

 _ **We'll be …**_ _ **particularly smug.**_

"I really believed the Badge would help me loosen the influence and pressure the woman was exerting on me. Boy, was I wrong." Percy mumbles and Mr. Weasley says: "Percy, if I had to choose a successor to help me take care of Ron, Ginny and the twins, I would have definitely chosen you, if only because of all you already did."  
The third eldest smiles at his father and I quickly look at Bill and Charlie, but the two seem perfectly alright with this, both of them smiling at their younger brother in pride and Bill says: "Dad's right, Percy. We only thought of ourselves and escaped her first chance we got. You hated her, yet stayed close to protect the family."  
Now Percy is as red as his own hair and I smile at the well-earned praises the third eldest Weasley is getting and then Sirius says: "And this is exactly why we want to accept you into the pack. You can take care of each other so well, we wouldn't know who else to trust our son with." And I nod in agreement before reading on.

 _ **He had …**_ _ **Bye - Ron.**_

Everyone laughs at this and Bill asks: "Why didn't I realize something like that?" And then Fred says: "Don't worry, they were the first of our candy-like prank-products." And George ends: "Chocolate Cockroaches. They look more like real cockroaches and have the same movement spell on them as Chocolate frogs."  
Everyone looks shocked at this and Fred asks: "What?" And George goes on: "It was just an experiment. To see if we could really make candy." And Neville asks: "So they're the predecessors of Canary Creams?" And the twins snicker as they chorus: "Exactly." My friend and brother smiles at them and I read on.

 _ **Harry put …**_ _ **at Customs? –**_

"Good thinking, Granger." Moody says and even I look shocked, having not seen him enter the Hall this morning and Moody seems to grumble at this, but then I look at my parents and – knowing that Remus will have more problems with his self-control the longer the chapter lasts, do I quickly turn back to the book and read on.

 _ **but then … wizarding world).**_

"Don't ask me why, but I'm getting the feeling that – in the books – you will grow to hate your prescription." Ron then says and Hermione asks: "How would you know what will happen in the books?" Ron shrugs and says: "It just still feels as if that is what will happen, even with Voldemort gone in this time."  
Hermione looks shocked and I say: "It could be that, because the spell is linked to my memories and because Ron could be a Seer, he is actually seeing what will happen in the books." The girl looks shocked and I say: "Trust me, I have evidence that Seers are real – and that they act weird." The girl nods and I read on.

 _ **Did you … were fascinating.**_

"We really did learn loads." Fred says and George goes on: "But mostly because Ron was the one insisting on it." This shocks Hermione and the twins chorus: "Why did you insist on it, little brother?" And Ron making a head motion for Ginny is enough for us all to understand his need for information and I smile at him as I read on.

 _ **There's some … about it.**_

"Why weren't you?" Percy asks and Ron answers: "It just really seemed as if you thought everything that woman believed in more important than all we had done together. It just seemed as if all those badges were making us lose our brother." Percy has thin pressed lips at this, but I know it's not from anger and he says:  
"Ron, you have to understand. Those Badges – to me they were an escape. Something that gave me the authority and right to decide for your futures, to do what that woman wanted to do. I knew her decisions were awful, so I felt as if those badges would help me undo all her terrible work. I – I just went about it the wrong way."  
Ron smiles at him and so do I as I see exactly who Percy Weasley is here and now. Then Fred says: "Yeah." And George ends: "You did." But the two smile at their brother and I sigh in relief silently as I think: "They'll get there. She's been ruining their lives for 26 years, but they'll get there." And with a smile do I read on.

 _ **Harry laughed … difficult spells**_ _– something he couldn't wait to start reading_ _ **– but it wasn't.**_

"Maybe such a book wouldn't have been such a bad idea, after all. I saw a lot of them, I just thought you were more like Ron and didn't like reading all that much." Hermione tells me and I laugh as I say: "Wow, I even fooled the smartest witch my age." Making the girl blush as some snicker, while others send me worried looks and I read on.

 _ **His heart … house teams.**_

"Some he apparently only mentally brags about, mind you." Hermione giggles and I shrug, having never really seen a point in bragging or whining about something as it just doesn't help you get anywhere. Whining won't make what you want happen and bragging will only make people hate your guts. I shake my head and read on.

 _ **One of … racing broom.**_

"Do you still have it?" Sora asks and I shake my head and say: "My – back then – unknown guardian gave me better when a storm caused me some emotional problems." Sora and Roxas shake their heads and Ron says: "Way to combine being vague with giving hints, mate." I smile, but then Viktor coughs and asks:  
"Ron, no offence, but don't you think that term a little inappropriate right now?" Ron looks confused and I say: "He means because of these." And I let Ron see the gorgeous band around my wrist. Ron whitens and says: "Sorry Viktor, I'm just used to that term. I'll try and think of a new one." Viktor nods, sends me a smile and I read on.

 _ **Harry put … Hogwarts gamekeeper.**_

"And he did it again!" Remus shouts and everyone looks at him as he says: "I agreed with Dumbles that Harry's 11th birthday was a wrong date for a 1st gift as he would be overwhelmed with the Wizarding world and that his 12th would be a wrong idea to as he must still be getting used, but nothing stopped me that year."  
Everyone looks at each other and Kingsley growls, making us turn to him as he says: "I know why." We all look at him and he says: "After I escorted Lockhart to a Minsterial Holding cell, did I pay a quick observational visit to the Dursley residence and there I found some wards that shocked me enough I had to take 2 days off."  
Everyone looks shocked and Kingsley says: "Remus, the reason Harry didn't receive your package was because Dumbledore had a very strict letter ward around the Dursley's residence allowing only letters from those Harry knew through. Therefore he only got the letters from Ron, Hermione and Hagrid, because he knew them."

Everyone is shocked silent and Remus asks: "So you did receive my gifts after this year?" But I shake my head and say: "Dumbles controlled the wards. He must have placed you under such a category in the wards that they didn't accept for the mail to come through, making me see you only as a teacher, a stranger who knew my father."  
Remus lowers his head and I walk over, having laid a napkin onto the pages in case the book closed and hug my dad – the thought of the name slightly less foreign – and whisper: "It's not your fault. Dumbles is powerful and stupid. He would have done this even if you hadn't agreed. He would have stopped you."

I then shudder and say: "He might have even killed you." Remus looks at me shocked and I say: "That man allowed for a teacher to have Voldemort's spirit grow out of the back of his head, for a the minister to arrest the Groundskeeper and for a self-centered pedophile to pretend to be teacher. And those were all strangers to him."  
I shudder again and say: "I just don't want to think what he would have done to you. Hades, after all, already proved that he would even sacrifice his own sister." Now Arianna shudders and Aberforth growls as he holds her tightly. Remus nods and says: "Good points, son. Dangerous, but good." I smile and head back to read on.  
Or at least I try, but then Remus stops me, growling in a clearly protective need to have me close and he growls: "But he will never get such a chance again. _No one_ will ever again get the chance to get between us. Pack for life, Pack forever." And I nod, trying to hold back on my tears at hearing this before I move back to the book.

 _ **He tore … had jaws.**_

Instantly all adults freeze up and I say: "Don't worry, it was on my books list." But then Mr. Weasley says: "Harry, seeing your last books list, I think we have all reason to worry." I tilt my head a little and then hum and say: "Good point." In such a simple way it makes many of the students laugh and Mr. Weasley smiles at me as I read on.

 _ **Harry froze … was dangerous.**_

The Half Giant looks shocked and I say: "Hagrid, let me put it this way. Your skin protects you from dangerous creatures like my hair covers my scar. It's not always covered and therefore vulnerable, your skin is strong, but when you replace it with ours, it becomes as vulnerable as my scar when exposed. You catch my drift?"  
The man nods and says: "Got it, Harry, remember scar when around skin." I look at him shocked and then mutter: "Whatever helps you teach, Hagrid." The man laughs and I smile, knowing he will be barely doing that this story. This makes me want to glare at my cousin, but I hold back, not believing he will understand and read on.

 _ **Hagrid had … a book.**_

Now almost everyone in my year and higher has to stifle a snicker as I hold silent, just to let the First and Second years – who have yet to have taken Care of Magical Creatures – digest this fact and then a small first year asks: "Is – is this like – like the diary?" But I shake my head with a warm smile and he sighs relieved as I read on.

 _ **Harry just … weird crab.**_

"You and your animal references, Harry. You are just too much." Ron laughs and I ask: "Well, what do you expect, with the zoo I grew up with." The redhead falls off his seat laughing at this, but I try not to show my actual fear as I remember, yet again, what two of those animals did to me. Suppressing the memories, I quickly read on.

 _ **"Uh oh … next door**_ _, Harry's stomach flipped for a scary second before he focused back on his task_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Hedwig and … than ever.**_

Hagrid is now scratching the back of his head and says: "I really thought people would understand that, because I teach Care of Magical Creatures, you have to treat your book as if it was a creature itself. It was to prepare them." I look at my good friend in shock and then a loud clunck is heard behind me.  
I look around and see Draco with his head on his golden plate as he asks: "How did I ever think that guy wrong to teach a Care of Magical Creatures class?" I quickly send an apologetic glance at his father and say: "You were convinced of your family's opinion." The boys sighs, but keeps quiet and I see Malfoy nod at me before I read on.

 _ **Now there … and read:**_

"Why does this one say what the letter says. The last book skipped that." A Second year Hufflepuff asks and I answer: "Third years are allowed into Hogsmeade, remember? The story just writes about the contents of the letter because Hogsmeade plays an important role in this story." The Hufflepuff nods at me and I read on.

 _ **Dear Mr. …**_ _ **the form?**_ _He personally hoped with a recap of chores, or perhaps with the same deal he had been able to make with his aunt before his First year, but after last summer did he doubt he could get his aunt to trust him that much again – no matter how brilliant his gardening or how deplorable her cooking.  
_ _ **He looked … to Hogwarts.**_ _The fact that his friends were abroad made the next month look even longer as he had silently hoped to be picked up by them again. But he cared for his friends too much to wish them not the best, wherever they were._ _ **Then he … birthday cards.**_ _They were proof – more than anything he had been through the last two years – that his friends were real and that they cared.  
_ _ **Extremely unusual … his birthday.**_

I smile, knowing it was only that night that I was happy and I gulp, asking: "Can – can we leave now?" Sora nods and Axel opens the portal as I quickly get my trunk out of the Antechamber. We all quickly assemble in the same groups as when we left for the Colosseum and I leave for Remus, Sirius, Viktor, Fleur, Cedric and their parents.  
We then all leave, Sirius and me walking close to Remus and Viktor and his parents walking behind the man, as a sign that his current and future family are with him. This seems very calming for the werewolf and then Sirius asks: "That feeling won't last long, will it?" I look at him as he looks at me over Remus' hunched shoulders and says:  
"The happiness over it being your birthday. It won't last long, will it?" I shake my head and say: "It lived till the end of breakfast." The man sighs and I say: "I really should have –." But then I shudder once again and Sirius looks at me worriedly. Not wanting my mom to be left in suspense, I look away and mutter:  
"Private Examination of the Full Physical." The man looks confused for a second, but then his eyes widen and he asks: "That – that's – now?" I nod and say: "She was there. Just – just wait, I – I just." But Sirius nods and while Lupin growls do we leave the other side of the portal and into a courtyard that is both amazing – and terrifying.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So I did a bit more editing than just on the start of the chapter. I also added a few bits to the reactions, took the part where Sora comments on how they should have let Harry fly during the break out, because he did that with Viktor and even added a few sentences to the CR content. All in all, I feel very accomplished.  
**_ _ **Hope you enjoy,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	59. To Use A Cane

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So, for the sake of 95% ensuring that this story won't get reported or taken down, did I decide to change the event that this entire chapter is centered about. I won't entirely delete it, but I will make it a little more – hard for the younger years to realize just how bad this event was. So expect a bit of a different wording of it all.  
**_ _ **Hope that works,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 58  
**_ _ **To Use A Cane**_

 _ **3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **of June 1994  
**_ _ **Castle Courtyard  
**_ _ **Beast's POV**_

I really don't like the villagers – or any kind of human, really – but Sora has helped me so many times and he was there when I lost Belle and got attacked by Riku. He even freed Belle's heart by releasing his own and destroying the Keyblade that held it. The least I can do is invite his interesting group of misfits into my castle.  
Belle also gave me the final push to convince me as she said I would one day have more humans walking around here anyway as she didn't plan on dying without being a mother. I still blush under my fur as I think about it, but then I look down at the portal and my eyes widen at the actual amount of people that leave it in groups.

At least sixty teenagers with black cloaks and green trims, over seventy with a red trim, somewhere between those numbers with a blue trim and at least another sixty with a yellow trim. Twenty students with thick coats and twenty with blue dresses and blonde hair walk into my Courtyard and look around – already expressing many emotions.  
I sigh and ask: "Tell me again why this was a good idea?" But then I sniff and realize the answer myself as a scent not that different from my own enters the courtyard and looking down again, I see a man with blonde hair, streaked with grey, and who is surrounded by three people, while his hunched shoulders prove his endurance.  
Amazed that, in that world, people can actually have an animal's scent that strong while being human, I couldn't be more happy to have agreed with Sora to have these guests over as this man might be my solution to finding, at least, a temporary cure to my curse. I smile down and have no idea that it will also be the other way around.

 _ **Remus' POV**_

Arriving at the slightly intimidating Courtyard, with the towering castle behind it, the gargoyles in the four corners of the circle paved onto the floor and the dead trees on both sides, I instantly sense something that makes it all that much harder to hold onto my inner wolf – the presence of a powerful Alpha Dominant.  
Sighing, sniffing and huffing to hold back, I feel Harry and Sirius looking at me and Sirius asks: "Are there any wild animals here?" And Sora answers: "Well, remember we called the host Beast?" Sirius nods and Sora points upwards. I look up and my eyes lock with the bright blue ones of the Alpha Dominant Moony sees as a threat.

Instantly the wolf takes over and I howl in challenge, unable to control Moony any longer as the wolf sees this beast as a threat to his, still, meager bond with Sirius and I know the werewolf would not have done this had Sirius and I been able to finish the week of Heat. Hating the timing more than ever, I try not to glare at the monster above me.  
Everyone is now looking at me in shock and Sirius says: "I – think we should keep the doors closed. Allow me." And he transforms, Padfoot walking in circles around my legs before wrapping his entire frame around my lower legs, his heavy body on my feet. I growl at him, but he just whines, obviously too comfortable to move.  
This seems to be exactly what Moony needs as he realizes that Sirius only feels comfortable with him and I grab him slightly roughly by his back, before turning us so that I have my front against his back and have my arms under his upper legs. Sirius transforms back and smiles at me, asking: "Better?" And I nod in relief.

 _ **Beast's POV**_

My eyes are wide and if I had any less dignity my mouth would be on the floor at what I just saw. The man with the hunched shoulders had looked me in the eyes and it was as if I was staring at myself when Xaldin had Belle; the eyes had become pure amber and the howl of an Alpha Dominant had escaped the man's throat.  
I had recognized the challenge – a challenge to try and take his mate – but the thought alone repulsed me and I had stayed where I was while Belle had come to stand next to me, wondering what was happening. And then – then – we had seen the man on the left of the amber-eyed man change into an actual dog, a big, black dog.  
My eyes are still wide as the man transforms back, but this transformation and the walking around the man's legs had apparently been what the amber-eyed man needed as the amber had changed back to amber brown and he had gone to lie with his front against the black-haired man's back, nodding when said man asked a question.

I then turn to Belle and say: "Let's get them settled. I really want to know how he just did that." Belle nods and says: "Maybe – it – it can help you as well." I wonder why she would hesitate with suggesting this and I nod, but then, as we leave her room, does she lie a hand on my arm and does she ask: "What was that about?"  
I look at her and she says: "That glare that amber-eyed man gave you and that strange howl he made. What was that about?" I sigh and say: "He must be some kind of Dominant male animal or something and I think his bond with that black-haired man is still new." Belle tilts her head, making her look cute and beautiful and I say:  
"Alpha Dominants, when mated to another animal feel very conscious of their bond in the first few weeks to months. So if another Alpha Dominant were to come across the first when the bond is still young, the first would instinctively assume that the second is there to try and steal the first's mate away from him."  
Belle looks shocked and I shrug as I say: "That's how it goes. The creature inside that man must be Alpha Dominant and me being Lord of this Castle must make me the same. It will probably end once I break the curse." Belle nods and we reach the front doors. I take a deep breath, knowing I won't receive a friendly entrance, and open the doors.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I worry for Remus as his Heat must be really affecting him, but to look at the master of this castle and to actually challenge him with a werewolf howl was something even I didn't see coming. Yet, the seeing of the master also prepared me for him coming out the front doors, which we can reach through a small set of stairs.  
The beast's fur is thick and brown and goes all over his body, his ears are a little darker brown and hang forward like horns – or the ears of a dog – and his blue eyes actually look darker thanks to the shadows cast on them. He wears a long purple cape with circular golden claps that is torn at some parts and a set of dark blue pants.  
I look at the animal shocked and while some students try to hold back screams, do I send a quick look at the twins, who only stand in front of Ron, but don't do anything else. They see me looking and I raise my eyebrows as a sign they have to act. They nod at me and turn back to the Beast as they huff and everyone looks at them  
They smirk at each other and chorus: "We've seen worse." And then George says: "Dementors." And Fred says: "The Dragons." And again they chorus: "That woman." And they shudder, while everyone else laughs and I see Beast relaxing, obviously relieved that the two broke the ice and I too smile at their brilliance as they wink at me.

Sora and Roxas then walk over to the man and Roxas says: "You really are something else." The Beast looks at him, his eyes slightly wary and he says: "I was there when the Heartless attacked your castle. Like that Infernal Engine. I just stayed until Xaldin started his plan. You really are something else, you know?"  
Now a raised eyebrow shows that Beast wants more information and Roxas shrugs as he says: "Just that if our base would be under attack, it would be me and Xion fighting the Heartless while our leader would continue to put us on missions. You risked your life and health to protect those under you. That's something else."  
The Beast – and the amazing woman I see standing behind him, smile at the blonde and I whisper at Riku: "Is she friend or foe?" And Riku whispers back: "Friend. When she was caught and his world was lost to Darkness, Beast was able to use his love for her to get to Hollow Bastion without even using a vehicle."

I look impressed and then Beast steps aside and says: "Please, come in. The Ballroom at the back will help you for the reading and the rooms here in the Main Entrance Hall lead to as many dormitories as you need." The woman smiles at him and Professor Sprout this times takes charge as she walks over and bows, saying:  
"Thank you for opening your doors for us. Be assured that our students are well-raised and will never violate the rules set up by hosts of any foreign places. We are a prestigious school and honor ourselves on our loyalty, courage, ambition and wisdom. We promise to use these traits to make our stay here as comfortable as possible – for you."  
The Beast smiles at the end of this speech and bows back, even going so far as to raise his cloak as he does so and the woman, wearing a beautiful yellow-golden ballgown, raises the upper layer of her skirt as she follows his example. Professor Sprout then motions us all and in perfect order of Houses do we enter the castle.

 _ **Belle's POV**_

I had really expected for these magic users to start cursing my precious Beast, but the groups have enough respect for the Beast to not attack him on his own land and then the twin redheads had made it so much easier for everyone around them to accept the looks of the Beast – although their way was a little unexpected.  
I still had to stifle a snicker at it nonetheless, while worried that people of their age faced something looking scarier than someone who is supposed to look like a Monstrous Beast and I bow to the small, gruff looking woman with dirt covering almost her entire brown dress and lead them all into the Ball Room at the end of the ball.

Sora looks around with a happy smile, while the rest of the six groups look around amazed, but then I notice how the black-haired boy who is with the black-haired man and the Alpha Dominant is looking at said Dominant in worry and then this is proven valid as the Alpha roughly grabs the black-haired man's arm and asks:  
"You – eugh, grrrrr – you had a – a room – grrr – ready for us?" To which Beast strangely enough asks: "Is either of you in Heat?" And the Alpha growls: "I am." The Beast nods, while I wonder what _in Heat_ means and he says: "Head for the West Wing. Take this staircase, then follow the path to a staircase on your right.  
Take it, follow it to the one on the left, enter the doors and then instantly turn right again. There is a small hidden door under the staircase, leading to the rooms of my parents. They have been empty since I was seven, they are luxurious and sound proof. My servants will make you want for nothing during your Heat."  
The man nods and leaves, while I am shocked that Beast allows them a room that close to his own – to his rose, but then he stops the two and asks: "What animal are you?" And both of us are shocked silent as he growls: "Werewolf." Before he almost drags the Dog-man up the last few stairs and vanishes down the West Wing.

I then look at the groups behind me and the black-haired boy says: "Don't worry, if there was ever a werewolf afraid of his own inner animal, it's that one. That guy even wanted to push his own mate away his entire life. Lasted from his sixteenth birthday to about a week ago." And he snickers at the end of the explanation.  
Yet the explanation confuses me and I say: "He sure doesn't look scared of being what he is." But apparently I said something wrong as a glare of death is send my way and I almost fear for my pure heart again as the boy spats: "Who, not what. Being a werewolf does not take my father his right to be a person, never will."  
I nod, while shocked at the deadly serious tone in the boy's voice and he spats: "And no, it was an adoption, I am not a werewolf. I was never bitten and I never will be." I look confused, but then – from the corner of my eye – see Beast relax a little more than I did and realize he must have feared this, which makes me smile.

I then lead them into the Ball Room and three of the groups instantly head for the upper balcony surrounding most of the egg-shaped room while some of the heavy-dressed kids and the elder years of the green, red, blue and yellow trimmed students lean against the poles holding up the upper balcony and the rest all assemble around me.  
I smile at them, but then one at the entrance screams and I see Lumiere, the golden candlestick with three candles, of which two he uses for hands, walk into the room. The girl scurries back and a friend next to her says: "Oh come on, we live in a castle with moving staircases and living portraits." To which the girl retorts:  
"I know, but the staircases don't have faces and he just spooked me." The girl next to her sighs with her eyes aimed at the ceiling and says: "No offence to this place, but with the courtyard's decorations and the – again, no offence – looks of the owner of this place, shouldn't you have expected something like this?"  
The girl nods and then the heavily French accent of my good friend sounds as the candlestick says: "Forgive me, mademoiselle, I did not mean to scare you. My friends and I are just so happy to have so many guests. I promise in name of all staff you will want for nothing." And he hops over to where I'm standing, bowing to the girl beforehand.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I settle myself near one of the poles holding up the upper balcony on the southwest of the room and while Viktor leans against it and Ron and Hermione join me together with Mss. Crenson and Erica, do I know that the next chapter will be nothing if not a hellish nightmare I just don't want to re-experience anymore.  
I had picked up the Dreamless Sleep Potion when we had left the Great Hall for this amazing castle and I have to admit that this entire room is quite in contrast with the rest of what I have seen so far, not that this is in anyway a bad thing. I then take a deep breath and stand up, causing for the chatter on the ground floor to settle.  
This seems to draw the attention of everyone chattering upstairs and they all lean over the balustrade to look down. When I know I have even their attention, I take another deep breath and say: "Professor Snape has given me this Dreamless Sleep potion, as this summer, Vernon and his sister did something I just don't want to re-experience.  
I was willing to read last chapter because it had nothing to do with them and was even a chapter I am very fond of, even if Dumbles kept my father from sending me a gift for my birthday. I will now take the potion and hopefully sleep through the chapter. For those curious as to what I hate of this chapter, I can only say this: **to use a cane."  
** And with that do I sit back down and pull the bottle out of my inner robe pocket. Everyone is still looking at me and I detect worry and concern in the eyes of Belle and the Beast as the first has her hands over her heart. I smile at them both and then drink the substance, blessing the darkness that befalls me seconds later.

 _ **Belle's POV**_

"What on earth did this Vernon person do that that poor boy fears hearing about it. No one should fear reading a book. I have to know." I think strongly, my heart reaching out to the poor sleeping boy and I look around, trying to find the book in question. Seeing it lying on top of a stack, I walk over and ask: "Can I read?"  
Beast now smiles at me, as if having expected me to do so and I smile back as he and I both know how much I love reading, the Beast having gone along so far he even allowed me my own library. Smiling at the many memories of me reading the most amazing books to him, I smile at him and then take the book the squat little woman offers me.

I walk back to where I was standing and suddenly see a large, fluffy carpet lying there. Wondering how that got there, I see more and more appear under the students and then see several of the elder adults waving amazingly strange wooden sticks around. Shocked at their amazing magical powers I smile at them and sit down.  
I then ask: "At what chapter are you?" And the girl sitting next to the sleeping boy says: "We just started the book. Harry just read the first chapter before we moved here." I nod, shocked that only the second chapter alone can be enough to scare a young man, while happy to know one of these people's names and start reading.

 _ **Aunt Marge's Big Mistake**_

Shockingly enough is this alone to make the poor boy shudder in his sleep and then a boy with the red trim and who seems to be at least a year older than Harry says: "I might think it pathetic that Potter won't read an entire chapter over something that involves a cane, but if he shudders over a name, you know it's bad news."  
And everyone nods. I look around and the girl sitting with Harry says: "There used to be this man named Voldemort, but he was so dark and so powerful, everyone called him You-Know-Who. Harry never feared saying his real name – or made up name, really – so if Harry fears someone's name when he doesn't even fear Voldemort."  
I nod and look at the young boy, who now rests on the girl's lap and that of her redheaded friend and she says: "Hermione Granger. This is Ron Weasley and over there is Harry's mate Viktor Krum." I nod, happy that the girl must be realizing that I know no one here and then spare one last glance at Harry before reading on.

 _ **Harry went … living room.**_

"Is he serious?" A tanned boy with green trim asks and the blonde boy with same trim who sits close to him asks: "How big were those rooms? Great Hall size?" But Ron shakes his head and says: "About half the size of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom. Both together make that classroom." The blonde looks shocked and asks:  
"How do you know?" And Ron answers: "We picked Harry up last summer." And again the boy shudders in his sleep, making the two he's lying on look down and the redhead says: "During which another terrible thing apparently happened. Guess we'll be needing Dreamless Sleep Potion again for next book." Hermione nods and I read on.

 _ **Dudley had … ate continually.**_

Now a woman with brown hair and brown eyes that have dark green specks in them shudders and mutters: "And I thought he was repulsive when he was in my class." She shudders again and one of the red head twins sitting in the group of the students with a red trim on their black cloaks turns to her and asks:  
"Would it help." And the other goes on, shocking me: "If we told you." And they chorus: "That's he's on a diet?" The woman looks shocked, while I feel slightly confused as to who of the two is who and she asks: "He is?" The twins nod and chorus: "Harry wrote us about it. He's one unhappy apple." The woman laughs and I read on.

 _ **Harry sat … to care.**_

"They don't even recognize his presence?" I ask shocked and Hermione nods saying: "They did the same the summer before his first year, this is his third. They did the same most of last summer too, but then an accident happened." I look confused and ask: "What accident?" But the girl keeps her mouth shut and I read on.

 _ **He helped … escaped convict.**_

"And here things go to hell." Ron moans and I ask: "Already, in the second chapter?" Ron nods and says: "Let's just say that this book is, emotionally and concerning Harry's past, the hardest year he ever had to face." This makes me send a worried glance at the sleeping boy and Beast comes to sit next to me as I read on.

 _ **"...the public … right now!"**_

"Aaaah, almost right, but not quite." Ron laughs and an elder redhead asks: "Wait, Sirius had been there?" Ron nods and says: "According to a letter we received at the end of the year, did Sirius visit Harry when – well, the chapter's pretty much dedicated to that event." The elder redhead nods, looking shocked and I read on.

 _ **Aunt Petunia … these people?"**_

"Excuse me?" A woman with a monocle in her eye asks shocked and the same pale looking boy as before says: "Not even Crabbe and Goyle are that cruel. That's Dark Lord level cruel." I look at him in confusion and he says: "Another title for Voldemort. And I'm Draco Malfoy, Harry's cousin." I nod at the blonde and read on.

 _ **"Very true … at ten."**_

Again Harry shudders and Hermione asks: "Might it be better if we move him somewhere else?" And to my delight does Beast walk over and does he cradle Harry as if he's an infant, Harry curling up in Beast's fur and grabbing the fur on his chest with a sleepy hand. The Beast then moves back to me and I read on.

 _ **Harry, whose … his life**_ _, something she had never deserved_ _ **. Aunt Marge … Harry's mind.**_

"And that's pretty bad for someone with a near photographic memory." Hermione says, looking at Beast worriedly and I know she fears for her friend, but Harry hasn't shuddered at all since Beast has sat down next to me and I send her a reassuring smile before smiling lovingly at Beast and the person in his care. After this I read on.

 _ **At Dudley's … Dudley's eyes.  
**_ _And the last and worst of it all was that Marge had been the one to introduce Uncle Vernon to Finar, letting the man take her place at the Dursley residence for the week she had been supposed to be staying. The end of that week had been Harry's birthday and the horrible "Butt gift" had come into play._

"Horrible butt gift?" I ask confused and while anger and a need to protect are apparent in her voice does Hermione answer: "Finar is a right out pedophile. He convinced Harry's supposed uncle to do all kinds of things that, if not for Harry's incredible magic, would have taken him his virginity even at that tender age."  
I look absolutely horrified and then suddenly Ron gasps and says: "Hermione, if Marge introduced Finar to Vernon and Marge will be around Vernon and a near adult Harry –." Instantly almost everyone around us realizes what that sentence would end with and we all look at the young boy in Beast's arms horrified.

 _ **Beast's POV**_

"A string of balls? In a little boy's ass? Even I wasn't that cruel when I believed myself perfect and believed that outer beauty was all that mattered. What on earth did those two do to – this – this – this young angel?" I mentally ask, the young child in my arms the only thing keeping me from roaring out in pure rage and need for revenge.  
Soft black hair falling down the side of a pale white face with dark black eyelashes lying high on a pair of very thin cheekbones and a small hand softly holding onto my fur while thin legs slightly press into my side as they are curled up against a famished body. Young Harry looks like a defenseless infant as he lies in my arms.  
"I won't let them hurt him." I growl softly, not wanting to wake the little boy and Belle nods with me, making me know that, as Princess Pure of Heart, she must be very determined to protect whatever little bit of light is left in this poor child. Smiling at the woman of my dreams, I feel my heart swell with my love for her.

We smile at each other and I once again bless Sora for all his help. Getting me back on my feet when Riku had beaten me. Helping me reach Belle. Letting me come to my senses regarding her loyalty for me. Helping me protect her against Xaldin and fighting alongside me after she had rescued herself and the Rose from his grip.  
Hating myself still for thinking the Rose more important than my beautiful Belle I still bless her every day as her decision to stay was apparently enough for the Rose to stop wilting and for a new crown of petals to bloom. Knowing I have been given a little more time with my love in my – now – familiar form, I smile at the girl of my dreams.

 _ **Belle's POV**_

"I won't let them hurt him." Beast growls and I nod, determined to help him with that, quite like how I was determined to protect the Rose against Xaldin when he held me captive and wanted to force the Beast to choose. Loving how my father had taught me how to fight dirty, I smile as I remember the hook I gave the man.  
It was a right out mean one and I know it gave Beast, Sora and Donald a head start, not that it really mattered as in the end the Nobody had been defeated, Beast had come back on his earlier demand of me leaving and we had had our Ball, even if it had been in the Courtyard. I smile at the memory of that romantic night and read on.

 _ **"Marge'll be … of entertainment.**_ _Harry tried not to show his fear as Marge was more unpredictable than the Accromantula's he had faced a few months prior._

"Don't remind me." Ron moans and I ask: "Accromantula's?" And the redhead answers: "Spiders the size of Beast." Shocking me senseless as I ask: "And Harry faced those?" Ron nods and says: "Me too, although I was asleep when we read about it. Just like Harry wanted to be asleep now." I nod at him, look at Harry and read on.

 _ **"Firstly," growled … gritted teeth**_ _, trying to imagine Marge to be Snape as that would make the coming few days a little more bearable – and raised his self-confidence as well_ _ **.**_

"Only better. If that woman scares Potter enough he needs a Dreamless Sleep Potion, then I don't mind being compared to her if it helps Potter face her." One of the guides, who I now know is named Snape, sneers and the woman next to him says: "I'm just glad he has something to draw courage from." I nod and read on.

 _ **"And thirdly … Criminal Boys."**_

"EXCUSE ME!" Is heard through the entire hall and Hermione shouts: "If there is one boy who would never belong there it's Harry!" And Ron shouts: "Incurable Criminal Boys? Ever looked at that pig of a son of yours?" But then Beast shouts: "QUIET!" And his thunderous voice shocks and scares everyone silent as he says:  
"You'll wake Harry." But then a woman with a white apron and a white nurse hat on smiles and says: "No, no, sir, we won't. Dreamless Sleep allows for people who take it to sleep without dreams and therefore undisturbed. But, if you really want to be sure." And from the pocket of her apron does she grab two things.  
One of them is one of those weird magical sticks and the other is a small version of a sleeping bag. She uses her wand to float the sleeping bag over to Beast and then waves her wand again, enlarging the sleeping bag as she says: "Harry's adopted father charmed this sleeping bag with a Soundproof spell. No sound will penetrate it."  
Beast nods and carefully, as if Harry is only an infant, lies the boy in the sleeping bag, before carrying him back over to his friends. I see the burly build boy with thick robe sliding down his balustrade and sitting cross-legged, allowing for Beast to lie Harry's head on his lap before he walks back to me and I continue the reading.

 _ **"What?" Harry … old socks**_ _and the string of balls he had given him on his eight birthday_ _ **.**_

"Does he still have it?" I suddenly ask and Hermione shakes her head as she says: "Remus and Sirius – Harry's adoptive parents – burned it after reading about it in the first book." I nod, feeling relieved and then look at the boy, not wanting to think what other sexual trauma he must have faced. Shaking my head I quickly read on.

 _ **"Well, Petunia … sudden idea.**_

"Good or bad?" I ask and Hermione answers: "Most of Harry's plans are pretty bad, unless he's in a life-threatening situation. Then he thinks on his feet and his plans are brilliant. I'm not sure of this one though." I nod at her and ask: "Life-threatening situations?" But the girl answers: "End of the book." And I read on.

 _ **Abandoning his … St. Whatsits..."**_

Now I stop to the hoots of those in black robes with green trims and hear Draco Malfoy say: "There's his Slytherin side again. Ambitious and very, very cunning." He then tilts his head and asks: "So why didn't it work? Something like this surely should have worked." I wonder the same and quickly continue reading.

 _ **"St. Brutus's … purple face**_ _as it was quite like the face a sick Filch drew and after seeing a frantic Filch, a sick Filch or a purple faced Uncle Vernon no longer scared him_ _ **. "It's a … fist raised.**_

"DAMN YOU, ALBUS!" An old man with long white hair and beard suddenly shouts and when we all look at him, does he bow to me and say: "Aberforth Dumbledore, the ex-headmaster of Harry's school is my brother." I nod, pleased to get to know more and more people here and then the man turns angry again and growls:  
"And that Overcooked Lemon Drop knows perfectly darn well what happens if you try and hurt a witch or wizard physically." And with that does he draw a young woman with long blonde hair closer to him, but the girl, shockingly enough, has the same eyes as him and I wonder if this could be his daughter as I read on.

 _ **But Harry stood his ground.**_ _He had faced the very monster that killed his parents, so facing a bastard who only knew how to use his fists was no longer something that concerned Harry. Ever since he had learned he had magic, he had realized that his magic had been healing his injuries for years, so now he felt confident that this threat wouldn't have any lasting effects._

Reading this horrifies me and then I notice a stern looking woman with her hair done up in a bun shake her head as she says: "Knowing his magic would heal his injuries should have never made him believe he could do this." To which the plumb woman says: "He never should have had to rely on his magic to heal him in the first place."  
At this the other woman nods and I again look at the boy they are talking about, wondering if all that instinctual use of magic is what caused the boy to look so underfed and weak. And while asleep in his sleeping bag, the sweet, poor boy looks even smaller and younger than he already is, making me read on with my heart in my throat.

 _ **"Knocking the … the line**_ _, followed all my and her orders_ _ **and kept … ruddy form."**_

"Why do I not like the sound of that acceptance?" The tanned Slytherin asks and Hermione answers: "Because of the _all of my and her orders_ part, I presume. It will allow sick minds like those of Marge and Vernon to do whatever they want, knowing Harry is too determined to get that signed slip to refuse the orders. Damn monsters."  
The tanned Slytherin nods and then moves from his own group of green-trimmed, black-cloaked students over to where Hermione, Ron and the burly student are sitting. He pulls Hermione closer and gives me a greeting with two fingers touching his temple as he says: "I'm Blaise, Blaise Zabini." I nod at him and read on.

 _ **He wheeled … fell out**_ _, which Harry smiled at as that window had actually been opened and he had seen a neighbor that had never sided with either Vernon or Harry and could therefore be considered a neutral witness standing outside the front porch_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Harry didn't return to the kitchen.**_ _Though he hadn't shown it, he had been worried he would get beaten before Vernon would leave and he took this chance to leave this event unharmed for what it was.  
_ _ **He went … Harry sighed**_ _not just because he hated waking the two up, but because he hated the thought of being without the one being that cared for him_ _ **, then poked … were reproachful**_ _proving she knew what could happen and that she didn't like leaving him to himself_ _ **, "it's not … her leg**_ _and had pruned Harry's hair the entire time to prove how much she worried for him_ _ **) soared out … thoroughly miserable**_ _but trying to push that feeling away with the expectation of visiting Hogsmeade village_ _ **, put the … the wardrobe**_ _, throwing a bunch of Dudley's old garb over it in such a way, it looked like a laundry basket_ _ **.**_

And while the owl in question had actually landed upon one of the gargoyles upon arriving through the portal, does she now fly into the ballroom through the large open doors leading to the balcony. She lands on the sleeping bag's rim and starts hooting a tune that sounds so deeply concerned, I just know what I will read will be horrible.  
Then the matron like woman stands up and says: "I'm truly sorry to say this, but considering all the facts that we now have, I must do my duty as matron of Hogwarts. All those who have never heard of or lived through a sexual experience, please come over immediately. You will be given a Dreamless Sleep potion of your own.  
And _no_ , the mentioning of Finar and his work on Mr. Potter doesn't count." The woman then sternly says and a good quarter of the students with the black robes all come to her, either from the ballroom itself or the indoor balcony. They each take a bottle of their own and then move back to where they had been as I read on.

 _ **But Harry … the hall.**_

"Do something about yourself and your son." One of the twins says and the other goes on: "No wait, lost cause." Making everyone laugh as the two bow and chorus: "These jokes and pranks are delivered to you by Fred and George Weasley of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. Have a fun reading." I laugh at their antics and read on.

 _ **Harry couldn't … would be.**_ _And the happier she was, the less he had to fear her ways of punishments, of which most came straight from Finar himself.  
_ _ **All too … at Harry.**_

"Does she ever let herself or her son do anything?" I ask, shocked at how this boy has been treated so far and one of the twins says: "Sure." Shocking me and quite a few around me, until the other one says: "Whenever Harry's not there, that is." And they chorus: "Then they have no choice." I sigh and shake my head as I read on.

 _ **A feeling … as his.**_

"And that's a woman?" I ask, feeling repulsed and, for some reason, getting an image of a female Gaston in my mind, which makes me shudder all the more before one of the twins says: "Just imagine, if this is how those two look." And the other asks: "What will their mother be like?" Everyone shudders at this and I read on.

 _ **In one … evil-tempered bulldog**_ _, one that almost made Harry wish he was a cats-person instead of a dogs-person_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Where's my … many chins.**_

"How many exactly?" I ask, repulsed but curious and one of the twins says: "We tried to count them next summer." And the other answers: "But he kept moving them as he kept trying to run away from us." We all laugh and I ask: "Why did he run away?" But this gets everyone – except the more serious teachers – to burst out laughing.  
I look around and an enormous man – the size of Beast and who has the same wild beard as Beast's fur says: "I was still loyal to Aberforth's brother and the elder Dursley insulted him in front of me, so I gave his son a pig's tail. Not my best work as I should have punished Dursley senior, but – but I – I felt that –."  
But that's as far as the guy gets and he bursts out laughing again as I imagine a teenage Gaston with a pig's tail. The image makes me laugh and feel relieved for the man's death at the same time. I then lower the book and think back to that day, only a few months after Beast and I had our ball in the Courtyard upfront.

 **!Flashback!**

 **Beast had allowed me a vision of my father and I had seen him wandering the Forest while deadly ill. Beast had let me go to save him and I had promised that I would return the minute I had my father convinced that Beast was a good person. I had then left and had returned home with my father.  
** **It had taken him a few days to get better, but by the time he was well enough to open his eyes and speak for a few minutes did Gaston rally up the citizens in an attempt to force me into marrying him, less I lose my father to the Mad House. I had refused and had told Gaston he was a monster.**

 **I had then showed the villagers the Beast with the mirror he had given me as a way of communicating, so that I could keep him updated on how my father was doing, but the separation of me and him had apparently caused the Beast to be in a fit of rage when I called him and it had scared the villagers.  
** **Gaston had taken advantage of this and had locked my father and me in the basement as he gathered all the men from the village, stole my mirror and used it to reach Beast's Castle. I had been lucky that Chip had secretly come along with me as he had used one of my father's inventions to free us.**

 **We had then left on Phillipe for the Castle and there we found Beast, lying on one of the turrets and about to be killed by Gaston holding up the arm of a gargoyle. I had shouted at the man not to do it and my return had brought new life into Beast, who had fought Gaston as I entered the castle, running up the many stairs.  
** **I had reached a balcony a few floors higher than Beast and had seen him holding Gaston by his throat above the edge of a roof. To my great pride and relief had the Beast released Gaston and told him to move, but when he turned around to face me, had he done so with such speed it made Gaston trip.  
** **Beast had tried to grab the man's arms, but Gaston had still been in a fit of panic and in his need to get away from Beast had he side-stepped straight off the tower falling into the ravine on the south-east side of the castle. That had been the last the villagers and I had ever seen of that god-awful man and his arrogant ways.**

 **!Flashback!**

I shake my head, having no reason whatsoever to think of that man ever again and then Beast asks: "Everything alright?" I nod and whisper: "Just thinking of that night where you proved you were the better man than Gaston." The Beast nods and wraps a comforting arm around my waist, pulling me closer as I read on.

 _ **Aunt Marge … fat fist.**_

"And I thought their behavior in the first book was bad." One of the guides moans and another, this one small and with a long white beard says: "Not letting them learn anything by giving them the answers and letting others do their homework is one thing, but being paid to show affection?" Everyone nods and I read on.

 _ **"Petunia!" shouted … a hat-stand**_ _, which Harry didn't mind one bit as he'd rather be ignored by her all week than to have her attention on him for even a second_ _ **.**_

"How do you know when someone doesn't like you?" One of the twins asks and the other goes on: "When even a second of attention disgusts that person." And they each shake their heads, saying: "Sad, it's just sad." Making me wonder if I should laugh at their antics or if they really feel for Harry this time and thus I keep on reading.

 _ **Aunt Marge … he could.**_ _He may have to hide his Slytherin cunning and self-preserving nature from his friends and those seeing him for a hero, but neither group concerned the Dursleys, so to him, Privet Drive was free game._

"This really isn't going to be a good chapter, is it?" A young girl with pigtails asks and those around her shake their head as I wonder how such a depressing chapter could be the start of the book. I then look at Beast and whisper: "I've never seen a book with such a depressing start." The Beast nods and sits a little closer as I read on.

 _ **By the … the corner.**_ _Harry instantly became worried as he knew that Aunt Petunia always put a touch of wine or whiskey in her fruitcake whenever Marge visited and a Drunk Marge was the worst Marge of them all. After all, Marge and Finar had met over a wine-tasting event back years before Harry was even born and had been friends ever since.  
_ _ **Harry saw … hated animals.**_

"How could she? She's married to a whale and gave birth to a pig." One of the twins says and then the other goes on: "Speaking of which, how on earth did someone that big get out of someone that bony?" Everyone shudders and a redhead with rimmed glasses spats: "Guys, too much information, alright!" The twins nod and I read on.

 _ **"Who's looking … first time**_ _and Harry again cursed the retched dog_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"So!" she … said Harry**_ _, holding back on telling her how much he would rather be somewhere else as that would break his deal with Uncle Vernon_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Don't you … keep you.**_

"Keep him? He was supposed to be Petunia's nephew by blood. They shouldn't have just _kept_ him, they should have shown him some bloody love." The small man with long white beard shouts, but then the giant man says: "Be glad they didn't. Made Harry who he is today. He would have been Dudley's clone had they loved him."  
Everyone shudders and Hermione says: "It's like they say. Harry turning out the way he did by cause of their bad treatment of him is a blessing in disguise." Everyone nods as what seems to be the father of the redheads says: "On the other hand am I pretty confident that Harry would still be Harry if he had been lovingly raised somewhere else."

"That's true, Arthur." A stern looking woman who had been one of the guides says and she goes on: "But then one aspect of Harry's personality would not have evolved as much as it has; his belief that other people's lives are worth more than his. He would have had people who really cared for him then and would have valued his own life, for them."  
The redhaired man nods and the man named Aberforth grumbles: "Damn you, Albus. You and your manipulative idiotic ways." To this the young girl lies herself in his lap and the man clings to her, making me wonder if he almost lost her to this Albus person. Wanting to know more and wanting to relief the tension of the room, do I read on.

 _ **Wouldn't have … my doorstep.**_ _And that's if I'd even considered you worth the effort of getting in my car, you waste of space._ _ **"  
**_ _ **Harry was bursting to say that**_ _her very being was a waste of existence and that_ _ **he'd rather … haven't improved**_ _your disgusting ways_ _ **since I last saw you.**_

"And neither have you, apparently." One of the twins spats and the other goes on: "Yeah, the only difference between Harry and you is you never change and will never be loved. Harry might not have changed, but he doesn't need to change either to be loved." And the two smile at the boy in the sleeping bag before I read on.

 _ **I hoped … hopeless cases."**_

"So then why is your son still attending Smeltings?" The young redhaired girl spats and then the woman with the monocle says: "Mss. Weasley, that is an excellent punishment. I will be sure to push that forward once we have those Dursleys in custody." The girl smiles, but then the rimmed-glassed boy asks:  
"You don't have them in custody yet?" The woman shakes her head and says: "I have twelve Aurors and two Unspeakables stationed around their house and Grunnings, but Cornelius and I agreed that we should combine all that we read in these books with all that those fourteen members collect as evidence and then arrest them."  
The rim-glassed redhead nods and a redhead with a lot of scars and burn marks on his arms asks: "So, do they have something yet?" The woman nods and says: "Yes, but only enough for a small sentence. Seems those Muggles really only hate and abuse those of magical blood." This makes the redheads growl and I read on.

 _ **PS. If I wrote in another chapter that the Dursleys had actually been arrested, please let me know and I will edit this section. Thanks in advance.**_

 _ **"I see … thing properly**_ _in the vane hope it would keep her off his back_ _ **, he added … deserve it.**_

"You, your brother and that disgusting Finar are people who deserve a hitting, not Harry!" Hermione shouts furiously and I look at Harry worriedly, but the boy sleeps on, his head tilted to the side and his eyes closed peacefully. Amazed at how well the sleeping bag keeps sound away from the boy's ears, do I calmly read on.

 _ **A good … said Harry**_ _thinking back to every time Vernon would do so in his youth_ _ **, "loads of … boy's case."**_

This monologue is almost enough to make me wish Gaston was still around and then suddenly Beast stands up and only then do I realize how tense the creature's muscles have become. He growls softly and leaves for the balcony, the students jumping back as he walks past them. He then throws the doors closed and everyone looks shocked.  
I sigh and say: "Well, I was kind of expecting such a reaction sooner or later." Everyone looks at me and I say: "You have to understand, under that amazing, monstrous look is a really good and loving heart and just by how he treated Harry earlier can you tell that he has taken him into his heart. To hear such things being said about him, then."  
Everyone nods and Ron says: "Trust me, we all feel the same, but we've been hearing such comments thrown at Harry over the last two books, so – as much as we hate it – are we kind of used to it." I nod and look down as I say: "Lumiere, head for the balcony and keep the doors closed until Beast is calm enough to read on, okay?"  
The Candlestick nods and hops over to the room, some students still looking at him weirdly, which makes me hold back a laugh as I have been in this castle for so long now that I am more than used to people like Lumiere. Still, looking around the room makes me know I will see things I have never seen before and with that do I read on.

 _ **Perhaps Uncle … to do.**_ _He had no friends to worry about at Privet Drive, so his own safety and health became his main priority right quick._ _ **Aunt Marge … his improvement.**_

"That family really never heard of the saying **look at yourself first before you judge someone else**." Hermione snarls and Ron asks: "Is that a Muggle saying?" Hermione nods and a pudgy man with green bowler hat on says: "That sure is a saying we of the Magical World can use." And those sitting around him nod before I read on.

 _ **She delighted … present too**_ _, not that Harry even wanted a single thing from her as he still remembered her last suggested gift only too well – the string once again stuck in his ass_ _ **.  
**_ _ **She also … unsatisfactory person**_ _, but Harry had hardened against this thanks to the same treatment given to him by Professor Snape for ten months a year, two years in a row_ _ **.**_

The man named Snape hits himself on the head and says: "At least it had some profitable results, even if I'm not longer proud of it." But then a groggy voice asks: "Where are we?" And I see Harry pushing himself out of his sleeping bag. Everyone looks shocked and Hermione whimpers: "Harry, what – what are you doing awake?"  
Harry shrugs and says: "I took my own Dreamless Sleep Potion, you know how weak those things are." The girl sighs and Harry looks at me and asks: "Where are we? And where is Beast?" I motion with my head for the balcony and then look at the book before saying: "We just reached the third day of Marge's stay."  
This makes Harry blanch and he asks: "We're not on the last yet?" I shake my head and he says: "I'll wait outside. Just tell me when we reached the last night, alright?" And before anyone can stop him, has he left through the large doors into the hall. Wondering what happened in these next few days we'll read about, do I read on.

 _ **"You mustn't … say anything.**_ _Think of your health._ _ **Don't rise … the pup –"**_

Now a roar quite like Lupin's sounds through the hall before the glass doors to the balcony are thrown closed again and we all look at them in shock as Beast jumps over the balcony balustrade and obviously flees for the woods to fight with wolves, like he often these days does to release pent up tension or anger.  
Feeling for my beloved, I look from that set of doors to the other closed set, just when Harry barges through them and asks: "What happened? Is everyone alright?" We all nod and I say: "Beast just really cares for you and hates hearing the things Marge said about you. He left to fight wolves. He does that when he's angry."  
Harry nods and walks back out of the hall, but this time do Ron, Hermione and Viktor follow him and Viktor holds the golden handles of the doors in his hands as he tells me: "Just read on. This chapter seems harder on Harry than he lets on. He needs us, whether he listens in or not." I nod and smile at the young man and read on.

 _ **At that … firm grip..."**_

"Normally, I love it when Muggles come up with excuses to deny the existence of magic, but this woman angers me so much, it almost feels like a personal insult." The father of the redheads growls and then the eldest redheads, with a fang-earing, asks: "Hey dad, you don't think Voldemort met this woman, do you?"  
The man looks at his son and he says: "Well, these people are almost enough to make you disgust Muggles so imagine what their effect would be on that Muggle-hater." Everyone around me shudders at this and then the scarred redhead asks: "Hey, who do you think would win if you put Dursley and Voldemort in one arena?"  
Everyone looks shocked and the redhead says: "Just imagine it, the biggest Muggle-hater versus the biggest Wizarding-hater. Would be an interesting match, don't you think? Voldemort's cunning and magic against Dursley's temper and fists." This makes those around him laugh hard and I feel relieved of the tension as I read on.

 _ **But Aunt … something explode.**_ _The results back then had been a lot worse than they were now and it was hard for him to calm his beating heart as he had been sure the same would happen as it had last time and couldn't believe his lucky stars.  
_ _ **He couldn't … from Hogwarts**_ _, even if the magic performed back then had not been done by Harry himself_ _ **.**_

"At least we got to clean his record before coming here. Last book really helped with that." The bowler hat man says and the monocle woman nods as she says: "Call me crazy, but I believe that record could have very well have come back to bite young Harry in the ass, had we not cleared it." The man nods and I read on.

 _ **He heard … the way**_ _terrified of what would happen if either Marge or Vernon spotted him there_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Harry got … stay arrived.**_ _Harry worked extra hard on keeping himself in check this day as the night before, his fears about Marge still meeting with Finar had come true._

"This can't be good." The strict guide woman mutters worried and the small guide with long white beard asks: "Do you think this is what Mr. Potter feared so much he wanted to be under Dreamless Sleep Potion and left when that failed to work?" The woman nods and says: "I fear it is, Filius." And with that the matron says:  
"Alright, everyone who received a Dreamless Sleep Potion, drink it now. We will inform you of the level of severity the Dursleys can receive as punishment for this later, but will spare you any other details. No objections!" She snaps at the end and I spot many reluctant faces turning peaceful as students of various ages fall asleep.  
This makes me sigh relieved as I had gotten to understand that Harry himself, while weak looking in body, is extremely strong in mind and heart and for him to have left at a scene like this makes me know that this isn't something for those too young to hear. Yet this does nothing about my own concerns as I continue reading.

 _Uncle Vernon and Aunt Marge had come into his room long after Aunt Petunia and Dudley had gone to bed and Uncle Vernon had told him to lie on his front with his pants and underwear down.  
_ _Harry had seen the glint in his Uncle's eyes and had almost decided that the Hogsmeade form just wasn't worth it, but then his Gryffindor side reared up with the thought that, starting the next night, his life would be Marge free once more.  
_ _He had swallowed his comments and his pride and had done as his uncle had ordered, hoping against hope that his uncle would pull the toy out of his ass. But then he had heard Aunt Marge as she said, "And now to see if what Finar said about some asses being able to hold more than one gift is indeed true." And to his great shock, pain and humiliation had Aunt Marge used her walking cane in such a way Harry felt as if the Basilisk Fang was moving through his privates, its venom leaving a mark that would never heal again before Uncle Vernon had stopped her and had left with the words, "This isn't the last for that little pleasure freak, I assure you."_

Everyone looks beyond shocked and then a soft voice whispers: "To use a cane." Everyone turns to the voice, belonging to a young redhaired girl and she says: "That was the warning Harry gave us. **To use a cane.** Those monsters used a cane on him in ways even – even he wouldn't dare to. No wonder he feared this chapter so."  
Everyone nods and then a tanned girl with her hair in braids and with a red trim on her black robe says: "This is Lockhart all over again. Harry doesn't want to read this chapter because he fears what the effects it will have on his relationship with us. He doesn't want to see the disgust we feel because he'll think we're disgusted with him."

This makes me look at the double doors in worry and then the gruff voice of Beast asks: "I don't hear anymore reading. Are we done?" I shake my head and say: "We just finished the part Harry feared so much. Should we call him in?" But Beast shakes his head and walks over, sitting back down behind me and says:  
"Let's wait until the chapter ends, he'll feel better if we do. He already fears that woman enough, to hear more about her will only make him feel worse." I nod, while some of those around us try to hide their shock at how caring and compassionate my friend and true love really is. I shake my head at this and calmly read on.

 _ **Aunt Petunia … Harry's faults**_ _though this was mostly because Harry shuddered in fright whenever he spotted Marge's cane, making the Dursleys laugh and because he served them at every part of the meal_ _ **; during the … very red**_ _and Harry's body tensed in an unpleasant, fearful and still very painful way_ _ **.**_

"Great, she loves punishing those that never did anything wrong, she's friends with that Finar monster and now she's drunk too. This can only end up really – wait a minute." One of the twins suddenly stops grumbling and then he asks his twin: "Isn't this the summer that Harry –." The other twin looks shocked and says:  
"Yes, yes, now that you mention it, it is. This – this is the summer that – this just has to be the night that –." But there the twin stops and both seem unable to say anymore as both of them try very hard not to laugh out loud. I wonder what they are on about, but then the bowler hat man hits himself on the head and says:  
"How could I forget? I met Potter that same night. How on earth did I forget? That swelling charm he cast." I look shocked and ask: "I thought they weren't allowed magic." And the man nods and says: "I'm guessing that the drunken state of that woman made her cross the line with Harry's temper. We'll just have to see." I nod and read on.

 _ **"Just a … the boy."**_ _Harry felt his fear grow with every bit that Vernon added to the glass._ _ **Dudley was … it out.  
**_ _He also knew his uncle did this just to get most of his personal pleasure possible out of this deal made between them as he must have noticed how painfully uncomfortable it was for Harry to stay seated, but he didn't care as, after lying on his bed in pain for an hour, had Harry gathered together the ingredients for a pain-relief potion and he was planning to make this as soon as Marge was gone.  
_ _He knew Vernon thought he had won, but Harry would get his slip signed, so he didn't feel the same. Physically Vernon had beaten him yet again, but in the end, Harry had still come out on top. The neighbor was his trump card and he had already, quietly, arranged for the man to be back at the front porch the minute Vernon would return from taking Marge to the station.  
_ _ **"Aah," said … stomach clench**_ _, mostly in fear of what else she could be planning for him_ _ **.  
**_ _ **The Handbook … Weak. Underbred."**_

"You breed them yourself, you bitch." A woman with grizzled grey hair and soft blue eyes snaps and everyone looks at her shocked as she blushes and says: "Sorry, but I really hate that woman. She used to always stop by my house on her way back and would then complain for hours that my babysitting of Harry had terrible results and whatnot."  
Everyone looks shocked and she grumbles: "And to top it all did she then try, again and again, to convince me to drown my cats and take dogs instead. And that while my only Squib talent was that I am a Feline Beast Speaker. I would have been incapable of keeping a proper eye on Harry had she convinced me."  
She then shakes her head and says: "If I didn't know better I'd say she was in on Dumbles' plans as well, but seeing how little she knows about Magic, it just can't be that she is." To which the monocle woman says: "Regardless of that point, Arabella, do I feel required to ask Dumbles about this once I get a chance." Arabella nods and I read on.

 _ **Harry was … bad egg.**_

"Am I the only one glad Sirius and Remus aren't here?" One of the twins asks the other and the other answers: "With how angry I already feel at her words? Not at all." And just by looking around can I tell that this Lily Potter is very loved by everyone who ever knew her. Smiling at this brilliant fact, I turn back to the book and read on.

 _ **They turn … of us."**_

This causes for Beast to start growling once again and I quickly seat myself in his lap, knowing I can control my own anger better thanks to my Pure Heart. Focusing on the power within, I try to let it come out in the hope of calming my friend down and when his growls have ceased to silence, do I smile at him and read on.

 _ **Harry was … his ears**_ _as his fear suddenly got replaced by a furious anger he could only explain by his patience having snapped_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Grasp your … he thought**_ _, trying to replace the anger he felt over Aunt Marge with the happiness he always felt when on a broom_ _ **. But he … Vernon's drills.  
**_ _ **"This Potter … his parents.**_ _Harry felt tense as well, but for a completely different reason. Even in the magical world had no one dared telling him what his father did and he really didn't want to know what his uncle would make out of that._

"He didn't even know what Potter did?" A man with scars as scary as Beast first looked when I met him asks and I shake my head and say: "Not according to what I read here." To this the man growls and says: "Who in hells name doesn't remember the amazing things Potter did. He was a bloody brilliant writer, not to mention politician."  
"He was?" Young Draco Malfoy asks and Moody asks: "Where do you think the information from most of your school books comes from? Potter always went on worldly travels during his youth and wrote that down in a journal, dividing that information in several tomes after graduating and selling them to Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade."  
Everyone looks shocked and the tanned man sitting next to him says: "And most of the safety rules and self-protection laws that concern various dangerous jobs? All Potter's work. Whenever he wasn't writing or taking care of his wife and son, people were easily able to find him sitting in the Wizengamot, creating and passing new laws."

He then looks shocked and says: "Of course." Making everyone look at him and he goes on: "Of course! That's why Dumbles wanted him gone. James wanted to transfer to protection laws for werewolves and Veela when Dumbledore convinced him to go down under. Of course he did, most of those laws would have been brilliant."  
"They would?" Many of the elder teenagers – mostly those with blue trims – ask and the man says: "One of them, concerning Veela, was for a way to allow them on Hogwarts and would have allowed for the Ministry to build a separate tower there for the Creatures in Heat. Half that tower would be for Veelas and the other half for Werewolves."  
Everyone looks shocked and a man that quite resembles the pale blonde boy says: "I might still not be fully fond of Magical Creatures, even with what we discovered during last Christmas chapter, but to know that there could be a tower especially for Magical Creatures in Heat does make me feel a whole lot better about them."

Everyone nods and then the scarred man asks: "How exactly do you know all this, Kingsley?" And the tanned man answers: "I was born in Borneo and moved to England shortly before my 11th birthday. Met James when I was in my final year and became his guide on many of his journeys. We became friends and he showed me his plans."  
He then shakes his head and says: "It really saddens me that I never contacted Harry, but after James' death did I decide to fulfill one of his dreams myself and I went to all the countries James had missed seeing, but that were on his list of visiting with his family. I then went to work for the Ministry and the rest you know, Alastor."  
The man named Alastor nods and asks: "And I take it that you wrote in the same journal James Potter wrote in?" But Kingsley shakes his head and says: "I made one of my own and named it _James' dreams journal._ It's known and sold worldwide in 45 different languages. I donated the Vault to Harry as a gift for his 5th birthday."  
This makes the people around Kingsley smile and the woman with the amazingly pink-colored hair lies a hand on his shoulders as she says: "I'm sure Harry will love hearing about those tales, Kingsley. And I'm sure he has that book too." The man nods, a small smile appearing on his face as he nods and I happily read on.

 _ **"He – didn't … scrounger who –"**_

"That's it, I'm killing that bitch." Kingsley then says with such a cold voice it actually shocks me and then a cloud of black smoke erupts next to him and a man with blue flaming hair appears and asks: "I'm sorry, did someone here mention killing someone or do I have a chunk of brain stone stuck in my ear again?"  
The bald man growls and says: "James was a brilliant man, who worked as a fantastic writer and –." But then the blue haired man waves his hand says: "Save your voice, I already checked that whole family's history. Quite amazing, really, especially the last two deaths. Sorry, that's just my thing." He says with a smirk at the end.  
I shudder and Kingsley says: "Then I'm sure you're as furious as I am when you hear what this woman named Marge Dursley has to say about James." The two then turn to me, Kingsley trying to reign in his fury and not scare me with it and the other blue-haired man looking quite indifferent as I read the paragraph again.

 _ **"He – didn't … scrounger who –"**_

This shocks the blue-haired man and Kingsley goes on: "On top of that is she the one who encouraged Dursley senior to put a sex toy in an eight year old and did she rape the same boy, then thirteen, with a cane for ten full minutes. We just read about it. And guess what, the thirteen year old, is Harry." Kingsley spats at the end.  
The blue haired man looks at him shocked and then he says: "Oh yeah, she's a goner. I'll go talk to the Fates now. I'll keep in touch." And he disappears in the same cloud of smoke as before as Kingsley shouts: "Make sure I can have my go at her!" Before the smoke has fully dissolved. He then sits back down and I read on.

 _ **"He was … very white**_ _, making Harry wonder if the man might want for Harry to get his form signed or if it was just that Harry's anger was visible to the man_ _ **. He emptied … at Harry**_ _, making it clear to Harry that it was the latter that mattered to the man_ _ **. "Go to … on Harry's**_ _who was now trying to glare the woman under the table_ _ **. "Go on … his feet.**_

This in itself makes everyone who had stood up, their mouths open – probably to say the same thing – sit back down with pride and Kingsley says: "I am so going to tell Harry all about his father's journeys when he gets back here." And everyone smiles at the man, who has fury in his eyes and an excited smile on his face as I read on.

 _ **"They died … ungrateful little -"**_

Again everyone wants to jump up, the red-trimmed students the quickest to do so, but then I read ahead and ask: "Is this what you meant with a Swelling charm?" And instantly do the twins sit down, their hands on their knees and their bodies bend forward in excitement. This spurs the others on to sit down as well and I read on.

 _ **But Aunt … didn't stop.**_

"Yep! This is great! I am loving this!" The twins chorus excitedly and then the monocle woman looks at bowler hat man and says: "Better clean this off Potter's record as well, Cornelius. This was obviously self-defense and the woman was almost Wizard-baiting poor Harry." The man named Cornelius nods and I read on.

 _ **Her great … popping noises.**_ _Harry was still angry, but suddenly felt the calming ways of Hogwarts' magic wave over him and he whispers: "Attack my fateful pet." Before all his anger dissipated._ _ **Ripper came … barking madly**_ _and to Harry's shock did he sense a connection – like a leash – between himself and the mad dog he hated for so long_ _ **.**_

Everyone now looks bewildered and one of the twins says: "And this is why we don't get on Harry's bad side." And the other nods his head in agreement. I personally can't believe that a young boy is willing to use his enemy against another enemy in revenge and silently agree with the twin boys before reading on.

 _ **"NOOOOOOO!" Uncle … floor himself.**_ _Harry was presented with a vision of the man's back and backside and hissed, "Bite him."  
_ _ **Next second … leg. Harry**_ _, feeling the connection between his magic, Hogwarts and Ripper snap,_ _ **tore from … front door.  
**_ _ **He sprinted … of books**_ _, the ingredients for the Pain Relief Potion_ _ **and birthday presents. He wriggled out, seized Hedwig's empty cage**_ _from underneath the dirty laundry_ _ **and dashed … bloody tatters.  
**_ _ **"COME BACK … RIGHT!" But**_ _with the waves of Hogwarts no longer calming him down,_ _ **a reckless … Uncle Vernon**_ _, ready to let the man feel the same pain he had felt the night before_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"She deserved … very fast**_ _, the pain in his ass spurring him on_ _ **. "She deserved … his arm.**_

"And that's where the chapter ends." I say, lying the book down in shock and Kingsley says: "I'll go fetch the others." I nod and the man happily returns minutes later, saying: "No really, I was your dad's guide in India, Southern Arabia and even Egypt. We saw the Valley of the Kings together and even visited the Taj Mahal."  
Harry looks at him amazed and asks: "And did my dad really write in a journal that was later used to fill our text books with?" Kingsley nods and says: "I'll let you see one of his journals, he left it to me before he died, and you can compare the information inside it with that of your textbooks, alright?" Harry nods and happily walks along with the man.  
I then take a deep breath and ask: "Harry, are all chapters about those Dursleys this bad?" Harry winces and shakes his head as he says: "Usually they're less because Marge isn't in them, but – well – next year I would prefer another Dreamless Sleep Potion, if you don't mind." But instead of minding, does this reignite everyone's worries.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So I'm a bit of a hypocrite. I managed to make the event itself a little more kid friendly and then boldly went out and stated the core of the event when Kingsley spoke with Hades. Also yes, Hades and a few other characters from other worlds will be making random appearances if they have the ability to do so.  
**_ _ **Now, why did I do this when I said I would try to make all this a little more R rated instead of M? Because I've seen stories do worse, because Hades actually grew to respect Harry over the last book and because Kingsley only gave a description of the event, he didn't actually describe the event in itself or know any details.  
**_ _ **To me, enticing Hades' rage is one thing. Actually describing the event and writing something down that, in the story, shouldn't be read or heard about by anyone 13 or younger is a whole other to me. And while I don't like it, I'll probably make another mention or two of it in two of the many chapters that are still to come.  
**_ _ **Wish me luck,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	60. What, Me?

_**Chapter 59  
**_ " _ **What, me?"**_

 _ **Beast's POV**_

I have been hunting and attacking wolves for the first ten minutes my anger raged through me and after that stormed back to my castle, using the hard way with the many gargoyles and the high wall around the grounds to calm down a little further. Finally the soothing voice of my beloved has me completely calm once again.  
Still, I wait outside the room on the balcony until I see them stop, but then later discover that Marge is still being read about after my return and so I sit close to my love, Belle sitting on my lap when she feels me getting angry again and feel proud and gleeful as I hear how Harry takes revenge on everything that horrid woman did.  
Then, at the end of the chapter, Harry returns and my heart sinks as I hear him confessing to the need of another Potion next book. Knowing I won't be there then as Sora had already explained me that they would be traveling to two worlds for each book, I really feel for the poor boy I have so easily grown close to, like Sora.

I look around the hall, none of the students or other guests looking scared or shocked as they look back at me and I realize that my anger at their fellow student's treatment has made them accept me as one of their own. Smiling at them in gratitude as our gazes meet, I walk over to Harry and softly lie one of my paws on his shoulder as I say:  
"You will always be welcome in this castle." This shocks the boy, but he smiles and says: "I will be sure to learn how Sora and the others make those portals." I nod, smiling at his sneaky way of accepting my invitation and then a pudgy man with green bowler hat stands up and asks: "Mr. Potter, mind if I read next?"

 _ **Fudge's POV**_

The idea that I talked to the boy about returning to those – words escape me as I think about them – makes my stomach turn in disgust and makes me wish we had done more than just put a guard, Auror and Unspeakable near their house – even if everything in that world is now frozen in time. I shake my head and hear Harry say:  
"Of course, Minister, be my guest." This makes the candlestick share a look and a smile with Belle who hides a laugh behind her hand and I ask: "Am I missing something?" And Lumiere says: "This castle is very musical, Minister. We like a good song and welcomed Belle to our castle with one called Be Our Guest."  
Now Harry has to hold back his own laugh and then he turns somber again as he looks to the West Wing. Knowing that the boy must be missing his parents, even if he had strangely enough gone back to a first-name-base with them sometime during our stay at Destiny Islands, I quickly start reading the book to distract the boy.

 _ **The Knight … through him**_ _trying to ignore how his ass was smarting from how he plopped down on it_ _ **, listening to … worse fix.**_

This makes a lot of those around the boy look at him strangely, but the boy says: "I didn't mean in the sense of danger. I proved that a few chapters ago. Just let the Minister read on, it will be made clear right soon." And those that had looked at him strangely seemed comforted by his words before they turn back to me.

 _ **He was … to go.**_ _He couldn't go to the Weasleys as they were in Egypt, couldn't go to Hermione, she was in France, couldn't go to Mrs. Figg, she would just send him right back to those monsters and couldn't go back as that just made him shudder in fear._ _ **And the … from Hogwarts.**_

"Mr. Potter, I can assure you that we always question our underage witches and wizards when they break the Stature of Secrecy too many times or – as in your case – used magic against Muggles. If we had known of your situation, we would have cleaned your entire record." Amelia comforts the young boy and Harry smiles as I read.

 _ **He had … he sat.**_

"We must have arrived when you started thinking this and I can assure you, we had already sent at least four men every which way from where they could go starting at that address. It was only Cornelius telling us he had solved things with you that made us clear out." Kingsley says and Amelia goes on:  
"The four men each was courtesy of Kingsley, which – now that I know he knew your dad – I can finally understand." The boy laughs as Kingsley shrugs and says: "Give me one reason I should have explained it to you back then, not work-related, that is." Amelia closes her mouth and mock-glares at him as I read on.

 _ **Harry shivered … wizarding world?**_

"That would never happen. Too dangerous, really." Amelia says and she goes on: "Outlawing someone from the magical world? The Ministry tried that once in the fourteen hundreds and that is, actually, how Jeane D'Arc was born to be. After that, no way are we ever going to exclude another witch or wizard again."  
I couldn't agree more with the woman and then Belle asks: "Jeane D'Arc is a real person in your world?" I nod and say: "And has been dead for over 500 years." Making the excitement I had seen shining in her eyes diminish and I send her a regretful look, expressing how much it hurts to break her heart before I read on.

 _ **He thought … contacting them.**_ _He had already learned from his school books that Wild Owls were never to be used as they are not raised with the same navigation instincts as Bred owls that leads Bred Owls from one person to another instead of from one forest to the next._

"Well thought out, lad. You're really keeping your head together, even when you're fearing your own problems. I hate saying it, but that old codger taught you well. No offence meant." Alastor says with his hand raised to Aberforth Dumbledore and the owner of the Hogs Head nods at him in acceptance before I read on.

 _ **He didn't have any Muggle money, either**_ _, he had exchanged that for Galleons last year as he wanted to give himself a little more evidence that he belonged in the Magical World_ _ **. There was … his trunk**_ _, money he hadn't spent asking elder years to buy things he needed while they were in Hogsmeade_ _ **, but the … in London.**_

"I really wish I had told you that I knew of your heritage and everything, Harry. I could have easily helped, I could have even convinced the Minister, perhaps, to let you stay with me during the rest of summer." The old lady says, speaking again for the first time in a long while as she barely spoke during any of the readings.  
Harry smiles at her and says: "Thanks for that, Mrs. Figg, but the idea of being that close to Dursley or of Dudley finding me with you just scared me right out of thinking to head your way." The woman nods and says: "I understand." Sending a ferocious glare at the book, obviously hating this fact and I couldn't agree more as I read on.

 _ **He'd never … his hand.**_

"And this is where it's handy that Sirius was in the neighborhood." Harry smiles lightly and I look shocked as none of the Aurors had reported a sighting of him and then Harry explains it and says: "Not that I knew it was him, back then, so I don't think any of your Aurors could have recognized him either, I assure you." I nod and read on.

 _ **If he … couldn't hurt.**_

"Okay, just so everyone knows, that was my brain talking, not my instinct." Harry says, his hands raised and Viktor asks: "What did your instincts tell you?" And Harry smiles as he leans back against the same pillar as before and says: "To turn around." This confuses everyone around and I quickly start reading again.

 _ **He had … to London?**_

"Good plan, if you had been seventeen." Kingsley says and I see Harry shrug as he says: "My instincts and brains never really agree when I'm alone in situations like that. That's why I need Ron and Hermione, they keep me focused and help me listen to my instincts as they often match with what those two already know."  
The two friends in question smile at their friend and Fleur says: "You guys really fit each other amazingly. But nothing like you and Viktor, of course." And the Bulgarian Seeker pulls his fellow player and beloved closer as he huskily says: "Of course." Before softly kissing Harry on the cheek as I continue with the chapter.

 _ **Then he … for ever**_ _– especially not with his ass still smarting –_ _ **or he'd … square houses.**_

"And that's where Black showed up? He was near you? We could have caught him if we found you?" Kingsley asks, but Harry shakes his head, his hands now behind his head as he lounges on the soft sleeping bag he still has lying there and says: "As I said, none of you would have recognized him." And I quickly read on.

 _ **He bent … gleaming eyes.**_

"What the hell? Black's eyes were sunken and hallow, they weren't wide and gleaming." I mumble and then Kingsley says: "That proves it, we would have thought the guy a Muggle Burglar or something. We wouldn't have even given him the time of day compared to finding you." And Harry smiles as he says:  
"It was Siri, just not as a Burglar or anything like that. Just wait for the Knight Bus to appear, it will let me explain." I wonder what the boy could be on about and then McGonagall says: "Ooooooh, very clever, Mr. Potter. And well hinted too." Harry shrugs and I look at the woman, but she keeps her mouth shut and I read on.

 _ **Harry stepped … been lying.**_

"You were almost crushed? Why didn't you tell us?" Hermione asks and Harry says: "Just wait, the description of the Knight Bus made me know I was in no danger. I realized it during the ride itself." The girl nods and Harry smiles at her, before Viktor lies himself between the pillar and his partner and I read on with a smile at the two.

 _ **They belonged … this eve-"**_

"Wow, took him long enough." Draco Malfoy says and Minerva says: "That is, I'm afraid, the fate of all Knight Bus Conductors. They get hit in the head a lot during the practice they get when they study for the job and get trouble focusing on more things than one at a time after a certain amount of time." Everyone winces and I read on.

 _ **The conductor … few pimples.**_

"How did Stan get to work on the Knight Bus anyway, professor?" Harry asks and Pomona answers: "When Students reach only Acceptable on all their O.W.L.s, their Head of House takes them aside to discuss the jobs best possible for them. Stan was, apparently, a very peculiar one as he underachieved on purpose to get that job."  
I look shocked and she says: "He was a Hufflepuff and believed the Knight Bus the ultimate form of loyalty to Wizards kind as it drove stranded witches and wizards around England. So, even though he could have easily passed his Potions, DADA and Transfigurations, he underachieved to get Acceptables only on purpose."  
Harry looks mildly interested and I know that he is taking whatever info and relief he can from not having to read about Marge anymore and Pomona says: "I took him aside in his Sixth, your first, Harry, and when he told me he did it on purpose, I got him an apprentice job there. His brain capacity went down from there, but he lived his dream."

Harry shrugs and says: "Nothing wrong with that. Except the brain capacity, that is." And many students, especially Ravenclaws, nod in earnest as Hermione asks: "You're not going to do the same, are you?" But Harry looks down and says: "I've been kind of preparing on making my O.W.L.s be a similar experience as to March 1992."  
This makes Filius cringe and Hermione asks: "So you did want to do your best?" Harry shrugs and says: "Nothing wrong with doing the best you have for the first step to a real future, right?" The girl nods and then Viktor whispers: "A future I will be supporting all the way." Making Harry blush and smile at him as I read on.

 _ **"What were … was bleeding.**_ _Still, he tried feverishly to ignore the strongest bout of pain as the memories of last night were still too strong on the forefront of his mind._

This makes me cringe and Snape says: "Harry, at the next break, I would like to see if there are any after-effects left of these two misdeeds to your pride your uncle caused you." Harry whitens at the start of the sentence, but nods in gratitude at the end of it and says: "Just don't remind me why when we do it, okay Professor?"  
The man nods and says: "Severus." Harry tilts his head and Pomona says: "The four of us agreed that we would ask Sirius and Remus if we could become your Godparents once their Heat is over. They're your parents, but you deserve to be welcome at your first home whenever you want." The boy smiles at her and I read on.

 _ **He suddenly … but massive..."**_

This shocks us all and then Kingsley says: "Harry's right, we really would not have recognized him. Other than as a Grimm, that is." And Amelia goes on: "That would not have been good." And Kingsley ends: "Especially if Ellen Wrestleheart had found them, you know how much she loves Divinations and all that."  
The woman nods and one of Harry's female year mates, a tanned girl named Parvati asks: "What's wrong with that?" And Harry says: "Nothing, other than that Divinations isn't everyone's favorite and that Mss. Wrestleheart would have probably started screaming and abandoned the mission if she saw him." Parvati nods and I read on.

 _ **He looked … his head.**_

"Why my name?" Neville asks and Harry says: "Stan's accent made me believe he knew Seamus, who of course knew Dean and the Weasleys were in Egypt. I could have pretended to be a First year or something, but didn't know any of their names. And you always help me, even if you don't know it." Neville laughs and I read on.

 _ **"So – so … Harry quickly**_ _, not wanting to admit that this was his first time as he suspected that Neville knew all about this, being raised by his gran and all_ _ **. "Listen, how … to London?"**_

"Good thinking. Gran often takes the Knight Bus, so Stan would know that I know just how to use it from seeing her do it." Neville says and Harry asks: "Didn't she ever let you do it?" Neville shakes his head and says: "Until I went to Hogwarts, my life pretty much revolved around my family. I was the only Heir, so I had to be kept safe."  
"But if you were constantly surrounded by all those people, constantly expecting all those things of you and expecting you to be like your parents, how on earth did you even get the chance to grow social skills or the chance to really be like them?" Harry asks and he raises a point that shocks me – and Neville – to the core.

Harry then turns to Minerva and asks: "Are you thinking what I am?" And the woman nods, while I wonder what the two came up with thanks to Mr. Potter's conclusion and Minerva answers for me as she says: "I will definitely have word with the Longbottom House. Augusta will not be pleased when I tell her the truth of her treatment."  
I tilt my head and Harry says: "Being treated only by those that expect you to be the mirror image of parents you never knew? What kind of effect would that have on you, Minister?" And I look shocked as I realize that all we have read about Mr. Longbottom's behavior is due to the heavy pressure put on him by his family.  
Looking at the boy, I think: "We really need a strong and firm line of action that needs to be followed when it comes to proper care for a child and what can and cannot be seen as proper care and what can be seen as abuse. Never thought there were this many forms of it, though." And while those around me nod in agreement, do I read on.

 _ **"Eleven Sickles … the bus.  
**_ _Harry really hoped the owl cage wouldn't give him away and then Stan asks: "Picking up your gran's Owl, are you Neville?" And Harry quickly agreed, making a mental note of reminding Neville when he got the chance. He then distracted himself by looking around the bus._

"Am I glad you reminded me. I got to pick it up just before Gran took me shopping for my books and all. She had actually forgotten it herself as well. One of the first times I really saw her be proud of me." Neville says, smiling at Harry before blushing as he must feel as if he told too much of his home life already.  
Then Sora says: "Then I would love to see how she'd react when you come back from our training. You and Harry – and if possible many more – will be Keyblade Wielders for sure before the books are all read." Harry and Neville smile at the ever optimistic boy, but I can easily hear his determination as he speaks and read on.

 _ **There were … Longbottom, Ern."**_

"And that would be the one family that has owned the Knight Bus since it was first created in 1865, to make up for dumb ideas like Broomsticks with sidecars attached to them." Draco Malfoy says and Daphne Greengrass asks: "How do you know this?" And he answers: "Father taught me all about families and their most prominent jobs."  
The girl nods and Harry asks: "So, was my father being an author and politician different from other Potters?" But Lucius shakes his head and says: "Every one of five Potters does something like that and every one of ten Potters becomes an author." Harry looks intrigued and happy, giving a small nod to my old friend before I read on.

 _ **Ernie Prang … steering wheel.**_

"None of that family ever has. They always fail several Muggle Driver License tests, but because the vehicle works on their magic, or what they have left of it, it doesn't fully matter as there have been more and more security spells added to the bus since the start of 1900." Lucius explains and Harry asks:  
"Wizards take Muggle Driver License tests?" And Arthur answers: "While it's not uncommon for us witches and wizards to have a car, do we still need to take such a test as Muggles are the inventors of cars and thus know more about them. We just cast a special disillusionment spell to look 16 to Muggles and take the test."  
But then Hermione says: "But you have to be 18 to get a car." Everyone around me looks at her shocked and she says: "It's 16 for a motorcycle and 18 for a car. It's been like that for years." We all look quite uncomfortable at hearing this and Draco says: "Thank Muggles for not asking too many questions." And I read on, agreeing.

 _ **The Knight … ceiling yet.**_

"That was more than half an hour after the incident, right?" Kingsley asks and Harry nods as the man says: "By then Minister Fudge had already left for the Leaky Cauldron and assured us that was the only place – other than Hogwarts – that you could be heading to, even if none of us knew how you'd be able to get there."  
Harry snickers at this and asks: "Didn't expect the Knight Bus, did you?" Kingsley shakes his head, but then a loud, amazing roar rings through the castle and everyone looks shocked as Harry turns beat red and says: "I think Siri and Remus are having a little bit too much fun." And younger years also turn red as everyone nods.  
Kingsley then stands up and says: "I'll go cast some Silencing and Privacy Spells on them." To which Snape stands up and hands him a small wooden carrier filled with some very strange looking potions and he says: "Make sure you get this into their room. By the sound of it, they need more than I last gave them." The man nods and I read on.

 _ **Stan had … Harry's face**_ _who wondered just what Neville's Gran said about him to make Stan look like that_ _ **, removed the front page and handed it to Harry.**_

"Guess living his dream gave him a bit of an ego." Pomona says and I suddenly see that Beast is still looking at the doors in confusion. Then Hagrid walks over and whispers: "I'll explain later. Not really something you tell 13 year olds or younger." The creature nods and focuses his attention back on Belle as I read on.

 _ **"You oughta … and read:**_

"Just so you know." Harry say, looking straight at Beast and he and Belle look back as Harry says: "All the crimes and other stuff you will hear about Sirius this book is wrong. It's explained at the end of the book, but it's all misconception and not true. I would not have accepted him adopting me if it had been, okay?"  
The two nod and Belle asks: "That bad?" And Harry answers: "Just wait for the Christmas chapter. Speaking of which, Minister, I apologize, but with a father like James Potter and with friends like Fred and George, what else could you expect of me." I whiten as he starts the explanation and nod faintly before hurriedly reading on.

 _ **BLACK STILL …**_ _ **seemed alive.**_ _The eyes actually started to shine and smile as Harry looked at the picture as if it was aware Harry was looking at it. This confused_ _ **Harry**_ _, who_ _ **had never … to Stan**_ _even if it was with slight reluctance_ _ **, "with one … at Harry**_ _, who felt as if he was missing something_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Black woz a … without thinking.**_

This makes most of the room hit themselves on the head and Neville asks: "So even then you felt as if something was wrong about him being sentenced and judged for those crimes, huh?" Harry shrugs and says: "It just didn't sound like something Sirius would do. Attacking people in broad daylight just didn't sound like his way of work."  
The boy nods and says: "That is true, a little strange that someone who was considered working for Voldemort would attack people in the middle of the day when Death Eaters usually attack after dark, like at the World Cup." Harry shrugs and says: "Exactly." While I feel stupid for not realizing this myself and read on.

 _ **Even Stan's … his chest.**_

"I just don't get it." Harry suddenly says and when we all look at him he says: "Sorry, but I just don't get why people are still scared after knowing for twelve years that he was gone. They believed him dead, after all." I sigh as now a lot of the younger students start muttering together, obviously just as curious and I say:  
"Mr. Potter, it happened in the year your parents graduated that Voldemort reached his peak and showed us the unity between him and his followers, so to say." Harry looks confused and I say: "He had tabooed his name, Mr. Potter, so that anyone saying it, would instantly have his wards destroyed and would be found by Death Eaters."  
Harry looks shocked and Minerva says: "And that was a fear-regime that he used for three full years, so if you combine the mystery of how he was defeated with the rumor that Sirius was his right-hand man and the fear-regime of those years." And Harry ends: "You get people fearing that regime all over again." I nod, smile at him and read on.

" _ **Very close … down again**_ _but also straightened his cloths as to make it look like a nervous tic to Stan_ _ **\- "all You-Know-'Oo's … taken over.**_

"And of course rumors spread left and right when someone as strong and loyal as Sirius is discovered as the betrayer of _the hero_ and the murderer of thirteen people. Can't people just stick to the facts and investigate that which they don't know?" Harry asks, saying the words _the hero_ with great sarcasm as Hermione answers:  
"Not with people like Skeeter buzzing around." Harry hits himself on the head and says: "And as long as that there is minimum communication between those at the top and those still working at a lower job, people will always have reasons to assume and never have the assurance of understanding one another and their points of view."  
Everyone looks shocked at the boy for his amazing words and Hermione says: "And there he goes again. Speeches are so your specialty, Harry. You could really take over where your dad left off, you know?" Harry looks contemplative of this and I share a quick, hopeful glance with my Ministerial colleagues before reading on.

 _ **"Anyway, they … the way.**_

"Okay, there the truth is bent too much to a lie. Black cornered Pettigrew and then, when the special forces of the Ministry came, Black was alone, the Muggles were blown to their deaths and Pettigrew was nothing to be found, but a finger." I say angrily, but then realize that I scared some of the younger years and Belle asks:  
"And you're sure this is wrong?" To which Harry says: "Let's just say that no explosion or destruction spell can leave less than fourteen pieces of anything, so Pettigrew only leaving a finger behind –." Now everyone calms down and when I want to read on, do I suddenly see Belle winking at Harry who smiles back at her.

 _ **'Orrible, eh … an' laughed.**_

"Why would he laugh if he was in the middle of such a battlefield?" Fleur asks and Harry says: "Sirius had tried to keep me when Hagrid brought me to the Dursleys. Apparently the two fought before Sirius caved in and went for Pettigrew. When that failed, he must have felt that everything in his life had been a failure."  
The girl nods and says: "A nervous breakdown. I've seen one happen to my aunt's daughter when she married her mate. She cried, but I did hear that laughing too is a sign of such a breakdown." And Harry nods, while I wonder how the Ministry couldn't have detected this fact all those years ago and read on with guilt in my gut.

 _ **An' when … he did..."**_

"Would sure like to know how those two will talk when they hear Siri has been innocent all along." Harry grumbles, now moodily leaning against Viktor and the Bulgarian kisses his cheek as he asks: "Why don't we go and find out once time starts running again?" Harry smirks and I fear for those two as I read on.

 _ **"They 'ad … the collywobbles."**_

Now Harry turns slightly white and mumbles: "Don't blame him." To which Kairi asks: "You don't come in contact with those monsters, do you?" And to my shock, Harry nods and says: "Several times, even. A total of three times, if I remember correctly. Not that I want to." And him shuddering is enough reason for me to read on.

 _ **Stan put … in Azkaban?**_

"Not even close." I say with finality and Harry suddenly asks: "What exactly do you do with witches and wizards that break the Stature of Secrecy law too many times?" This makes me look at my colleagues and we all look worried – all wondering if we can reveal such secret information to three schools and guests.  
Then Percy says: "The last one who did, got to work for the Department of Mysteries. Because no one knows what they do, they can be in the Magical World – without really being part of it. It helps them learn how to keep things a secret." This makes Harry look happily shocked and I smile, glad that only a bit of info has been told as I read on.

 _ **Harry didn't … Harry knew.  
**_ _Still, looking at the picture of Sirius Black made Harry feel as if there was something he ought to have remembered and without Stan seeing it, did Harry quickly snatch the lower half with the picture on it from the paper, hiding it in his jeans pocket for later._

"I actually forgot about that for a while." Harry says and Hermione asks: "When did you remember?" And Harry looks down with his hand over his chin as he says: "I think it was the day after Halloween. And then a second time after the Christmas Hogsmeade trip, if I remember correctly." The girl looks intrigued and I read on.

 _ **The Knight … to Aberdeen**_ _and Stan offered him a towel he wetted with a spell called_ _Aquamentie_ _– one Harry mentally locked away in the archives of information he got from Hogwarts last year_ _ **.**_

"Then I look forward to your Sixth year, Mr. Potter. That's when we will start practicing the spell." Filius says, while I still can't believe what the wizard did in Harry's first year and then Harry gets back at him and says: "I can already use the spell, Professor. I use it to defuse the flames I need for my self-made potions."  
"Mate, if you do that in your bed, how the hell do you keep your bad dry?" Ron asks and Harry laughingly retorts: "How much did you think I had to throw up that year?" Ron looks confused and then Dean says: "So that's what you used that bucket for. I wondered why there was never any – never mind." He ends and I quickly read on.

 _ **One by … to go**_ _and Harry wondered how much more awful the bus felt when it twisted and turned upstairs_ _ **.  
**_ _Another thing he wondered about was a strange gut feeling that came up from deep within him whenever they passed some parts of the country, but because the Bus moved so fast, did he never get enough time to really analyze the feeling he got._

This really worries me and I ask: "Mr. Potter, in what parts of the country did you have this feeling?" And the boy hums before he says: "Mostly when we were in the South-west, though we passed the point between the West and the Northwest twice and I felt it there as well." He then seems to think harder and mumbles:  
"Also, once just before we reached London, which we did from the North." And I share a look with all those who know anything about the Potters and the boy looks up as he asks: "Do you know why I had that feeling?" And we all nod, our concerned looks making the others worry before Harry asks: "Why? And what's wrong?"

To which I sigh and ask: "Let me ask one question first? Was the gut feeling good or bad?" And the boy seems to easily remember how it feels now as he says: "Bad. It was even painful. The last time Stan even assured me we were almost at the Leaky and that I could head for the Apothecary to get a Pain-Relief Potion."  
And this confirms the concerns the others and I had as I sigh and say: "To answer your previous questions, Mr. Potter. The reason you had those painful feelings in your gut – is because something is wrong with the Manors your family owns that are spread across the country – at exactly the locations you mentioned."  
This shocks the boy and he asks: "Wait, my family owns – FOUR different Manors?" And we all nod, the boy looking ready to faint from shock before I hear Draco ask his father: "Should we let him know that those are only his native Manors?" And the Potter Heir in question sags against his mate in shock as I shrug and read on.

 _ **Finally, Harry … Cross Road**_ _, yet as they rode into London, did the feeling return yet again, making Harry wince and nod to accept the suggestion of Stan to visit the Apothecary later_ _ **. Harry sat up**_ _, feeling amazed at how soft and bouncy the bed was – a real fall-breaker –_ _ **and watched … it opened**_ _, get the Pain-Relief Potion Stan suggested_ _ **, then set off – where, he didn't know.**_

"Harry, I'm sorry to say, but I feel ever so relieved that you never went anywhere but Diagon Alley and Hogwarts. It really ensured us the chance to set things straight." I tell the boy I have come to deeply respect and the boy says: "And right back at you, Minister." Making me smile at the young boy before I continue the story.

 _ **Ern slammed … his shoulder.**_

"Maybe not the best approach, Cornelius." Amelia tells me and Moody says: "Yeah, the way Potter describes it, you could just as well have been a follower of that Riddle bastard." I sigh and say: "I just wanted to ensure that I wouldn't miss Potter when he arrived, so I waited in the doorway. I never wanted to scare him."  
To this Harry smiles and says: "Don't worry about it, Minister. My mind was just on overdrive, even Madam Pomfrey would have scared the hell out of me had she been there. No offence, Madam Pomfrey." The School nurse nods, while some younger years have trouble holding back laughter and I read on, feeling relieved.

 _ **At the … shouted gleefully.**_

"Tell that to someone who believes it, will you?" Ron spats and Harry says: "Ron, relax. You know things will work out." To this Ron asks: "Is that why you're so calm?" Harry shrugs and says: "I have nothing to worry about until the train ride is being read about. Why worry?" To this Ron looks confused and Viktor says:  
"We of Bulgaria learn how to help those we consider or who consider our Soul Mates. And I learned how to do that with Harry early on." This makes Ron laugh and he says: "Now that sounds more like something I can believe. Sorry buddy, but I only see you this relaxed when you're on a broom." Harry shrugs and I read on.

 _ **"Ern! Ern … the pub.**_ _Part of him was glad to be away from Stan, he was obviously quite the tattletale, the other part wished he had been taken away from the man by someone other than the Minister for Magic himself._

"With how he was feeling, I can't blame him." Bill says and then McLaggen says: "I still don't understand why he wasn't punished." And Hermione spats: "Maybe because of the article subject he just read about?" To this the boy snorts disbelievingly and I wonder if he'll end up like Zacharias Smith as he says:  
"We all know Black's innocent." And Ronald spats: "Did you know that then?" The boy holds silent and one of the twins says: "Remember what year we're reading about." And the other says: "Before you open that big trap of yours." And Arthur holds up a hand to Minerva as the Beast gives the twins a rough smile and I read on.

 _ **A stooping … of Harry.**_

"I'm sorry, Harry, I was under the assumption you would dash for it like you did with your aunt's." I explain the boy and Harry says: "I understand, but you have to remember how I escape situations like this, Minister. Sneaky and unexpectedly." This makes many of those around him laugh and I shake my head at him before reading on.

 _ **There was … Stan's shoulder.**_ _Harry tried not to turn his eyes skyward, but part of him felt relieved; if Stan was dumb enough to keep calling him Neville after finding out his real identity, he might just keep doing that later too. It might actually work in his favor._

"Cunning and Ambitious, like a true snake." Lucius says and Draco moans: "Why, why did I ruin the chance of having the ultimate snake in Slytherin?" And those of his house glare at him, until they suddenly hear someone laughing loudly. They turn around and see Harry holding his stomach while laughing exuberantly.  
"Thank you, thank you." Draco says and Harry laughs: "Finally using your dramatics for laughter, are you? About time." And he laughs on, while the Slytherins look dumbstruck at the fact that Draco had been acting. Then Moody whispers in my ear: "Junior winked at Potter when Malfoy complimented him." I snicker silently and read on.

 _ **"And a … called Stan**_ _and Harry had to shake his head, trying to hide his relieved smile with his hair_ _ **.**_ _His secret trip on the Knight Bus was safe from public ears.  
_ _ **Fudge marched … the room.**_

"How did he do that?" Belle asks and Amelia answers: "Some places, like the Leaky Cauldron, have a special ritual attached to them that allows for the owner's core to connect to whatever room he walks in. It's a special form of Wandless, Non-verbal magic, specifically designed for places like that." Belle nods and I read on.

 _ **"Sit down … the fire.**_ _He heard the soft crunch of the newspaper and tried to hide it with a cough._

"I didn't even hear that." I mumble and Madam Pomfrey tuts as she says: "Mr. Potter's eyesight might have been restored to that of a normal, in a normal room raised young man, his hearing is obviously still very sensitive and on high-alert. Not surprising seeing all that old coot put him through." I fully agree and read on.

 _ **Fudge took … opposite Harry.**_

"No offence to you, Minister, but what is it with you and people pulling up their pants around you? Your cousin in the second book and now the Minister? Who's next, Hagrid?" Harry shudders and says: "Ron, my cousin was bad enough. Don't give me any nightmares, would you?" The boy turns green himself and I read on.

 _ **"I am … know that.**_

"He knows no-ow." The twins chorus in song and Harry sends them a raised eyebrow look, shutting them up instantly. This makes Minerva and Arthur look shocked and Arthur says: "Not even that woman could do that." This makes Ron look up and he says: "That woman, I forgot about her." He then looks at Harry and asks:  
"Next chapter, you think?" But Harry shakes his head and says: "If I have to go by how these chapters go, I'd say the one after that. It's part of the departure day, after all. Next chapter will probably be about my stay at Diagon Alley." Ron nods and I wonder what the two of them could have on Molly No-Name as I read on.

 _ **Tom the … what matters."**_

"Not what I would call your smoothest talk, Cornelius." Amelia says and I answer: "It wasn't, but that's because I was both in shock with the actual magic performed and because Mr. Potter hadn't looked a bit like how Albus had portrayed him. It was – therefore – at this point that I started distrusting him."  
Amelia nods and Harry says: "I don't blame you, Minister. And I have to admit, had I not been worried about my punishment, your presence there and my form, I might have told you about my homelife." To which I ask: "You might have?" Harry shrugs and says: "Hagrid." Making me hit myself on the head before I read on.

 _ **Fudge buttered … harm done."**_

"I wish I had erased those Muggles memories as well, but Albus told me they were in perfect awareness of the Magical world and I just assumed they were like all other magic aware Muggles who have witches and wizards for a charge. Should have suspected something when I saw what Mr. Potter really looked like."  
I grumble angrily at myself and then Harry asks: "Not to be rude, Minister, but what did you think I looked like?" And I say: "Albus described you as a boy with the looks of your father at the peak of his time, with the kindness and intelligence of your mother and with the bravery of a true Gryffindor." And Harry grumbles:  
"In other words a real hero." And I sigh as I nod, feeling even worse as I say: "And that is the same thing he told everyone outside Hogwarts, who asked how you looked and how you were." To which Harry retorts: "And there goes my good mood." Before Viktor suddenly pushes him on his front and starts rubbing his back.  
Harry moans in relief and Hermione quickly changes the sleeping bag into one of the blankets we had on Destiny Island. The two beloved sit down on the blanket and Viktor does the same as before, Harry lying his head on his crossed arms and Hermione smiling at them as she motions me to continue. I smile and do as requested.

 _ **Fudge smiled … it again.**_ _Part of him wanted to talk about why he had used the magic, but he didn't think it would matter. Part of him wanted to talk about the way his gut felt during the journey, but he didn't think Fudge would understand, considering the way he had arrived. Part of him wanted to confide in the man why he had run away, but even Hagrid hadn't done anything after hearing of the lies, so Harry didn't think it would change a thing._

"I really hate how his past experiences and his distrust of adults in general made him stay away from the help he could have been offered." Pomona mumbles and Snape growls: "Exactly the way that old coot wanted him to be." And I think: "Nothing Amelia does will be punishment enough. Damnit." And I read on, while growling.

 _ **"Ah, you're … Easter holidays."**_

"Petunia to blow off steam and Vernon to –." But Harry shudders and then suddenly seems to hold something back from coming up from his stomach. Instantly Viktor summons a bucket and Harry lies his head over it as he starts puking, making my eyes widen as I wonder what on earth that man could have done to poor Harry.  
Then Belle looks down and says: "Lumiere, go get Mrs. Potts, hurry." The candlestick nods and hops out of the hall as Harry pukes, Snape rushing over with a Stomach soothing potion in his hand and Beast already there to rub his hand over Harry's back. When the boy stops, Snape hands him the potion and Beast asks:  
"Offer him something now?" And Snape answers: "This is a stomach relief potion. It helps calm the stomach down." The Beast nods and then several sounds of hopping furniture are heard as Lumiere comes hopping in together with a white teapot and a small white cup, both with a face and Lumiere leading the two to Harry.

The teapot then asks: "Having a stomach ache, dear? Don't worry, my tea puts a clear stop to all that rumbling gas and heartburn." And she pours some tea into the cup, who's nose seems to be the ear of the cup. Harry smiles at the teapot and carefully drinks the tea down, moaning softly at the end as he says: "It's delicious."  
"Thank you, dear. That's very kind. Now Chip, why don't you entertain our sick guest?" And to my shock the cup breaths in before causing the last remnants of the tea to bubble and boil. Harry laughs and says: "Wow, that's a really cool trick.""I know, right?" The cup asks and Harry puts it back down next to the pot.  
Then suddenly Snape asks: "Potter, is this – what I think it is?" And when Harry turns to look at the man he whitens as he sees the man leaning over the bucket. To this the teapot hops forward, an angry look on her face and she says: "Don't upset the poor boy, you. We don't want him to throw up again, do we?"  
The man nods and takes the bucket over to the teachers, Amelia standing up to join him after he glances at her and I hear Ron whisper: "She reminds me of her, but then the better version." And Harry nods and says: "Protective, but not demeaning or demanding. Had she been human, she would have made a fine mother."

To this Ron nods back, but then I see the Beast looking down and Sora says: "All these furniture, Harry? They once were human." Harry looks shocked and asks: "They were?" Sora nods and says: "A spell has been cast over this place. Unless Beast can learn to love someone and have that person love him back the way he is."  
And Lumiere ends: "The curse will never be broken. And it has to happen, before the last petal of the rose falls." To this Pomona asks: "Rose? What Rose?" And Beast answers: "When the curse was cast, the one who cast it put a time limit on the rose that was linked to the curse. It started wilting when I was 21, but stopped a few months ago."  
This makes Pomona look thoughtful and then she asks: "Would it be okay if I myself and two of my finest students go take a look at that rose, under your supervision, that is?" Beast looks contemplative at this and Belle asks: "You think you can break the spell?" To this all four of them, Beast, Lumiere, Mrs. Pott and Chip, look at her and she says:

"Herbology and plants are my specialty, I even give classes about all kinds of magical plants at Hogwarts. I might be able to find out what kind of rose and enchantment we're dealing with and then Professor Babbling might be able to use some runes to, at the very least, alter the spell. I can't be sure though, until I see it."  
Belle nods and then Beast bows to the woman and says: "It would be an honor words cannot describe if you could break this curse. I have indeed found love, but when I did, the rose stopped wilting without changing me back. I would very much like to know why." Pomona nods and smiles at him before I read on.

 _ **Harry unstuck … deep down."**_

"Minister, you don't even sound sure of that yourself. Why did you try to convince Harry of it?" Ron asks and I answer: "I might have distrusted Albus, but I still believed him and he told me Harry had grown up to be who he is today. Because of what he told me, I believed it was just the terror Harry felt talking." The boy shrugs and I read on.

 _ **It didn't … him now**_ _, while hoping he could have enough time to have his ass healed before it happened_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"So all … my punishment?"**_

This makes the twins hit themselves on the head and Harry says: "Can you blame me? How would you have reacted if the Minister for Magic himself responded to you breaking the Stature of Secrecy like that?" This makes the twins nod grudgingly and the rest of the Weasleys laugh at their uncomfortable faces before I read on.

 _ **Fudge blinked … looking awkward.**_

"I really hadn't expected for Lily's wit and quick thinking to become such an issue and with my slight distrust in Dumbledore, did I believe that he had rallied Harry against me, against the Ministry. I really don't want to know what that distrust could have caused had You-Know-Who remained a renewed and reborn threat."  
I mumble softly and suddenly Viktor says: "And that is exactly the problem. Harry doesn't have Lily's wit, or James' talent; he has his own wit and his own talent. Had he grown up with them, he could have copied their wit and talent and made it his own, but he didn't, so stop saying it's something he got from his parents all the time."  
We all look at the boy in shock and Severus says: "I hate saying it, but Mr. Krum does have a point. We constantly see either a hero, James' son or Lily's in Mr. Potter and whether we use it for the good like Lupin or for the bad like myself, we still are doing wrong to a young child by not letting him discover who he is."

Everyone now looks down and Harry mutters: "Curse you, Dumbledore." Everyone looks at him as he has his arms crossed under his head and has his chin lying on his arms and the boy says: "Had I grown up magical, I would have, in my youth, given you reasons not to consider me a hero and you would have just treated me normally afterwards."  
Everyone looks shocked and then as one the Gryffindors say: "Curse you, Dumbledore." To which all of the other Houses nod in agreement. I personally can't believe how such a small decision could have affected so many lives and wonder: "Did you plan this, Albus? Was this part of your plan?" And while wondering, do I read on.

 _ **"Circumstances chance … underage magic?**_

"That brain, even when terrified of being expelled it works brilliantly." Hermione says, shaking her head while Harry still has his eyes closed and a small smile grows on the boy's face as he tries to shrug while lying on his front and having Viktor rub his back. I shake my head, feeling glad that he is relaxing and read on.

 _ **Fudge came … pinstriped cloak.**_

"Just a question, Minister. How many times did Dumbledore tell you those lies before we met?" Harry asks me, his tone telling me that he seems to be fighting sleep and I sigh as I say: "At the start and end of your first and second, after your first match and after he had been reinstated as Headmaster." Harry rolls his eyes and I read on.

 _ **"Well, I'll … Harry asked**_ _, having felt the paper crunch in his pocket as he turned to look at the man_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Fudge's fingers … his cloak.**_

"I got to admit, not even James was that direct when he tried to get Lily. That is really all Harry right there." Filius says with a smile and Viktor asks: "So you'll try and see Harry from now on, instead of a cheater trying to live up to a reputation he doesn't know about?" And the man turns red and nods shyly as I read on.

 _ **"What's that … shuddered slightly**_ _and opened his mouth as if to say something, but then seemed to suddenly change his mind and said,  
_ _ **"So, I'll … looking uncomfortable**_ _and Harry suddenly realized that Filch would never believe that he was related to the Minister in anyway; it was a lost cause before Fudge even started apologizing_ _ **.**_

"Yeah, that and I thought that you didn't look like the kid that liked attention, which I knew would be drawn to you if you were to come to Hogwarts with a permission slip signed by the Minister for Magic himself." Harry smiles at me gratefully and says: "Good point, there Minister. Even if it's not your primary reason." I chuckle and read on.

 _ **"Ah," he … for him**_ _, all the while Harry wondered why Fudge seemed so out of it and so uncomfortable with the whole situation of him not being where others could see him as that seemed to be the primary reason why he didn't sign his slip_ _ **.**_ _Then his adrenaline finally calmed down and with sleepy eyes, Harry looked around.  
_ _ **Inside was … stroking Hedwig**_ _, the owl proving how much she had missed her friend by worriedly hopping up to his shoulder and working her beak on his hair_ _ **.  
**_ _ **The sky … his glasses**_ _, without taking out the stuff he needed for brewing the potion to help him with his painful butt_ _ **, he lumped … fell asleep**_ _, Hedwig flying off to her cage to do the same_ _ **.**_

"And that perfectly describes the entire last two chapters." Harry says with a half-raised hand and then Amelia says: "Mr. Krum, you might want to stop doing that. We do need Mr. Potter awake for the next few chapters after all." The Bulgarian sighs and sits down next to the boy, leaning on his right arm as Harry whines in disappointment.  
Then Hagrid comes back and says: "Everything's a-okay. They just went a little rough on each other and forgot to close the door to the bedroom. I put a few of those gargoyles in front of a few of the doors, don't worry, I'll keep checking. I just don't want a Heat-controlled werewolf running around this place." And I can't help but agree.  
Then Beast sighs and stands up as he says: "Please, follow me. I'll show you the rose we talked about." Pomona nods and then she says: "Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Potter, come with me." And Harry goes from relaxed to shocked as he raises himself up on his hands and looks at the Herbology Professor as he asks: "What, me?"

* * *

 _ **Yes, Harry, you.  
**_ _ **So I added the bit about Harry's actual riches as I felt that should be addressed, what with how his lessons with Narcissa have become more and more frequent. Also, I am not entirely sure what the trouble with his manors will be, but it might be something Dumbledore either did or tried to do. His work, it will definitely be.  
**_ _ **Also, I think the group will move to the next world BEFORE**_ _ **the chapter of either Christmas or the Firebolt. Though I might have Beast and Belle come along. And finally, we are only ONE more chapter away before we are entirely caught up with where the story was BEFORE it got taken off the site last time.  
**_ _ **Crazy, right,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	61. Effects Of Spell And Heat

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So this is it. The final chapter that was up on this site when the Copyright Infringement law came into existence. There is still one chapter after this, but that was only halfway done by the time this story was taken down. And personally, I really love ending the year 2017 on a chapter that has such an iconic history to it.  
**_ _ **Happy new year,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 60  
**_ _ **Effects of the Spell and Heat**_

 _ **Beast's POV**_

I hate myself for allowing this as I didn't even accept Belle to see my rose when she first came here and now I'm letting people I've only known for less than a day enter what I once concerned my sanctuary. Still, the woman really knows her plants, that much is obvious, and if anyone can be trusted with my rose, it's Harry.  
I look behind me as I lead the group to my rooms, trying to ignore the small door leading to his parents and my parental quarters and take them up the last small staircase. Harry looks around in amazement, obviously not frightened one bit by the disgusting looking gargoyles or the broken pieces of furniture lying around.  
I smile at the kid as he seems truly amazed and intrigued and he asks: "And all this will change if we break the spell?" I nod and say: "Those Gargoyles used to be angels and statues of Ancient Greece goddesses and there used to be engravings of small cupids and roses all over the frames and at the top and bottom of the walls.

It all changed on Christmas." The group looks shocked and I smirk as I say: "Don't worry, Belle set me straight, right the first year she was there. She made me remember what it was like to celebrate Christmas with the ones you love and how wonderful it was to have hope – and she did all that through this one book."  
And I show them the paper-covered book with a perfect picture of my own castle at the front and a rose with the word fin at the end. I then quickly put it back in my cloak and whisper: "Don't tell Belle I keep it there, she thinks I keep it in my nightstand." The two boys snicker and Harry says: "Our lips are sealed."

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I don't know what amazes me more; the amazing castle, the changes that will occur to it when we break the curse, the amazing persona behind the Beast's outlooks or the fact that Professor Sprout thinks me one of the two best for this job of identifying the rose and helping professor Babbling break the curse on it.  
Then suddenly I stop in shock and everyone turns to me as Neville asks: "Harry, is something wrong?" I gulp and say: "Promise not to tell anyone and just let Professor Babbling do her work?" The three nod and Beast says: "As you said, our lips are sealed." I smile at him, take a deep breath and say: "I'm a Runerall."  
The three look at me, Neville and Professor Sprout in shock and I say: "Yeah, I know. It was shocking to me too, but I discovered it this year, when I decided to do for Hermione what she did for Ron and me. It's just that when I decided that, I chose her Ancient Runes homework and discovered I could easily read the stuff.  
I studied it every time she did, telling her I would do an Independent Study course if I ever got the chance and whispered, in an altered voice that I practiced on, some answers to her if I saw her struggle. It's how I discovered that I can read, write and decipher runes that are commonly used for the third and fourth years."

I then take a deep breath and say: "It might not be so for the runes on the Rose, if they're present, in comparison to the ones I studied when helping Hermione, but I'm willing to give it a good shot in return that this is kept quiet until we read about it, is that acceptable?" I ask, now feeling less than 1 foot tall.  
But then Beast smiles and walks over as he says: "I would be honored if my Rose and the breaking of the Curse could help you in this talent." I smile at him, amazed yet again and cursing myself for it, because he's no different from my dad Remus and then suddenly a new idea rises up in me and I hit myself on the head.  
Everyone looks shocked and I say: "Beast, your condition, while a little more permanent, is what we, in our world, call Lycanthropy and you obviously handle it amazingly, not at all hiding your amazing character behind those, no offence, terrifying looks. You can help my dad finally get peace with his own werewolf illness."  
"It's an illness?" Beast asks and I shake my head and say: "Not to me or anyone who cares about him, but he himself does see it that way and he also sees it as something that makes him push those he cares about away. He stayed away from me for twelve years and kept himself from his true love, his mate, for almost 2 decades."

The Beast looks at the door that I know leads to where my parents are staying at and he says: "He doesn't seem against it." To which I ask: "Would you be able to hold down your Heat with Belle around?" And the Beast answers: "Have been doing it for four years now." Shocking me senseless before I shake my head and mutter:  
"Stupid question." The beast looks at me and I say: "Don't take this the wrong way, but your curse is more present in every day to day life than Remus' is. His is once a month for a few days, yours – sorry." The Beast nods and says: "I have more experience, because I live it every day." And I mutter awkwardly: "Exactly."

 _ **Beast's POV**_

We have reached the doors to my room and I see how uncomfortable Harry feels at having to bring up the extended period of my problem. I sigh and smirk as I say: "I'd be happy to help your dad realize the benefits of his illness." Making Harry smile before I say: "If –." The boy whitens and I try to hold back my smirk as I say:  
"You can hold back on breaking the curse if you do recognize the runes used on my Rose." The boy looks shocked and Neville says: "So if Harry recognizes the Runes, but doesn't undo them, you'll help Lupin accept what he becomes once a month? Why? That might take another four days." And I smirk as I say:  
"Good test on the lad's endurance and patience, don't you think?" And finally does it seem to sink in with Harry that I was jesting and he laughs his head off, the other two looking at him weirdly. I personally love how open and carefree Harry now looks and vow that I will have everyone in our world help Harry laugh.

I then cough and say: "We're here. Let's not waste any more time here, less we make Harry's father aware of our position." And I open the doors to the terrible, messed up room with only the small table holding my rose looking as if it fits in a nicely, normal and cleaned up room, the petals on the rose and on the table still the same.  
Harry, Neville and Professor Sprout head over and the woman asks: "And you're sure it can live inside that glass case?" I nod and say: "It has been for the last fourteen years." The woman nods and Harry mutters: "I can see a preservation rune written at the tip of the stem and at the end, it must resonate its energy through the flower."

The other two nod and then Harry cautiously looks my way and asks: "Would you mind if we pull off the case? I don't have to touch the rose to touch the runes, but touching them would allow me to grow them, so I can read them better." I feel at a two-battle and sigh, nodding and trusting Harry as he seems so unsure of his actions.  
Harry nods back and I can tell by the look in his eyes that he feels very grateful as he turns back and gently, letting Neville and the woman cast levitation spells on the case to help him, he lifts the case and puts it on the ground, where the other two start putting protective enchantments on it, while Harry focuses back on the rose.

 _ **Harry's POV**_

Runes like these are unlike any I have ever seen and while I have been able to slowly start seeing the runes engraved in just about every stone brick of Hogwarts, were they always too vague for me to properly read. But these Runes are much more clear and I almost feel as if I can read them, even if I had still needed glasses.  
I walk around the table very carefully, casting a sticking spell on the legs to make sure I don't accidentally touch and disturb it and then say: "I think I can see something here, but I'm – I'm not sure." The Beast nods, sitting on what appears to be some remnants of his old bed and says: "Take your time, I trust you."

I look at him shocked and then shake my head and focus back on the rose. I gently, ever so carefully, touch the edge of the table where the Rose has tilted to and bend my back to look closer into the core of the flower itself, seeing something that shocks me deeply and makes me feel embarrassed as I realize what I'm seeing.  
I cough and say: "Ehem, eeeh Beast?" The Beast grumbles and I ask: "Have you ever noticed anything about the core of this flower?" And Beast answers: "Just that is started to sparkle more after I tried to get Belle to leave because Xaldin had my flower and she stole it back for me before accepting to stay on my request."

I nod and say: "Ahaa." Everyone now looks at me and I try not to cringe as I say: "Well, if I have to go by this little rune that I found in the core, it seems that that acceptation has changed the spellwork a little." Beast stands up and asks: "Changed it, how?" And I gulp, turning away from the rune as I feel embarrassed and ask:  
"Belle and you love each other and that has been vocally proclaimed a few times by now, right?" Beast nods and I say: "Well, probably because it hadn't been done on these grounds or in the vicinity of the Rose, did those proclamations change the spellwork, making it a little more complex – relation wise, so to say."  
Everyone looks at me and I take a deep breath as I say: "You have to let Belle accept to marry you." Everyone looks shocked and I say: "It's a Wedding Night Rune. It's attached to the changing and breaking runes that are slightly active and non-active each, and means that you'll change back on your wedding night."

Beast collapses on his bed and asks: "A – a wedding night? I – I always thought I'd – I'd be human by the time I'd marry Belle. I can't marry looking like this." To this I feel a shudder in the Runes and I look at them as I say: "And that must be why you're still a Beast and why the Rose hasn't undone the transformation spell yet."  
Beast looks at me and I say: "You can accept that Belle loves you and you accept that you love Belle, but you've yet to accept that your current looks are part of why she fell for you. You're still disgusted by your own looks and that – that lack of personal love – is what's causing for the Rose to keep you in this state."  
Beast looks shocked and I say: "I don't like it either, but it's the way the cookie crumbles as they say in my world. The Rose has runes at just about every petal and every inch of the stem and they're all linked together this way. Marry Belle and the spell will be broken." Beast looks at me and I shrug as he sighs, his head low.

 _ **Belle's POV**_

I can already guess that the three have failed in finding an immediate cure as Beast comes back into the Hall, still with his amazing wild fur and deep blue eyes, hidden inside deep cheekbones and under thick furry eyebrows, the fur slightly ruffled, making me know he's worried about whatever they discovered about the curse.  
Lumiere, Mrs. Potts and Chip all hop over to the Beast and he softly converses with them, apparently shocking them with the news, before large smiles appear on all their faces and I wonder what could be so good for them and bad for the Beast at the same time. Then I see the Beast talk again and read his lips as he mutters:  
"Don't let Belle know about this." And I feel angry, until I see Lumiere winking at his master, making me know the surprise won't be a bad one. I smile as the Beast approaches me and ask: "Did you find a cure?" And Beast gulps before he mumbles: "You – ehm – you can say that." This confuses me and I wonder why he sounds so agitated.

Then Harry and Neville walk in with Professor Sprout and Neville says: "You really have to sign in for Ancient Runes next year, Harry. Heck, if you do some Independent studies this summer you might even be able to teach those that have trouble with the class, if you'd like." And Harry turns red at the compliments, making me smile.  
He then says: "I would like that second idea, Neville. The class –." He cringes and says: "More of a personal matter." Neville sighs and asks: "Dursleys?" And Harry nods and answers: "It's the toughest class of all, next to Potions and Care of Magical Creatures, that is. It's just something I haven't fully pushed out of my system, so to say."

Neville nods and Harry asks: "Did you read on?" But we all shake our heads and I say: "I showed some of the more fashion and history fanatic students some of my evening gowns." Harry nods as I twirl, holding the skirt of my new pink dress with dark pink bodice and soft pink ribbon going down the front of my skirt.  
Harry smiles and sits back down on his sleeping bag, Viktor quickly taking a seat behind him and asking: "Your parents?" And Harry turns red as he turns his eyes skyward and says: "Still busy as far as we could hear." Then Ron says: "Let's read." And everyone laughs at his red face as he keeps his face turned away from the couple.

 _ **Arthur's POV**_

I laugh along with the rest as my son seems to be feeling a little awkward hearing that stuff and I wonder if he'll ever get a relationship as both Harry and Hermione are now dating. Hoping for the best for my son, I take the book and say: "I'll read." Already knowing I'll play a huge part at the end of this chapter as I start.

 _ **The Leaky … he fancied.**_ _Only at Hogwarts as last year Mrs. Weasley had been mostly shoving food on his plate instead of letting him dish things for himself – something that often made him puke his stomach empty an hour later._

"I really hate that woman, no offence Weasleys." Blaise says, but then Fred says: "Get in line." And George ends: "It's a long one." To which Belle asks: "It – it can't be –." But Ron interrupts her and says: "Wait for the start of the next chapter. You'll have your evidence." Our host looks shocked and I continue the reading.

 _ **He could … Muggle world**_ _, this need to keep his promise fueled by the fear of meeting the Dursleys somewhere down Charing Cross Road_ _ **.**_

"HEY, we forgot something!" Ron suddenly shouts and he goes on: "We were supposed to go to the movies!" And McGonagall says: "We haven't forgotten, Mr. Weasley, the teachers are simply trying to find out how to best get everyone here to the movies without drawing the Muggles' attention." Ron nods and Belle asks: "Movies?"  
And Ron says: "Ask Harry." Shocking Hermione temporarily as Harry shows Belle his picture book and then says: "Just imagine all kinds of things happening on this little screen, the screen the size of that glassed wall and someone's imagination having gone wild on it. That's pretty much what a movie is all about."  
Belle nods and says: "That's incredible. And they really move?" Harry nods and says: "It's just people performing certain acts that are part of the written script – just imagine it like one of your books shown on a screen." The girl now looks amazed and asks: "That's possible?" Harry nods and I happily read on.

 _ **Harry ate … Transfiguration Today**_ _– a paper Harry liked to read in too if the wizards were to accidentally leave it_ _ **; wild-looking warlocks … woolen balaclava.**_

"Your world sounds like so many of the books I used to read when still in the village. It's amazing." Belle says, eyes wide as she looks at me while I'm reading and I smile while Sora whispers: "We should invite our friends to their world once all this is over." And Riku nods, while pulling Sora closer to him as I read on.

 _ **After breakfast … in Azkaban.")**_

This makes Harry once again look at the doors in worry and Viktor hugs him close as he says: "Don't worry, your parents will never leave you again, they know you need them." This makes me smile in pride as Harry's worried frown is changed into a grateful smile and he kisses Viktor on the cheek softly before I read on.

 _ **Harry didn't … half hour.**_

"He really did that?" Ron asks shocked and Harry nods and says: "And he even helped me with that little ten minutes time incident.""HE DID?" The teachers ask in shock and Harry nods as he says: "Opened the back room of his store half an hour after closing time every night to give me some private grieving time."  
He then looks down and says: "I really needed that. It hardened me and made sure I still believed that someone out there could show up to, one day, show me the love I so badly wanted." Now Belle looks worried and the Beast looks furious as he must be hating those Muggles for doing that to poor Harry, just like the rest of us.

Viktor then pulls Harry closer and whispers: "There are more people in this room that care for you than there can ever be people that don't, Harry. You just make people like you, even if they don't want to. They respect you and from that respect always grows a caring heart." Harry smiles at his sweet words and softly says:  
"I can't bless the Gods enough that you were chosen as my Potter Mate. You were exactly what I needed." Viktor cuddles with him and whispers: "You shouldn't need it, Harry, but you definitely deserve it." And everyone around them nods in agreement, Beast now looking calm again and smiling as he listens to my reading.

 _ **Once Harry … at once.**_ _He also had the weird feeling that it wasn't a coincidence that Griphook had, yet again, been the one to take him to his vault, but decided that that was a problem he would solve at a later date._

"Am I the only one who thinks that this will play a major role in future books?" Ron asks and all his brothers shake their heads as Bill says: "There is no chance that Griphook would be mentioned if he didn't have a more important role to play than just that one paragraph." And with lead in my heart do I agree with my son and do I read on.

 _ **He had … Astronomy lesson.**_

"Which would have been sincerely too bad, Mr. Potter, seeing as how you've got your mother, Sirius', talent in the subject. Of course, if I were to go by the talents of your parents, you would have a talent all of your own, which is most important." Aurora Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher says and Harry smiles at her as I read on.

 _ **But the … would cost.**_

"I can assure you, Mr. Potter, that the Firebolt would have barely made a dent in your full monetary assets." McGonagall says and Harry asks: "Are – are you sure?" And Narcissa answers: "Harry dear, you would have been able to provide for all Houses and still have enough money to last another century or two."  
The young lad looks at his aunt through Sirius in shock and asks: "I – I have – I have that – that much money?" Narcissa nods and smiles at him as she says: "Next three day break, I'll make sure to take you to have a look at your assets. Merlin knows it's a highly overdue visit." The boy keeps looking at her in shock and I read on.

 _ **He had … broom already?**_

"You'll make a fine holder of your assets, Harry dear. You'll definitely do your parents proud." Narcissa tells the young man and I nod as I know that my ancestor – who lost us all our money – didn't have half the amazing endurance Harry has, let alone the personal strength to hold back and with a proud smile do I read on.

 _ **Harry didn't … Potions' ingredients**_ _along with having a quick talk with the owner to thank him in person for all the business they had been sharing for the last two years as Harry hadn't been able to pluck up the courage to do so last time_ _ **, and his … new ones**_ _, along with allowing himself one amazing t-shirt with a beautiful white deer on the shoulder_ _ **.**_

"You always wear that shirt. You love that shirt." Hermione tells Harry happily and Harry pulls open his thin sweater and says: "I'm even wearing it now." And we all see the forest green shirt with white deer on the right shoulder under the sweater. This makes Hermione and Ron look at each other and they burst out laughing.  
Sora, who has come to sit next to Harry together with Riku, Roxas and Axel, leans to the left and leans on his lower arms as he examines the shirt and says: "Amazing how that fabric still looks so thick and strong after more than a year." And Harry says: "Long live the House elves." Making Hermione cringe a little as I read on.

 _ **Most important … Divination. Harry**_ _, who was still wishing he could have taken Ancient Runes,_ _ **got a … snapping aggressively.**_

"Eeeeeeeeehhhh." Roxas and Sora say together and Riku says: "No offense, but wouldn't it have been better to put those books in smaller cages and set those cages up on one another?" To which Harry says: "Tell that to the owner, although I don't think he will thank you for it, two years late." The three boys laugh at this and I read on.

 _ **Harry pulled … new pet.**_

"I'm guessing you still had nightmares of Aragog?" Hagrid asks with his head down, while I suddenly notice how close Madam Maxine is sitting to him and Ron says: "I sure did. Dad tried to get me to see a Mind Healer several times that summer." To which Hermione asks: "Why didn't you?" And Ron growls furiously:  
"Three times a guess." This shocks Hermione and she says: "No way – she wouldn't. You're her son." But then Ron says: "Hermione, you know most of my insecurity comes from everything that woman has done to belittle me. Are you really that surprised?" The girl shakes her head and I curse Molly No-Name once again as I read on.

 _ **As Harry … this morning –"**_

"And two of them were of students not even telling him they already had those books before he was bitten." Harry growls and Hermione asks: "How do you know that?" And Harry spats: "I heard them laugh about it, while working on my homework at Florean's." Shocking the girl and I shake my head at that behavior before reading on.

 _ **A loud … it apart.**_ _Harry saw a pair of what appeared to be Sixth years watching it and laughing behind their hands and wondered about that, but got his focus pulled back to the cage a moment later._

 _ **"Stop it … his booklist**_ _, while ignoring the boys outside that apparently heard the man through the open door and were laughing even harder now_ _ **. "I need … Turn Foul.**_

"And we wonder why Trelawney is such a doomsday Seer, with those books available to her? It's no wonder she started that first lesson so gloomy." Ron tells Hermione and Harry, only to be hit on the head by Parvati, who sits behind the group with Padma and Lavender and she angrily asks: "How can you say that?"  
And Ron turns an upraised eyebrow at her and says: "Maybe because she predicts Harry's death just about every lesson. You know, after the four or fifteenth time of hearing such a thing, that class loses its credibility in my eyes." The two girls – Lavender and Parvati – huff, while Padma rolls her eyes at her sister and I read on.

 _ **"Here you … wasn't listening.**_

"Oh no, what caught his attention this time?" McGonagall asks, but then Harry snickers and says: "My mum." And a young second year asks: "Sirius Black was there?" And Harry smiles at her as she had seemed terrified and says: "Not in person, no." Confusing the girl so much she forgets her fear and I shake my head before reading on.

 _ **His eyes … gleaming eyes.**_

Now everyone who has seen Sirius' transformation and remembers it from back when we were reading the fourth book looks shocked and then the girl says: "Oh so that's what you meant." And Harry has a large grin on his face as he nods at the girl, making her blush softly before she turns her head the other way.  
Then Sora says: "I don't get it. What does that dog have to do with Sirius?" And Harry answers: "Sirius is a Dog Animagus that is often referred to as the Grim. He looks just like the dog on that cover so." The Keyblade Wielder nods in understanding and Axel says: "That's pretty neat. Are there others too?"

And McGonagall changes into a cat and back, to the wide eyes of Sora and Roxas and the intrigued eyes of Riku and Axel. The two then suddenly share a glance and Axel says: "Hey Riku, am I the only one feeling as if something's missing?" And while everyone looks at them confused, does Riku shake his head and say:  
"No, I feel it too. Must be something related to the Polyjuice Potion chapter." The two smirk at each other and then suddenly Sora and Roxas shout as they are lifted off their seats on the rug and put on their boyfriend's laps, Riku and Axel holding them ever so close and saying in chorus: "Yes, this is much, much better."  
Everyone looks at the two couples in shock and then my twin boys are the first to start snickering, Lee following them and when Collin takes a picture, first of Sora and then of Roxas, does everyone burst out laughing and do Axel and Riku kiss Sora and Roxas, probably to take the younger boys' minds off their embarrassment.

 _ **Axel's POV**_

"This was so overdue." I think as my lips hungrily lick and peck at those of my beloved Roxas, the amazing blonde giving as much as he takes and the heart I have known I have beats in my chest like a drum, making me long for more and more of that delicious blonde on my lap, even while I know we only just got together.  
This is definitely not helped by the fact that Roxas has a firm hand tied in the back of my hair or that his position brings the fire of passion up within me worse than when he and I are fighting a powerful Heartless together and I have to work my hardest not to make a sound that can indicate what I actually want to do with him.

Still the idea of having to mind the young and innocent minds of the many eleven, twelve and thirteen year olds around me drives me crazy and I finally pull my lips from those divine, ever so tempting lips and ask the group around me: "Does anyone object to a break after this chapter?" To which everyone shakes their heads and I smile.  
Then Roxas cuddles closer and says: "You're right, Axel, we all need a quick break. Especially those in love." I smile at my beautiful boyfriend, the love of my life smiling back at me before burying his sweet, blonde haired face in my chest and I try ever so hard to forget what I can do with him while we're in this position together.

 _ **Roxas' POV**_

To have Axel kiss me so out of the blue after confusing me with that little act he and Riku played up makes me fall in love with the exuberant Flurry of Dancing Flames all over again, something that often happened during our one on one time at the Clocktower and I can't help but cuddle deeper into his warm embrace.  
To be held by those powerful, muscular, divine arms is something I know I have been wanting since I first fell for the Fiery Nobody and to know that he actually loves me back is something I still – after 3 days – can't get my head around, even with all the signs of love Axel showed me – especially after our return to the Great Hall.

I try to see if he's looking at me and feel stupid, because I should have known that Axel only has eyes for me after that amazing make-out session. I lock eye-contact with him and while feeling as if I'm being caught and held by a gigantic emerald surrounded by fire and trying not to drown in it, do I softly lie a hand on my stomach.  
The idea that – if Axel and I ever make love – I can actually be capable of carrying his child has seemed impossible to me until I met Harry and now the knowledge won't disappear out of my head and neither will the image of me lying on a large bed with Axel lying closely next to me and our baby held in my arms.  
I shake my head and try not to let it be too obvious that the idea of Axel inside me turns me on, let alone the idea of the possible consequences and then, realizing that I'm losing sight of where we are, I softly reward Axel for his sweet and amazing gesture of love and romance and peck him on the lips ever so shortly.

 _ **Sora's POV**_

I just know that Roxas and I are sharing a mind right now, just like Riku and Axel were when they overwhelmed us with that sudden kiss. How I know is that I am sitting in mirror stance to the boy and while Riku has his head on top of mine and is softly carding through my hair, am I looking at the blonde sitting next to me.  
Roxas has his eyes firmly locked with Axel's, but I can tell that it's just to distract the redhead as Roxas slowly lies a hand on his stomach, the same place we found out that we can carry children three days ago. The funny thing is that Roxas' attempt to distract Axel is failing as the redhead sees the gesture and smiles.  
Then Roxas quickly and shortly pecks Axel on the lips and I smile at this as I whisper: "How many times did I wish I could do that with you." And Riku asks: "How many?" I sigh and say: "Pretty much every day after we reunited at the Organization's Stronghold, along with the self-blaming on that I didn't act out then."

Riku laughs and says: "Sora, if I had even slightly responded to how I felt, you wouldn't have just caught a Paopu fruit that day when we decided to build a raft and journey off our islands." I look at him shocked and he says: "As I said, I was jealous of the fact Kairi had your heart – or so I've been thinking these last two years."  
He then kisses me again and whispers against my lips: "And I have been thanking Kingdom Hearts every day for the last four that I was wrong. I love you so much, Sora, you are the Light I fight for." I smile and say: "Remember that woman we met when I was four and we did that race from the docks to the beach?"  
Riku nods and I lie my head down on his chest as I say: "I made you and her a promise that day, remember? That if you were to get lost or wander down a dark path alone, I would be there to protect you and keep you safe, remember? I never really said it, I know that, but I know she could see in my eyes that I would do it."  
Riku smiles down at me and while I can't see it, do I feel it with my whole body as I say: "I will always protect you, Riku, just like you always protected me. Like – when I was asleep for that entire year." The soft petting of my hair is indication that Riku is listening and I feel calm and loved, burying myself deeper in his embrace.

 _ **Riku's POV**_

"That Sora still remembers that woman. We never even got to know her name." I think silently, again amazed at the person that is my Sora. Then I remember the other person we met during those days and ask: "Remember that man I wouldn't tell you about, because he and I shared a secret and he swore me not to tell?"  
Sora nods, his head moving softly against my chest and warming me from the inside as I say: "He's the one who made me a Keyblade Wielder." Sora looks at me in pure shock and I nod as I say: "Yeah, he let me hold his Keyblade after this weird chant he made and when I held it, it almost felt as if it was my Keyblade."

Sora looks on in pure shock and then he looks down and asks: "Remember what Braig said in my dream? About the Keyblade having only chosen me because of how meeting other people makes me strong? I – I don't think that was the only reason it chose me." This makes me smile at my beautiful love and I turn his face to mine.  
His azure blue eyes are actually dark with a hidden pain and I feel for him as I say: "You're right, it's also because you make us strong. You are the Light of the entire world, Sora, by just being who you are. And because that Light makes others feel strong, did the Keyblade know for sure you were the right one for its use."  
The brown haired boy smiles at me and he says: "And because of that heart I keep stored within my own." I look shocked and he asks: "Remember that –." But then I notice how people are looking at us and I whisper in his ear: "We'll talk later." Sora shivering at the tone, but nodding and I give Arthur the Good to go sign.

 _ **Arthur's POV**_

The act Axel and Riku put up is definitely humorous, but I can't help feel envious of how easily they have found their true loves as it seems that the two have always known who they belong with. I then shake my head, not wanting to think of that horrid woman and how terribly she treated my children and quickly read on.

 _ **It looked … several people.**_

"I remember that. I was shopping with my mum because she was out of Potions ingredients and we saw you. I tried calling you, but mum said that you looked as if you just saw the Grim. Apparently, in a way, she was right." Seamus says and Harry laughs at this, which makes Vicktor, myself and many others smile before I read on.

 _ **He tramped … wheezy voice.  
**_ _Harry shook his head and looked at the books, only to remember that there was still small list he had made of books he had read in the Hogwarts library that he really wanted to buy and he shook his head, he wasn't going to go back – yet._

"Never really did go back. Don't know why I didn't, but – wait, I do remember thinking that, but the next day it felt as if that decision had been made by Hermione and I had heard her talking about it." Harry says shocked and Viktor growls as I mutter: "Dumbles must have been keeping an eye on you during your stay."  
This makes Harry shiver and he looks down and whimpers: "Why won't that man just leave me alone? Why is he so determined to ruin my life? Ruin who I am?" No one has an answer and Viktor cuddles him close, but I know who the boy really needs right now and look out through the closed doors to the hall while thinking:  
"I know you've only been together for so long, Remus, but please. Control your Heat and come here quick. Your son needs you." I then look at my own and whisper: "And mine need a mother." Sparring a very short glance at Amelia, before looking back at my sons, only to see Bill look at me with a look that says he heard me.  
He then looks at Amelia herself and after a few minutes of looking, in which I pretend to reread what I read before, does he look back and over the top of the book, do I see my son smile at me supportively. Tears appear in my eyes at the fact that my son accepts a new mother so quickly and I smile back at him before reading on.

 _ **As the … or Hermione**_ _if only to forget about the dog he saw and to remind Hermione of her wish to buy some books she had read about in the Hogwarts library_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Plenty of … Blotts. Harry**_ _, who had considered Neville his older brother since an incident in first year,_ _ **didn't stop … formidable-looking grandmother.  
**_ _Yet as he wanted to try and ignore it, did he remember what had happened as he had been picked up by the Knight Bus and sighed, turned around and, as he passed the two, he whisper-muttered: "Got to remember to head for the Owl Emporium before I leave." And while he hid himself by merging with a small group of shoppers, did he see Neville look up before he turned and actually fled into said Emporium. And the look on his grandmother's face proved she understood why, making him feel better as he thought: "That ought to calm the woman down."  
_ _And with that did he start walking the other way, cringing as he remembered the way Lady Longbottom had been publicly talking down on her grandson and vouching he would help Neville's confidence back up once the school year had started._

This makes the round-faced boy smile at the young lad and he says: "So that's why you constantly sat with me during meals. I thought it was because you wanted to show the school about our friendship. Do like this reason better." Harry smiles, but then shakes his head and Viktor whispers something to which Harry shakes his head again.  
The elder boy sighs and stands up, lifting a startled Harry into his arms and he asks the Beast: "Where is the nearest bedroom? My mate needs some sleep." Beast tilts his head and Harry says: "Dreamless Sleep makes it easier for me to be exhausted unless I drink it during the night. Strange allergic reaction or something."  
The Beast nods and stands up, running a loving hand over Belle's back and Belle smiles as Beast leads the two out of the room. I personally worry for Harry as he seems more and more sleepy the longer we read and suddenly a terrible thought enters my mind and I whisper: "Great Merlin's beard, please let me be wrong."

Everyone looks at me and Charlie asks: "What's wrong, dad?" And I ask: "Has anyone else noticed how Harry seems to get more and more tired the more we read?" The rest of the entire group looks at each other and Filius says: "Well, now that you mention it, he really does, doesn't he?" And everyone else nods and I ask:  
"Does anyone know how old the last person was who used this Time Reading Spell?" And a young Seventh year Ravenclaw says: "I read about that after the first book. The last person to use this spell was 37 and –." Then the girl whitens and gasps, confirming my worst fears as I ask: "He died at the end of the reading, didn't he?"  
The rest of the school along with the Beauxbattons and Durmstrang students look shocked and the girl shakes her head and says: "No, but he didn't have seven books. He had three and he slept for a month at the end of the third." This does not console the students around us and Ginny asks: "Is there – is there anything we can do?"

I nod and say: "We have to put up a bedtime for Harry. If he can catch up with the many hours of sleep he must have missed while practicing for the Tournament, then he can easily sleep enough hours to stay awake and healthy during the few hours we will spend reading." This makes everyone nod in agreement and Axel says:  
"I can help." Everyone looks at him and he says: "If your bed feels nice and warm, you sleep better. I can use my Fire Powers to make sure the bed is exactly the right temperature for Harry to sleep many, many hours." Everyone smiles at this idea and Roxas kisses his cheek in pride, making the redhead smile widely.  
Then Minerva says: "So it's decided. We will lessen the amount of time we read the books during the day, make sure we have at least three hours a day to ourselves – meals not included – and Mr. Potter will make long hours of rest during the night to make sure he stays healthy no matter how much the spell can affect him."  
Everyone nods and I just know that Sirius and Remus are going to flip if they hear what the spell does to their son. Really hoping they will come back soon, as their son is starting to need them more and more, do I spare yet another glance at the door, just when Beast walks through them and after Belle tells him of our decision, do I read on.

 _ **Harry hoped … of Magic,**_ _even if that encounter gave him a chance to help his friend escape her wrath later on_ _ **.  
**_ _With only three days left before the school started again, did Harry again visit Quidditch Quality Supplies and suddenly he saw something new on the Seeker department of the store; a book called_ _Healthy And Small; The Fittest Way For Every Seeker To Shine_ _by Gwendolyn Morgan, who Harry knew had been a famous Team Captain for the Hollyhead Harpies in the 1950's and a trainer for other players after her retirement of the team.  
_ _Instantly Harry reached deep into his money pouch, but to his shock the book only costed 3 Sickles and so he quickly bought an entire set, deciding to keep the rest of the set at Hogwarts for after his graduation._

"So that's how that crazy set arrived in my library. I've been wondering about that for almost two years now." Irma Pince says, actually smiling humorously and Minerva asks: "What do you mean, Irma? Didn't you do a check on them to see who bought them?" The strict-looking woman shakes her head and says:  
"I had already bought myself a copy and wondered who else had done so. I just thought that one of the Hogwarts Quidditch teams had done it for if they ever got a Reserve team, but I always wondered who would get their entire team to do that. I did ask the Captains, but they told me they had no idea." Minerva nods and I read on.

 _ **Harry woke … up, dressed**_ _, did some of the exercises his new book recommended_ _ **, went for … he turned.**_

"He really did those exercises every morning. We even went along with him a few times, but then I decided I wanted to be Keeper, so I stopped." Ron tells the rest of us smiling and Dean says: "Those group exercises sure were fun." And the other two dorm mates nod, while everyone smiles at them and I happily read on.

 _ **"Harry! HARRY!" … Aunt Marge.**_ _Harry could only hope he hadn't heard of what happened the night before, but knew that Uncle Vernon wasn't stupid enough to prance around about that in front of people he considered freaky and wrong._

"I hate the fact that Harry's right. We really didn't hear a thing about why Potter did it, the Dursleys were very adamant on that." Arthur growls and Amelia says: "Don't worry, Arthur, after questioning Albus like I did, did I make sure to have a quick and _very_ thorough visit around the Dursley residence, with them under custody, naturally."  
This makes me smile at the woman and Cornelius says: "But wait, you didn't even know about this yet." And Amelia says: "That's true, but locking a teenage wizard in his room, the sex toy Mr. Potter showed us and the starvation were plenty enough for my Department to have a valiant reason for arresting all of them."  
The man nods and says: "Good job, Amelia. And where are they?" And Amelia makes my day as she says: "Still at their home, but they are under constant surveillance. And if they commit any more sins, an Unspeakable will set them straight, while my Auror will write down the crime in a report." Cornelius nods and I read on.

 _ **"Did you … lost control."**_ _And instantly after this, Harry ordered a big sundae, just to forget about the reasons as to why he did lose control as it still made him shudder.  
_ _ **"It's not … be arrested."**_ _'Something he wouldn't have minded, had it meant he could be arrested together with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Marge' Harry thought but didn't say._ _ **He**_ _then shook his head and_ _ **looked at … killed me.**_

"Unless it was Aunt Muriel, then even that woman would have praised you for doing it." The twins chorus and Ron looks at them as he asks: "You really think that? With dad working at the Ministry and her putting so much pressure on that all the time." The twins cringe and mutter: "Good point." While I growl and think:  
"That woman! She must have somehow forced me into that job, just to make sure she could hang it over the heads of my poor kids. I really need to make sure that whoever I end up with –." I spare a short glance at Amelia and think: "She and I agree to work together on how to raise my kids." And with that decision do I read on.

 _ **Anyway, you … unicorn tail-hair.**_

"Wait, unicorn tail hair?" Charlie suddenly asks shocked and Ron nods and asks: "Yeah, why?" And Charlie says: "Because my old wand had a unicorn hair too. That must have been the thing that actually made sure you could still use it. Had it been something else, it would have been broken long before your second."  
Ron looks shocked and Minerva says: "That does make sense. And Mr. Longbottom has a lot more trouble with his wand, so I'm guessing it's just the wood that's the same as a identical set of cores must have a different effect on magic than an identical set of wood." Everyone nods and the woman asks:  
"Mr. Longbottom, have you written your grandmother about this yet?" Neville shakes his head and says: "Gran is always abroad the last few days before school ends. She says it's to make sure she is focused enough for the both of us." This makes me growl and I mutter: "And she wonders how you have no self-confidence."  
The boy lowers his head in shame and I go on: "It is not your fault, Neville. Your gran sees someone in you that isn't there and she tries pushing that person out of you instead of letting you be yourself. She's no better than all those Boy-Who-Lived fans and needs to realize that." Neville smiles at me shyly and I read on, smiling.

 _ **And we've … Hermione earnestly.**_

"It would have been, if the Board of Governors allowed me a little more leisure, like field trips and an excursion to Muggle Museums, like my predecessors have been asking to do for the last thirty years." Charity growls angrily and Lucius shocks me as he asks: "What are you talking about? We never got any of those requests."  
The woman looks at him shocked and then shouts: "DAMN YOU, DUMBLEDORE!" Everyone looks at her shocked and she says: "My predecessor always told me to take these requests to Dumbledore, because he loved Muggles so much. I did, but he never forwarded it to the Board. He deliberately kept our class outdated."

Everyone looks shocked and Minerva asks: "Why are we still surprised? That monster has been ruining the life of one of our own for almost fifteen years now and even ruined the life of a student fifty years ago and still we are surprised when something new about that bastard comes to the light. Why is that?"  
We all look at each other and then Sora says: "Perhaps because you have been loyal to him for so long, it takes you more time than you had expected to really – with your hearts – accept that he was not the Light Hero you thought he was." This makes us all look at each other and then Hermione shrugs and says:  
"He did carry the title of being our leader and hero since he defeated Grindelwald. And that was exactly 50 years ago now, so – well – he did have an amazing amount of time to let that reputation grow and all." Everyone nods at the girl, all of us looking slightly uncomfortable with this and I sigh before reading on.

 _ **"Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?" asked Harry,**_ _taking a last bite from his sundae, Florean having recognized him and having added extra chocolate, just the way he liked it,_ _ **while Ron sniggered. Hermione ignored them.**_

Yet many of the adults smirk at each other and Minerva asks: "Was that boy living up to his future as Remus' son or something there?" Yet Poppy seems not to share the joke as she says: "Chocolate helps with many a mental or emotional trauma. This was no different." And her colleague grimaces before she nods as I read on.

 _ **"I've still … with him."**_

"Ohoooh, something didn't agree with him, but it wasn't Egypt." Ron growls and Percy asks: "So now we'll finally find out what happened to Scabbers?" But then Ginny asks: "What do you mean, _what happened_? Crookshanks ate him, didn't he?" But Percy shakes his head and says: "Hagrid told me he found him.  
He said he had given him back to Ron on the day Sirius escaped captivity, but I never saw Ron come back to the common room with him, so." The girl nods and I look at my youngest son, who seems to get angrier the longer we talk about his old, lost pet. Wondering what could be behind that anger, do I quickly read on.

 _ **Scabbers was … her owl."**_ _He knew he should have reminded her of the books she wanted to buy, but decided to just take her to Flourish and Blotts later as she would surely remember as soon as she went to the bookstore._

"So why didn't we see those books in Hermione's trunk, other than that it was actually Harry who wanted to buy them and not Hermione?" Lavender asks in confusion and Hermione says: "Something – or better said someone – conveniently came into our path. A convenient someone, indeed." And she smiles very widely as she says this.  
The girl looks confused and asks: "Who?" And Ron says: "Someone who got my irritation without deserving it all year. And that –." He says with a raised hand as Lavender tries opening her mouth again and he says: "Is all the hints you will get." The girl pouts while the twins snicker at the entire situation and I read on.

 _ **So they paid for their ice-creams**_ _, Ron and Hermione patiently waiting as Harry gulped down the molten chocolate sauce that was in the bowl,_ _ **and crossed … or hissing.**_ _Harry secretly felt slightly awkward, but as he hadn't seen the inside of his cupboard in over two years could he happily conclude that the claustrophobia Erica had diagnosed him with was definitely becoming a part of his – as he called it – dark Muggle past. This in itself made him smile in fascination as he was able to have another good look around._

"When did you diagnose him with that?" Poppy asks shocked and Erica says: "Soon after he came into my class, when he was just a little, sick toddler of five years old." This shocks everyone in the room and Belle asks: "And it has since then been disappearing?" But Erica shakes her head and says: "Only the last two years."  
"What happened before that?" The small cup named Chip asks and Erica cringes as she says: "Before that something about his homelife only worsened it and I could never have him in my classroom when the desk was near a cupboard or closet of any kind." This makes the cup cringe as well and the tea pot cuddles him softly as I read on.

 _ **The witch … bald tails.  
**_ _Harry even heard some snakes at the far back of the store talk to each other, but kept his focus and therefore only caught parts of the conversation – but what he caught confused him, 'Four humans, four delicious humans. One of them easy to eat even, how delightful.' Harry didn't understand, but then something made him decide he didn't want to understand._

"The snakes actually knew that – no way, that is just too crazy." Ron says, strangely enough halting halfway through his sentence and Percy asks: "So you know what those snakes were talking about?" Ron nods and says: "It's a big part of the plot. Gets revealed at the end of the book." My third eldest nods and I read on, feeling curious.

 _ **The double-ended … her pocket.**_

"I really should have." Ron sighs with a shocking empathy and Hermione kids: "Listen to those with working experience, Ron, they always know best." To which the lad nods, while even Hermione's boyfriend, Blaise, looks at the two of them shocked and I feel myself wanting this book to end even quicker as I read on.

 _ **Ron lifted … especially woebegone.**_

"Amazing description. I'm sorry, but I can't stop saying it." Minerva says and she goes on: "How on earth is it possible for a child with such a talent for detail to write mediocre essays with normal grammar and a terrible sense of paragraphs?" To this everyone nods, understanding the woman's point and Mss. Crenson says:  
"As I said, Harry had been taken from my class before he could learn proper grammar and I never really got to teach him everything he needs to write proper essays, because of that terrible deed Dudley performed when Harry was a little older." Everyone nods and the teachers shudder in remembered fear as I read on, feeling queasy.

 _ **"Hm," said … interesting powers.**_

"No wonder, the dirty." Ron tries to mumble, but then Hermione says: "Ron, they have already witnessed how terrible that rat can really be. They read about it at the start of this all. Don't make it worse by ruining the plot." This makes my son nod, even though I don't understand any more of what they're talking about and read on.

 _ **The witch's … of these..."**_

"Okay, she might not look it, but that woman really knows how to be a salesman. Trying to console a customer by letting him buy a new rat, that's business talk." Lucius says and Hermione says: "I wonder if Harry would ever be able to do that." To this Ron snorts and says: "No way, he carries his heart on his sleeve too much."  
"But that's not essentially a bad thing, though." Narcissa says and she goes on: "Madam Mallekin is the most honest saleswoman in Diagon Alley and she has been so honest, she often insults her customers. Yet, she has been in the top rank of best salesmen in Diagon Alley for the last twelve years, or so I was told."  
Ron looks at the woman interested and says: "I do remember Madam Mallekin insulting Percy when she said his school robes wouldn't match his hair color because he would probably be in Ravenclaw with his intelligence and that he should tone that down, but – yeah, I guess I see your point." The woman smiles and I read on.

 _ **She indicated … much – OUCH!"**_

"And there the brightest cat of England just entered the scene. No offence, Professor McGonagall." Ron says happily, but hastily at the end and the woman purses her lips and asks: "And how is this common cat smarter than I am?" And Ron answers: "He saw the truth with one glance, you didn't." Minerva feels confused and I read on.

 _ **Ron buckled … said Harry.**_

This makes just about everyone laugh and my sons moan: "Why? Why do we always miss it?" To which the Gryffindor Chasers, who sit near the two, shake their heads unknowingly, Angelina having her hands over her stomach and Katie and Alicia leaning over each other laughing. I look around and Beast asks:  
"Is it really that funny?" To which I say: "We've had a few very rough chapters and last book almost didn't end well so I'm guessing that the students are easily tensed up lately and that their curiosity is so high from wanting to know about Scabbers that it suddenly snapped at that comment." The Beast nods and I read on.

 _ **"Where's Hermione … Hermione, glowing.**_

Then I suddenly cringe and say: "Hermione, you are not going to like this next part." And the girl sighs as she asks: "Will Harry ever give a flattering description to anyone?" But I shrug as the twins say: "Your descriptions this chapter weren't half bad." The bushy haired girl nods in agreement and I smile before reading on.

 _ **That was … brick wall.**_

"That – wasn't half-bad either. It started off nicely. It just ended with an insult." Hermione sighs and then Collin cringes and says: "Actually, that was my first opinion as well." The girl looks at him shocked and he says: "That's why I took the picture of him. I thought him cool for surviving such a run." Hermione groans and I read on.

 _ **Now that … wanted him."**_

"I think, Hermione, that Ron's problem was that girls could get into boys Dorms and you had already done that. He was probably expecting you to do it again and feared the consequences." Percy says and Ron mutters: "And I was right too." Making Hermione cringe, to which Blaise wraps an arm around her and I quickly read on.

 _ **"I wonder … their shopping.**_ _Harry had always cared more for Mr. Weasley than for Mrs. Weasley and that was mostly because Harry could see the hidden anger that boiled under the skin of the Weasley kids every time Mrs. Weasley came down on them – which was a lot of times and for the worst reasons. And to make matters worse, had Harry discovered that Mrs. Weasley also complained about her kids in her own bedroom, after midnight._

"I'm going to assume that this intro means we will be getting a lot to hear about that woman?" Amelia asks with a snarl and Susan looks at her shocked as she sighs and says: "I'm sorry, Arthur, but Susan already lost her parents and I hate anyone who hurts their family. I'm vehemently against it, but I should let it out on Molly."  
But I shake my head and say: "Other than the fact that a thirteen year old sees more of the secrets of my family than I did and that it took me these books to see my wife for who she really is, do I not blame anyone for insulting that woman as she no longer carries any name for me." The woman nods and I turn to my sons.  
Again deciding that they need a mother who is just and strict, I decide to just take a small step for now and ask: "Perhaps you can have some coffee with me before her trial so that you can prepare me for what I will be hearing about her?" The woman nods and says: "Of course, I'd be honored." Making me smile before I read on.

 _ **Mr. Weasley … at him.**_ _The dark black eyes – making Harry strangely enough think they're actually silver colored or something – were strangely smiling with small wrinkles around the edges and yet, Harry couldn't help but feel for the pain hidden behind – what he could only call – was a fake smiling face._

This makes Amelia and I share a shocked glance and then I ask: "Dobby, the paper with Sirius' picture, please." And the eager elf, that has been helping us from time to time, appears, showing me the picture. I quickly look at it, my shoulder warming up and making me know that Amelia is looking over my shoulder.  
Looking at the man's picture, I can't help but feel stupid as I now see what Harry saw all those years ago. Then Amelia says: "Unbelievable that a thirteen year old sees something no one in the Ministry has been able to see for almost two years." To this the twins chorus: "THAT'S HARRY!" And I laugh before lying the paper down.

But then, when I look back up, I look straight in Amelia's eyes and I suddenly feel my magic shooting out of my core, hurting me as it seems to rip through my skull, at the same time that Amelia hisses and I see her magic erupting from her as well. The two beams, mine brownish red and hers navy blue, collide right above us.  
Expecting a shock and an explosion and already reaching my hand into my robe for my wand, I am shocked when two creatures, a Silver Weasel and a Silver Eagle appear out of the beams and fly around each other, causing for two waves of light to create one intertwined beam of light to appear between us the higher they fly.  
I look at the woman I am growing a crush on and see her looking back at me and when I see the same determination I am sure can be seen in my own eyes, do we nod in sync and do we both raise our wands at our ever rising Patroni as we chorus: "Houses Inter-Union – UNITE!" Two beams of light shoot from our wands and I say:

"I, Arthur William Weasley bind myself, my sons, my daughter and the future of my House to the House of Bones, the future of Amelia Susan Bones and the future of her niece, Susan Bones." And while everyone, including my four youngest look at me in shock, do I see pride and acceptance in the eyes of Bill, Charlie and Percy.  
I smile at them and then Amelia says: "I, Amelia Susan Bones, bind myself, my niece and the future of my House to the House of Weasley, the future of Arthur William Weasley, the future of his sons and the future of his daughter, Ginerva Molly Weasley." And with that we chorus: "In name of Weasley and Bones. So we swear, so mote it be."  
And two lights come from our wands and instantly connect themselves to the intermingled lights above us, blending with them and brightening their colors the higher our own beams rise. Finally they reach the Patroni and the two of them let out loud, happy screams before disappearing with one last sound wave.

Then the Beast stands up and with his hand on the left side of his chest does he says: "In name of my Castle and all its inhabitants, do I acknowledge the new Weasley-Bones House and do I welcome it to my Sanctuary and all its conveniences." Amelia and I bow to him in gratefulness and I whisper: "I'll explain later." To my four youngest.  
They nod and Amelia does the same to Susan, the girl smiling with a nod and coming to sit with us together with Hannah, Justin, Ernie and all my sons, Ron, Fred, George and Ginny still looking slightly awkward. But Amelia gives them all a loving hug and they all smile at her afterwards, before I focus back on the reading.

 _ **"They still … so far."**_

"Ehem, isn't that extremely dangerous?" Fiana asks and she goes on: "I mean, if even those that are supposed to keep magic from being detected are pulled off their jobs, won't that endanger the Stature of Secrecy and all." Amelia and I share a shocked glance at hearing the woman speak such sense and I mutter worriedly:  
"Thank goodness that madness only lasted a month." But then Cornelius says: "Actually, it lasted longer for other Departments, I just put up a certain time limit depending on how long incoming assignments and everything could wait with being handled." This makes my new bonded groan in frustration and I read on.

 _ **"Would we … more money –"**_

"I don't ever want to make money on that. Arresting an innocent man, what was I thinking?" Ron shouts in disgust and Hermione says: "Ron, there was no way you could have known Sirius was innocent at the time, or that he would do all the amazing things he did for Harry over the years. Don't blame yourself."  
My son nods at her, but I can tell that he doesn't fully believe it and I think: "The number of people for which Sirius and Remus need to come back is steadily growing, it seems." And I sigh as it's quite obvious that this whole reading has become barely possible without its most prominent members and with that revelation do I read on.

 _ **"Don't be … girl, Ginny.**_ _Harry had to work hard, like last year, to keep his face from turning into a scowl as the woman was again harassing her daughter on not wearing a skirt or dress. Harry wondered if she would ever understand that you can't have one princess as your daughter if she has six sturdy male brothers to look up to._

"And don't you forget it." Ginny says with a wide smile and then Amelia asks: "How about a simple skirt during lunch, dinner or breakfast once a week. You can then wear real army clothes during the rest of that day. How's that sound?" And instantly my daughter looks like she just got appointed by the Holyhead Harpies.  
"That's the same agreement she made with me when I left for Hogwarts." Susan says with a laugh and Hannah asks: "Why is that?" And Susan laughs: "Because I considered the skirts we girls have included into our uniforms enough for me to wear during the week." The two girls and my daughter snicker at this and I smile.  
Looking from Amelia to my daughter, I can already tell that Amelia will bring Ginny to be the woman she is meant to be, the woman she would have definitely grown to be thanks to the many brothers she was raised with. Glad that that woman can no longer wrongly influence my baby girl's future, I smile at Amelia and read on.

 _ **Ginny, who … at him.**_ _Harry saw Mrs. Weasley shoot a glance between him and Ginny and could only barely hold himself back from rolling his eyes; her daughter was only twelve and already the woman seemed to be ready to marry her off. Harry silently shook his head; he would have none of it, he wouldn't bow to the woman's demands. Instead of that, did he kindly greet the girl back, making sure to keep things formal and friendly as to give a secret message to Mrs. Weasley; "Back off!"_

This makes everyone laughs and Percy says: "Oops, misread that one." Everyone looks at him and he says: "It's probably next. I kind of behaved that way during the greeting, because I thought Harry was greeting Ginny like a Lord greets a Lady or an Heiress." Those looking at him nod in understanding and I smile at my son as I read.

 _ **Percy, however … the mayor.**_

"Okay, that was not my intention." Percy says blushing and then a wheezy voice says: "At least it helps Harry learn how to greet someone of high society." We all look at the double doors and see Sirius and Remus walk in, both with mangled clothes and their hair complete messes as they sit down near us.  
We look at them shocked and Remus says: "When in Heat, werewolves usually hide out in forests, where there is fresh meet and lots to hunt, so they can provide for their starving mates. Here – we're kind of unable to do so, so we decided to have some meat and beef here while the reading goes on." We all nod and Beast says:  
"I will have my staff prepare their finest meat and outside of our castle is still a large forest separating this castle from the small village Belle grew up in. It's the territory of many wolves, but if you stay close, Belle and my staff can tend to you, would you get injured. She did so with me during our first day of her stay here."

Belle shakes her head at this and says: "That, together with Christmas, was the only time we ever really fought, remember? I was still too curious for my own good and you were so full of hating yourself you easily got angry, only to regret it later." Beast smiles at her and moves over, sitting behind her as she says:  
"I do regret shouting at you like I did, but I don't regret that fight. It brought us together and was the start of everything that brought us here today." Belle smiles at him as he softly lies a clawed hand on her cheek and she says: "So do I. And let's not forget that one time when Xaldin almost made us fight about me staying here."

This strangely enough makes Sora laugh and he says: "I sure won't forget that anytime soon." The two look at him in confusion and he says: "That right hook you gave Xaldin when he tried forcing Beast to choose between you and the Rose. I'll never forget the look on his face when you did that." And he laughs again.  
Roxas, in the meantime, looks at Belle with wide eyes and so does Axel and the redhead asks: "You – you right-hooked Xaldin?" Belle nods in pride and I hear Axel whisper: "And they say that redheads have a temper." Which makes my twin sons chorus: "We do, and proud of it." Making everyone laugh before I read on.

 _ **"Very well … Percy scowled**_ _and Harry couldn't help but feel as if he just missed some important lesson, making him tilt his head Percy's way_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"That's enough, now," said Mrs. Weasley**_ _, causing for small scowls to appear on the faces of all Weasley sons and Harry, who was – thankfully – a master at hiding them, but he was still sad to see how good the twins were at hiding their scowls as well as they turned to face the demeaning woman_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"Mum!" said … with pride.  
**_ _Harry looked at Percy and could see him trying not to shake his head in disgust. He gave the lad a small, almost invisible nod and was surprised to see tears appear behind the rimmed glasses of the elder boy, who turned his head away later, faking to clean his glasses.  
_ _ **"And last … his breath**_ _, making a confused Harry turn back to the conversation at hand_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"I don't … Ginny giggled**_ _, while Harry felt new anger for Mrs. Weasley as he knew it was impossible for McGonagall to name even one of the two twins Prefect as the woman knew perfectly well how amazingly brilliant the twins did everything together. Making even one of the two Prefect would break the two forever; as if forcing one of them to live in a castle like Hogwarts and the other the garden shed of his Uncle_ _ **.**_

"Good description and very true." The twins chorus and Ron asks: "Why didn't that woman ever think of it that way?" And I answer angrily: "Because she only cared for power and how to best grab hold of it – with an iron fist of demeaning leadership, that is." My sons and daughter nod in agreement and I sigh before saying:  
"Boys – I – I'm just –." But all of them shake their heads and Bill says: "You have nothing to apologize for, father. We should have confided our problems into you, you were our Head of House after all. We just didn't want to overload your workload, seeing all that woman and the Ministry already made you do."  
My other children nod and I smile at them all in pride as Riku whispers: "A whole family of Keyblade Wielders if you ask me." And from the corner of my eye do I see Sora nod in agreement, together with Roxas and Axel. I smile at the four and then hug each of my sons one by one before sitting back with Amelia and reading on.

 _ **"You want … spotted us."  
**_ _Harry had the strange urge that he had to follow Percy and ask him about that lesson he thought he had missed, but he had missed his friends so much, he decided to ask Percy later after he heard from Ron that he and Percy were sharing a room next to his._

"Okay, first of all, what I said came out totally wrong and was only meant to please that woman for as long as she was around as I was totally comfortable with Ginny looking up to you guys. Second of all, there is so much I had wanted to teach Harry that night, I just didn't want to ruin his night because I could see he had missed the others."  
Percy explains us and Ron says: "So that's why you insisted on sitting close to him, you wanted to make sure he could learn from your actions." My son shrugs with a sheepish smile and then Sirius asks: "Speaking of which, where is Harry?" I cringe and Remus asks: "Did something happen?" Growling furiously.

I shake my head and say: "I just think that all those naps over the last few days and the fact that Harry is only fourteen makes the Time Reading Spell take a lot out of him, so he needs an upgrade on his energy and nutrition potions and needs to make sure he sleeps long hours during the night. Oh, and we need to cut down our reading time."  
The two look at me worried and Sirius asks: "What – what happened?" And Beast says: "Harry just fell asleep only two chapters after having taken one of his own sleeping potions for that one chapter he dreaded so much." The two nod, Sirius still looking worried and Remus – obviously influenced by the werewolf – glares at the book.

I gulp and Sirius sees this, making him go and sit in Remus' lap, just when a living food cart rides through the double doors and with the teapot at the front, apparently in charge of riding the cart, does it stop in front of the two canines, many kinds of meat and beef laid out on precious china and still looking raw.  
The two growl in appreciation and then my eyes widen as the plates jump off the food cart, only to land on the stone floor without even a scratch and they hop over to the two men as the teapot also jumps down and while the two start eating does the teapot say: "Back to the kitchen with you, off you go." And the cart leaves.

"I really think it will take a while before I can get used to this world." I mumble softly and mutter a quick apology to the Beast and Belle, who nod in understanding and then Sora says: "Yeah, I guess we kind of took you to a few of the most random worlds possible, didn't we? We'll try a little more comfortable world for you next time."  
I smile at the lad, feeling like he could have easily been my son, he's grown that close to us in such a short time and then Riku mutters at me: "Amazing, isn't it? How quickly he nestles his way into your heart?" Sora looks at him affronted and Riku says: "Don't look like that, Sora. You know it's one of the things I love about you."  
This causes for the frown on the lad's face to turn upside down and I shake my head at how easily Riku can cheer Sora up, how easily anything can cheer Sora up. Blaming his upraising at the islands, I feel relieved that all the adventures the lad has gone through hasn't changed that about him and with that thought, do I read on.

 _ **Dinner that … chocolate pudding.**_ _Tom had been serving Harry treacle tart the entire holiday, but he really enjoyed this as well – even if Tom had been persistent enough to put a small slice of the Tart on his plate together with the chocolate pudding.  
_ _ **"The Ministry's … said Fred.**_

This makes my son cringe and I feel for my third eldest as I say: "Fred, George, just because you don't like the titles of Prefect and Head Boy, doesn't mean that you don't hurt your brother's feelings when you make fun of the things he worked so hard to achieve. Don't let your differences cause for arguments between you three, alright?"  
The two look shocked and then lower their heads as one of them mumbles: "Never saw it that way." And the other mumbles: "We just wanted our brother back." They then turn to their older brother and chorus: "We're sorry Percy. And we're sorry for what happens later on." Percy smiles at them and nods and I happily read on.

 _ **Everyone except … under pressure.**_

"That observations skill of his is going to be the death of him someday." Bill mutters worriedly and Fleur nods in agreement as I suddenly notice how close the Beauxbattons students are sitting to my family. Knowing it has nothing to do with the Champions being together as Harry's asleep, I smile at Bill and read on.

 _ **"Good job … my bed."**_

"I only did that because I wanted you to make some time for me. I thought if you didn't have a place to lie down and read, you'd turn to me and we'd be able to spend some time together. I didn't expect of you to tell on me." Ron mutters with a sulk and Percy cringes as he says: "I thought you did it to pester me, sorry Ron."  
My two sons smile at each other and then Hermione asks: "Just one second, Percy, there is one thing I don't understand. If you hate that woman so much, even then, why did you tell on Ron to her?" But then I read on and say: "He didn't, I just didn't read the whole paragraph." The girl looks intrigued and I read on with a smile.

 _ **"You'd better … at Percy**_ _, but Percy was looking at Mr. Weasley and Harry realized that the comment was never meant as Percy telling on Ron to Mrs. Weasley, it was a way for Percy to converse with his father about family business_ _ **.**_

Hermione smiles and Bill says: "I take it back, long live that observation skill." And all my sons laugh. I too smile at the group and then suddenly notice something. The twins have gone to sit with Angelina and Katie, Percy is sitting closer to Ron, who is sitting with Susan Bones, Bill is sitting with Fleur and Ginny is sitting next to Seamus.  
Looking at my family and most of my kids having someone that could very well be their partners for life if the closeness is anything to go by, I look at Charlie and see that he seems obvious to it, yet I can easily see that's because Aaron has noticed it and decided to take action on it. At this I smile at the two and then start reading on.

 _ **After dinner … on Harry**_ _, who tried not to take a step back in sudden shock_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"So's Scabbers's … went downstairs.**_ _He could still feel Percy and Ron glaring at each other in the hallway and it caused silent shivers to run down his back. He shook his head to suppress it and left for the bar._

Now my two sons look at each other in shame and lower their heads together and I sigh and say: "Harry needs more personal help as a child than I thought." This makes his actual parents look at each other worried and I know that – each for their own reasons – they both doubt whether they themselves are up to the job.  
I smile at the two and say: "And if anyone can help that little guy it's the one teacher that stimulates his talents and the one man that loves him more than anyone in the world." The two men smile at me and Amelia says: "And you'll have our families to help you." And all my sons and two daughters nod in agreement.

The two smile even wider and then Beast says: "I'll lead you to where I left Harry to rest. He should wake any minute now." Sirius and Remus smile at him and Remus says: "Thanks, but we have to finish what is left of my Heat or we might lose control in front of him." Which in turn makes us all whiten in fear.  
Sirius looks around confused and asks: "What? What's wrong?" I sigh and mark my page before paging back to where we read about the night before Marge was blown up. Finding the page, I give it to Sirius and the two read it, Remus reading along over Sirius' shoulder and Sirius' grip tightening the more he reads.

Finally he roars in anger and Remus lets out a howl that almost makes me wonder how he hasn't transformed yet, but then another roar is heard and everyone turns to Beast, who glares at the two with determination and he says: "I know how it feels to hate, but you can't let that control you. It will make you think yourself a monster."  
Sora nods and says: "We saw it firsthand ourselves. Xaldin was feeding the hatred and anger Beast had in his heart and it almost made him turn down his true love. Belle was almost kidnapped and lost to Xaldin, because he played on the dark emotions inside Beast's heart. You can't let that happen to you as well."  
Then Riku says: "Harry needs you. If you go out there and go looking for revenge on that woman, you will only lose more time with Harry and with that more of your chances to help him heal, chances he needs and chances only you can give him. Trust me, if anyone knows how painful the emotion of Hatred can feel – it's me."

The two nod, both seeming to have calmed down from the speeches of the three residents and the three of them smile at the two canines. Riku seems the most relieved of the three and I fear for the lad as his words make me wonder what he could have gone through. Looking at him, I suddenly see something that shocks me.  
Around the crystal blue that is Riku's iris, there is an ever flickering ring of orange and I wonder what this could mean, but then the boy shakes his head with a groan and mutters: "You are part of my Light now, not the Darkness." And Sora quickly hugs him tightly, somehow understanding what his boyfriend is talking about.  
Worried for Riku as he and Sora have done a major lot for us, I wait in trepidation for Riku to lower his hand, which he had placed on his temple and Sora softly kisses him, whispering: "Ansem or no Ansem, you're my Darkness and I am your Light." And Riku smiles at the boy in loving gratefulness before I read on.

 _ **Harry was … Mrs. Weasley's.**_

This makes me smile as I had wondered about when exactly Harry had started overhearing our conversation and reading a little further, I feel even more relief as Harry didn't come in at the time where the woman had really been talking about him as if he was five years old, which had initially started the angry argument.  
Hating the woman for thinking what she did and having done what she did – not just to Harry, but to my sons and daughter – I can only wish and hope that Cedrella is making the woman as miserable as she has made my family for all these years. I then look at Amelia and bless her for our bonding before calmly reading on.

 _ **He hesitated … Weasley shrilly.**_ _Harry's lips thinned and he wondered what Mrs. Weasley thought of him, seeing he had saved her kids only three months ago. How weak did she really think him?  
_ _ **"Do you … not knowing!"**_ _"Apparently, very." Harry thought with a silent snarl, his anger almost making him miss what Mr. Weasley said.  
_ _ **"I don't … the point –"  
**_ _Now Harry's eyebrows rose and he thought, "What is that woman thinking? That just because I don't know the truth, it won't come to hurt me? How delusional is that woman?" And as he listened on, he again wondered why Mr. Weasley was still with Mrs. Weasley.  
_ _ **"Molly, they … at Hogwarts."  
**_ _Harry quickly put a hand in front of his mouth to silence a snort of disbelief. Only two months ago, her two youngest kids had been at Hogwarts and in the greatest of danger and that woman still thought Hogwarts was safe? Apparently Mr. Weasley shared Harry's disbelief as he spat.  
_ _ **"We thought … at Hogwarts.'**_

"Wait, how does that prove that Sirius was after Harry? It could have meant anyone. And how did Sirius even know Harry was old enough to go to Hogwarts?" Leon suddenly asks and all of my Ministerial colleagues share a look as Auron asks scathingly: "You didn't think of any of those questions, did you?"  
We all shake our heads and Cornelius says: "Black was – in a certain way – responsible for Halloween, or so we thought and seeing what Halloween cost the Death Eaters – You-Know-Who's followers – did we believe that Black was one of them and therefore out for the one that lost him his master, which is Harry."  
Auron and Leon nod their heads in understanding and Auron says: "Reasonable deduction, but you would have been better off asking him about why he mumbled that before he escaped, don't you think?" Cornelius cringes and says: "It was a three day event. One day I do my yearly visit, the next he escapes, the one after I investigate."  
Leon nods and asks: "And did anything –." But then Hermione says: "I hate saying this as I hate the very memory of that day, but Harry was there when Minister Fudge explained all of this to the teachers before his meeting with Dumbles. Just wait a little longer with your questions." Leon nods and I read on.

 _ **Black is … about this?"  
**_ _Harry silenced another snort, this time by turning around and biting on his hand. Dumbledore had been absent both times Harry's life was at stake and even idiots like Quirrell had been capable of leading Dumbledore around the corner, while monsters like Lockhart had fooled Dumbledore for a year.  
_ _Black was obviously smarter and Mrs. Weasley was obviously forgetting that. That or she just didn't want to know about it, like she seemed to do with so many things concerning Harry and her own family. Harry turned back, feeling his anger calmed as he heard the tiring voice of Mr. Weasley arguing with his wife.  
_ _ **"Of course … catch Black?"  
**_ _Harry could hear the fear in the woman's voice and wondered if she really was as stupid as she was blind to the brilliance of her sons. If even she feared those Guardians so much, how could she think it wise to put them so close to defenseless – or mostly defenseless – students?_

"She's just stupid that way." The twins chorus and Percy says: "No, she just dances to Dumbles' heels and sees truth in whatever he says, no matter what it could mean to others. His word and that of those in power are fact to her, she will never change her mind about that." This makes me sigh and then I see Amelia cringing.  
She sighs and says: "Sirius, this came for you after the Second book. It's from Cedrella, but I feared for Ron – and through him Arthur – as I feared you would show the letter to Harry's closest friend and I knew who was residing with her. I just didn't get a chance to give it to you, because my Department has only just called it safe to read."  
Sirius nods and says: "You're a wise woman, Amelia." And I whisper at her: "Thanks." The woman nods, knowing I mean to thank her for protecting my son as I too believe Sirius would have done that. Sirius then takes the envelope and with Remus pulling him on his lap and feeding him pieces of meat, does he read the letter.

 _ **Sirius' POV**_

 _Dear Lord Black,  
_ _I thank you for sending my family back to me. After Lucentia died, her Will went missing and because that of her husband had already been burned during a rally between the Malfoy House and the Prewett House, was there nothing for me to do, but to leave Molly Anne on her own, believing her sixteen year old person to be old enough for this job.  
_ _I now see that this was a grave mistake and have seized all of Molly Anne's vaults, possessions, clothes, stakes and everything else she holds, except for the wand she owns and the clothes on her person. I wish for a meeting between us to discuss where all of this is to go at earliest convenience, no matter what Ministerial Law states.  
_ _I also wish to inform you that – from one Black to another – I will personally vouch for all your actions before your incarceration and will use them – and our hold on the Daily Prophet and the Galleon Today – to get you your freedom; preferably before our meeting. Please refrain from informing anyone else of this.  
_ _Tojours Pur,  
_ _Cedrella Black_

To say that I'm shocked would be an understatement, but I can't help but admit that the lack of Wills when Molly was still young and lost her parents explains a whole lot concerning her unsupervised, undeserving behavior and I quickly pass the letter on to Arthur, telling him to read only the first paragraph as I do so.

 _ **Arthur's POV**_

Respecting the request from one Head of House to another, I read only the first paragraph of the letter Cedrella wrote Sirius and feel shock as it seems that even Cedrella is now against Molly, something that No-Name definitely deserves, not to mention having everything she ever held truly dear be taken away from her.  
Hoping to get a few family Heirlooms back as my father made sure to give a few to Molly as a dowry, I decide to discuss this with Sirius once his Heat is over – preferably before his meeting with Cedrella – and smile at him, the man smiling back as he takes the letter and stores it in his inner robe pocket before I read on.

 _ **"Dumbledore isn't … of sight.**_ _Having lived in a cupboard now came in handy – something he had been cursing since moving to the Wizarding World – as it allowed him to make himself so small only animals of the same height would be able to see him, thus making Mr. and Mrs. Weasley pass him quite unknowingly._ _ **The parlor … the stairs.**_

"That is definitely something I hope all those potions will fix." Severus then says and Remus and Sirius growl: "We all do, Severus, let's just hope Harry's many hours of sleeping can help the potions heal his form as much as they do." The Potions Master nods, his hands itching and I know he wants to start brewing as I read on.

 _ **The bottle … the bed.**_

"We kind of noticed how he didn't seem to find it funny, you know." One of my sons says and suddenly I feel as if this is Fred, just before the other says: "It made us think and we realized we were doing the wrong thing, so we snuck it back while Percy was at Ron's side of the room." This makes me smile and then Amelia says:  
"I am proud that you felt regret, but I need you to make me a promise." The two cringe and nod slightly and I know they fear that Amelia will be like No-Name. Hoping for my new wife to fix this issue with my sons, I smile in pure pride as she softly lies a warning hand on each of their shoulders and says:  
"Promise me that – whenever you start a prank – you first think _how will my target feel about this_? It is an important lesson and I know the Marauders had to learn that one the hard way." The twins nod, their eyes wide and Amelia smiles as she says: "Do understand that I have consequences for when I believe you are breaking this promise."

The two cringe again, now looking really scared and she says: "If you prove to me that you broke this promise, you will be without your tools for pranks, in your room – on opposite sides, so to speak – for 24 hours and you will each write me a single essay of four-hundred lines on why your prank hurt your target, is that clear?"  
The twins nod, their eyes wide again and Sirius asks: "May I induce some rules?" Amelia looks at him and he says: "They were three rules James, Remus and I had to keep ourselves to while under Charles' roof. They really turned us into the men we are today and I intend to have the same rules put up with Harry soon."

The woman nods and Sirius says: "Never knowingly hurt someone. Never knowingly endanger yourself or others. And never, ever lie. That last one Charles Potter hated the most. He also had punishments for all three." This makes my sons look at him expectantly while Remus, Amelia and I smile and he says:  
"The hurting and endangering rule was always punished with a grounding, the endangering also included a spanking – yes, even when I ran at age 16 to live with them – and the lying always forced us to have a small piece of soap on our tongues for an extended period of time, the limit decided by the magnitude of the lie itself."  
My sons had all cringed at the idea of being spanked and Ron had even grabbed his own bottom, but Amelia and I had smiled even wider at hearing the punishments and the rules and Amelia says: "I do believe it can benefit this family if we too induce these rules into our household." And after seeing my family nod, do I read on.

 _ **So Sirius … the train.**_

"Seriously, give that kid a small set of hints and he uncovers your entire plan. Just incredible." Lumiere says and Belle smiles as she says: "That's what I always loved about reading mystery books. To find the hints between the lines and discover the secret behind the mystery like the main-character always did."  
Beast smiles and gently lies a clawed hand on her shoulder and says: "And that made me know it was a good idea to give you that library. When Lumiere and Cogsworth saw how you were nearly distracted from the West Wing by your love for books, they instantly told me – or at least after you patched me up again."  
Belle smiles and Colin asks: "Patched you up? What on earth could hurt someone like you, no offence, of course." Beast smiles at the inquisitive young third year and says: "Believe it or not, but a large pack of wolves out on the hunt can most definitely hurt me badly if they attack together for a long period of time."

The third year cringes, but I see Remus cringe as well and Beast says: "Do not hate yourself for actions of one you cannot control. You did not know what those wolves did and they are not your pack. Your pack is beside you and your pack is the boy sleeping a few doors away. They are your pack, not the wolves in the forest."  
And to my shock, can I almost see that Remus actually believes it, the man nodding in sheer gratitude before he moves to sit a little closer with Sirius, the Dog Animagus happily leaning his upper body against Remus' side. Smiling at the chance that Remus might finally stop hating what he is deep inside, do I read on.

 _ **Harry lay … to be**_ _– as long as the man stayed there, that is_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Didn't people … of him?**_ _Then again, the ways Voldemort had led Dumbledore out of Hogwarts spoke for themselves as well, but Harry had the strange feeling Black wouldn't approach his master until he had Harry down and out.  
_ _ **And then … very remote.**_

"And still I got it done twice, more even if you count the number of times I prowled the Hogwarts grounds at night." Sirius smirks in pride and then a Seventh year asks: "How did you get in?" And Sirius laughs as he says: "Wouldn't you like to know?" The Seventh year, a Ravenclaw, pouts, and I quickly read on.

 _ **No, all … had passed.**_

"To such extends that it, at one point, almost drove him to run out of the castle screaming in frustration, I'd like to add." Oliver then says and everyone looks at him as he says: "What? He told me I had to pitch up the training schedule or he wouldn't have enough chances to vent, so I did, because I wanted my star seeker in top shape."  
The rest of the team nods and McGonagall asks: "Mr. Wood, when was this exactly?" And Oliver seems to contemplate as he says: "He came to me – about three weeks after Halloween." This shocks the teachers and then Remus hits himself on the head and says: "I told you lot you were overdoing it, didn't I?"  
The teachers blush and Nella asks: "Do I want to know?" And Remus says: "Let's just say that I sat in on the Potter Guard Meetings to – at some points – remind my colleagues there is such a thing called privacy. The reason I reminded them was because I had a frustrated and thus distracted Harry in my class quite a few times.  
And I know I wasn't the only one around that time of year." And the teachers that had apparently been on Potter Guard all either turn red or lower their heads in shame and then I hear Ron whisper: "He was right, though, they really didn't give him any rights to privacy. Almost even walked him to the dorm." And with that note, do I read on.

 _ **He scowled … after himself?**_ _Did they think they could just ignore all the ways he saved their lives whenever they felt like it, whenever it benefitted them?_ _ **He'd escaped Lord Voldemort three times**_ _and had survived ten years with Muggles that just got worse every year_ _ **, he wasn't completely useless**_ _nor was he powerless_ _ **...  
**_ _ **Unbidden, the … out loud**_ _turning on his side to go to sleep_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily.**_

"And that's the end of the chapter." I say, marking the page and closing the book, before a sleepy voice asks: "I missed the whole chapter?" And we see Harry, rubbing one of his eyes and having Viktor's hands on his shoulders, walk into the hall. Harry then sees his parents and instantly all traces of fatigue disappear.  
He runs over and asks: "I thought you still had a few days of Heat, what happened?" And Remus says: "Our need to hunt and my need to provide for my mate happened. We didn't know there was a forest outside this castle, so we came here to have a quick meal and then – you get the point." He ends and Harry quickly nods.  
I smile at this and feel glad that Harry no longer looks tired or is even yawning as it's obvious that the Time Reading Spell is draining his energy. I then look around and see that quite a few students are looking at Harry worriedly and smile wider, knowing that with support like that, Harry will get everything he ever wanted.

* * *

 _ **And he will indeed.  
**_ _ **And so will this story. Yes, I am planning to give all future chapters, both the next that is already half written and those still to be written a lot of love and care. Personally, I am very glad that I decided on that huge Christmas Gift of last year as else this iconic chapter wouldn't have been able to be posted tonight.  
**_ _ **Now I can only wish you all a Happy New Year and hope that you have many nice and wonderful plans for 2018. I also hope you will look forward to whatever else I can do for the now twelve stories that I will be updating monthly and that you will enjoy all the content and effort I plan to put into said chapters as they come.  
**_ _ **See you next year,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	62. Rules, Love And Annoyances

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So apparently – I WAS WRONG! This isn't the last chapter that was written before the Copyright Infringement Act came into play. I actually had 62 chapters written and 61 chapters posted, but thought that this chapter was longer than it actually was. Still, I read and edited and it's actually an acceptable bit of work.  
**_ _ **Hope you enjoy,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 61  
**_ _ **Rules, Love and Annoyances**_

 _ **3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **of June 1993  
**_ _ **Ball Room, Beast's Castle  
**_ _ **Sirius' POV**_

I see Minerva walking over and she says: "Mr. Potter – Harry – we fear – well, we're basically sure – that the Time Reading Spell is badly affecting you the more we read and therefore we decided to put longer breaks in between chapters, where students can go their own way and to put an earlier curfew up for you to sleep longer."  
Harry seems slightly embarrassed by this and I hug him as I say: "It's just because we don't want to lose you, little one. We're now responsible for your health and safety and this is just one of the actions we have to take during this reading that will help us do so. Do you understand?" Harry nods and I smile in pride as I say:  
"Good, because I discussed a few rules with Arthur that James and I had to listen to from your grandfather when we were your age and Remy and I want to reinstate those rules, but then to help you. Are you okay with that, little man?" Harry nods again, while Severus delivers a small stack of potions to him and I say:

"The first rule is to never knowingly hurt yourself or someone else. If you plan to do something – like letting someone roll down a snowy hill at Hogwarts – you have to learn to think; _Will this action hurt the one I'm doing it to?_ If so, don't. If you still do it, knowing it will hurt, you will be punished." Harry nods again and I say:  
"The second rule is to never knowingly endanger yourself or someone else. This is basically the same as the first rule, only then a little stronger, do you understand?" Harry nods and I hug him as I say: "Good, then I won't put the last two books against you on this rule, but if you do something like that again, you will be punished."

"Even if it's in the books?" Hermione suddenly asks and I sigh before thinking and saying: "Only starting from the fifth and only half of the punishment that Charles handed out to us, but that part has always been to teach us that we were wrong and that we should never do things like that. I got that punishment during my sixth."  
Harry nods and I then turn to my son sternly as I say: "The last rule also has a double punishment although not everyone would call the second part a punishment, James and I certainly did. Harry, I don't _ever_ want you to lie to me. If you don't want to talk about something, fine, but never, _ever_ lie to me, understand?"  
Harry nods solemnly and I smile as I can tell that he already knows what part of the punishment will be and I hug him as I whisper: "The 1st rule will get you a grounding, the 2nd – starting from the fifth reading – will get you spanking – no, I won't hear from it – and the 3rd will break my trust and will get you a mouthwash, is that clear?"

Harry nods, but I can tell that something confuses him and I ask: "Is there something you don't understand, little one?" Deciding that son just isn't the right word to use just yet, but that I should still give small loving nicknames as to help him get used to the concept of it anyway and Harry asks: "What exactly is a mouthwash?"  
And I answer: "A mouthwash is where I cut a small piece of soap off a bar and you are to keep that on your tongue with your mouth closed for a certain amount of time, the amount of time depending on how much you lied or how badly your lie affected others. Do you understand?" Harry cringes, but nods in acceptance.

I smile at him and hug him close, feeling the powerful arms of my beloved mate wrap around the both of us from behind me and hearing his voice growling in a loving tone behind me before he says: "We would have put these rules up sooner, Harry, but we wanted to wait until we had a good home for you to get comfortable in."  
This makes my son smile at him gratefully and Remus growls, softly pushing me to the side to hug his son himself and I don't feel hurt by this at all as Cubs can really calm a werewolf down during a Heat period and then sigh as my stomach grumbles slightly, my inner Submissive not taking satisfaction out of the food we just ate.  
I try to make sure Remus doesn't see me as I lie a hand on my stomach, wishing that my inner Sub wouldn't try and demand of my Dominant to impregnate me as our son needs me and I know I won't be able to fully be there for him if my hormones and emotions get the better of me – like during a pregnancy for example.  
I look at the Wolf of my dreams and the cub I have always wanted to have and while hating myself for keeping us from the chance of having what we have now, do I know that there must have been more reasons at work than just my own and this makes me lean against Remus' shoulder in loving support of our little family.

Then suddenly the book starts shaking and even smoking and out of the top of it, does a letter appear, while Harry grabs for his heart and hisses. Everyone looks at either the boy in worry or the letter in shock and Fiana says: "He really is much too closely connected to those books. We need a way to get that undone and fast."  
Everyone nods and Bill picks up the letter and reads it silently, while the book is still shaking and shivering and then he groans and says: "No, this – this just can't be. This is insane." We all look at him and he says: "Because everyone now constantly agrees with each other is the book sharpening our senses – and not in a good way."  
"How will it do that?" Charlie asks and the book opens, on a page I can see is of the upcoming chapter and to my shock, does it spit the terrible form of Molly Anne No-Name out of its pages, the woman almost falling on her head and rolling around until she stops not too far from the door, which makes me wish she had rolled through.

She shakes her head and Bill says: "The book says we need someone to vent our anger on, so – yeah." And everyone groans – both the teachers as well as the students, but I notice something that is of much greater importance as the woman slowly stands – namely Harry cringing in on my embrace as he looks at the vile woman.  
Hugging him closer, hating how he actually fears the woman and wondering what she could have done to make that happen – although I personally believe it's just her amazingly strong character and ability to get what she wants no matter the consequences – do I look at Remus and Viktor, who both come to sit a little closer.  
Then Axel and Riku stand up and while Axel creates his Chakrams out of fire and thin air, does Riku summon his dark colored Keyblade, but then Beast raises his arm, the appendage long enough to block both men and he growls: "This is my castle. You are my guests here." The two nod and vanish their weapons once again.

 _ **Beast's POV**_

"So this is the woman that has been ruining the lives of all those young men and their amazingly kind and caring father. Well, no more." Is running through my mind as I walk over to the woman who has her hand on the wall and her other hand on her temple, groaning while I had clearly seen how she had been rolling over carpets.  
Hating the woman already, if only for the fact that she is already desperate for attention and faking to have been injured on her arrival, do I decide to show her who's the true dominant one here as I tower over her, putting on an angry face purely to frighten her and when she turns to face me, I can only enjoy her terrified scream as I say:  
"Welcome to my castle. Behave and my servants will behave to you. Fail to do so or disobey my rules in this castle and my staff will no longer listen to any of your orders. Is that clear?" The woman nods terrified and I turn to Lumiere and say: "Make sure she stays near the doors to the balcony and does not interact with our honored guests."

The candlestick nods and the woman lets out a small terrified scream at hearing this, but I just glare at her and growl softly, before turning my back on her, faking to ignore how Lumiere escorts her – from the sidelines – to the balcony as I go back to Belle and she softly kisses my cheek, whispering: "Now that was a brilliant act."  
And I smile at her, my ability to fake anger instantly leaving me as I just cannot feel any angry emotions around the pure and beautiful heart of the one I love so much – even if the new spell and its meaning scare the living daylights out of me – and I try to ignore how shocked and disbelieved the woman looks as she walks away.  
She is then seated on a very small carpet, that one of the elder years with the thick coats grudgingly summoned for her and while she seats down, do her eyes never leave me or Belle and if it weren't for the close presence of the Princess of my Heart, do I know that the look would have angered me into roaring in pure rage.  
Instead of that, do I simply ignore the woman, but then she whispers to the boy that summoned the carpet for her: "How on earth can you not try and save that poor girl?" And the glare the boy sends her isn't half as furious and hateful as the growling snarl I send her way, before Belle lies both her hands on my upper arm.

I turn away from the woman and enclose Belle's back with my arm and furry hand and softly pull her close, feeling her love as she lies her head on my chest – just like she did on our first dance. Smiling down at the beauty in my arms, I use a few fingers of my other hand to softly stroke her hair, but then the woman shouts:  
"STOP HURTING HER, YOU MONSTER!" Only to have the wands of everyone in the room – along with the Keyblades of Sora, Riku and Roxas and the Chakrams of Axel – aimed at her, but before a single curse can be uttered, does the woman scream in pain and I see Lumiere hopping away with a proud grin on his face.  
This makes me laugh, along with those near Harry and the boy himself – who had been tense since the woman's arrival – finally relaxes fully as he lies his head on Sirius' shoulder with Remus holding his shoulder, Sirius having an arm wrapped around his waist and Viktor softly rubbing his back with a comforting hand.

Then Arthur coughs and says: "Amelia, seeing all that my sons were discussing, do I think it's best if one of your men stays close to No-Name when we read the next chapter." The woman in question nods and the red-haired devilin asks: "Who is this No-Name, Arthur, and why are you all sitting so close to Amelia?"  
And Arthur asks: "You mean the new Lady of the Noble House of Weasley and the Ancient House of Bones? I think her titles speak for herself, don't you No-Name?" The red-haired she-devil wells up in anger and spats: "You think you can just go and bond to whatever bimbo you want, Arthur William? Because I won't –."  
But then she suddenly stops and grabs her throat with one hand, before reaching for her stomach with the other and shortly afterwards – to the shock of us all – does she start to barf the most disgusting mash of foods and drinks up, drenching the carpet she sits on and screaming as she sees her own puke coming out of her.  
We all look shocked and then one of the twins – who's scent tells me he's George – says: "We will give you the other half –." And Fred goes on: "If you raise your thumb up in agreement not to speak to our parents anymore." And Ron ends: "You're in enough trouble as it is, so be happy we only made you puke."  
And to my shock, do I see that he is the one throwing up half a piece of candy that is purple colored and that I can see has some strange kind of concoction inside of it. The she-devil – or No-Name as I decide to also start calling her – tries to object, but is unable to and when tears appear in her eyes, does she raise her thumb up.

Ron looks at his brothers and when the twins nod in agreement, does he let go off the candy, which falls into Mrs. Pott and the teapot hops over, making extra high jumps that makes me know she is mixing the pill with the tea inside her and her son seems to know this too as he quickly hops off after his mother eagerly.  
The two arrive at the still puking woman and Mrs. Pott smiles at Chip as he positions himself in front of her nose and she quickly bends over to depose the drink into her son, who then carefully hops into the line of the woman's vision. No-Name seems apprehensive and revolted, but after puking again does she grab the cup.  
She tries to sit up and holds her mouth close with one hand as she does so, before – ever so slowly – moving the cup to her lips, opening her fingers just enough for the drink to go past her slightly parted lips and once she seems sure that she has taken the drink, does she almost throw Chip back onto the floor, making us all growl.

Then I see something more concerning as Chip tries to shake something off of him and when he stops, do I see that some of the woman's puke is stuck to the side of his rim and Belle says: "Chip, come here quick. That looks disgusting." And while a new food cart – this one with napkins – comes riding in, does Chip hop over.  
Belle takes one of the napkins, looking at it worriedly, but the top of the napkin, which is placed above the napkin-ring, nods in acceptance at her and she smiles at it before allowing Chip onto her hand and softly wiping the puke off of the side of his rim, where I can only imagine his hairline would have been had he been a human boy.  
I smile at the two and the little cup hops and smiles once my love is done as he says: "He-he, thanks Belle." And he jumps off of her hand and back to his mum, who has also hopped over to us and has – in the meantime – thanked the food cart and send it back to the kitchen. She then turns and bows to me as she says:  
"I will go and tend to dinner now, master." And I nod at her as she and Chip hop onto the food cart, which races hurriedly in-between the many seated students and out of the room, the doors closing shut behind it and making the woman scream as she is still looking at the whole scene with wide eyes – and some puke still dripping down her lips.

* * *

 _ **That's just gross.  
**_ _ **So this was the ACTUAL last chapter that was posted before this story had been taken down and while it may only be a transition chapter between the last chapter of summer and the first chapter of Hogwarts, do I still think that it had some important points in it, such as bringing in a new person for the readers to disagree with.  
**_ _ **Also, I just want to let ONE THING be clear. Once Kingdom Hearts III has come out, I will more than probably edit this, To Read and To View and To Read Into The Universe and maybe even Keyblade and The Moving Of The Light. However, that all depends on how Master Xehanort gets taken out and all that.  
**_ _ **Oh, and on one final note, when the readers head for Radiant Garden, I will DEFINITELY bring Lea into the story. Not sure what I will make his backstory yet, whether I will let it correlate with Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance or not, but that's not going to be for a while, so I don't think we need to worry about it.  
**_ _ **Have fun,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	63. Evidence And Beasts

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So, as happy as I was with last chapter – as much do I hate this one. When this story got taken down, I had only JUST reached the point of Molly giggling with Hermione and Ginny over the Love Potions in the book, so I had a lot of bad stuff to still go over. And even Lupin's first appearance didn't make things easier.  
**_ _ **Why not, find out,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 62  
**_ _ **Evidence And Beasts**_

 _ **3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **of June, 1994  
**_ _ **Ballroom, Beast's Castle  
**_ _ **Molly's POV**_

"I cannot believe that my own family has turned on me or that Arthur thinks he can find a new wife in only a few days. It took me so long and so much effort to get him to be the man I dreamed about since I first came to Hogwarts and now that Bones bint thinks she can steal him from me and change him back? That is not happening!"  
I think furiously as I rub some ointment on the small burn that crazy, moving candlestick gave me and glare at Amelia, but apparently does this not face the woman as she totally ignores me, instead talking with Arthur and Kingsley Shacklebolt – a man I sometimes thought of sleeping with after Arthur gave me Ginny for a daughter.

I then look at the girl in question and snarl at the sight of her and that disgusting Irish boy named Seamus Finnegan, who is sitting much too close to her for my liking, leaning over the side of his blanket to talk to her, while she sits at the end of the blanket she shares with Ron, Charlie and – praise Merlin – Percy.  
Hoping that either my youngest – who I know has a protective streak the size of the Great Hall – or my third Eldest – who I know is as responsible as my youngest is protective – will break that relationship apart before that Irish fellow can steal away all the dreams I had for my only daughter, I look at them intently.  
Charlie and Ron ignore me completely, talking with each other and apparently discussing things I cannot hear – thanks to that stupid spell Albus cast. Wondering how that spell can be effective even here, I try to gain their attention with my glare as they need to get to work on their elder brother duties, but they just keep talking.  
Furious that my own sons think they can treat me this way – just because Arthur grew a backbone I am determined to break at earliest convenience – I turn my glare to Percy, but the boy is shockingly enough with his back to me, leaning his back against Charlie's and talking with Arthur – manners I know I never taught him.

Hating how I am incapable of keeping my baby girl from being with the wrong people – as only Harry has what Ginny needs and what I deserve – I glare at the candlestick, that moves itself a little bit away from me, but is with his head bowed and glaring back at me, one of his candles waving around in very, very dangerous circles.  
Feeling horrendous over the fact that I am being threatened by a piece of furniture and that many of the students around me are seeing this, but not doing anything about it, do I softly mumble: "What terrible parenting, just terrible." Making the few students that apparently heard me glare at me with pure indignation.  
Then one of them, who is actually one of those French bimbo's, says: "Look who is talking. Your sons only despise everything you say and do and you don't even notice it." I glare at her furiously, hating her accent (sorry, not doing it) and hating her country even more as I say: "My sons are just teenagers and confused."

The girl huffs and turns away to talk with one of the Bulgarian students as she mutters: "Keep telling yourself that, Pas de Nom." And she goes back to talking to the Bulgarian – something I don't understand at all seeing how different they are. "They don't match at all. How are they not arguing with each other?"  
I think silently, as my eyes stray back to that candle and I hate myself for giving in when Cedrelle ordered me to hand over my wand as I could have easily doused that rotten flame-thrower a nice, strong water spell if I still had it on me. But then my eyes stray away to something that makes me think very different.

 _ **Pas de Nom is French for No-Name**_

Large, intimidating, furry, with wild eyes and actual canines growing out from under his upper lip is the monster I met when I came to this castle and while I know that the monster will attack me if I harm the candlestick, does my heart shiver in fright at the idea of what he must be doing to keep that poor young woman trapped with him.  
Looking at the beautiful young woman with long, wavy brown hair and very deep, very wise brown eyes – that sorely enough remind me of Hermione – the woman is on the same blanket as where the monster left her to order me around and where he came back to after his servant forced me onto this blanket, far away from my family.  
Feeling the shivers go down my spine just by looking at the monster's back, can I only imagine how terrified the poor girl must be feeling and I try to look at Harry, who is almost fully blocked from my sight by all the other students. But then, just like last time, does Snape walk past, faking to talk to one of his Snakes.

Hating the sour man as he has come to stand in front of my line of vision again, I suddenly feel some strange presence in my mind and hear the man actually whisper: "If you think you stand one chance to get close to the boy who's life you plan to ruin – then I should just turn that blanket you are on into a holding cell right now, No-Name."  
Glaring at his back as he shouldn't have even thought of entering my mind without my permission, but then the silky voice makes shivers of fear run down my spine – just like the sight of my supposed host does – as he says: "I wonder what Ronald and Potter have as evidence against you. Hope the Aurors can arrest you like they did Bagman."  
Glaring at the man and feeling assured that there is nothing my son would do against me – especially not after I have some very firm words with him about who he should be with and who he should listen to – do I think loudly: "I've never done anything that is against the law. Your threats are as empty and invalid as your claim of innocence."  
But then the man breaks me – at least for now – as he finally turns to face me and says: "You know, I think you're right there. After all, it was Dumbles who spoke in my favor and we all know how empty his words really are." I look at the man, flabbergasted he used my own words against me and he sits back at his own blanket.

 _ **Snape's POV**_

Hating that woman and how she is already planning to undermine the education and individual lives of her sons, daughter and ex-husband, can I not be more relieved that the book chose this chapter and not the last to bring her back as the bond between Amelia and Arthur – can only be broken by Amelia and Arthur and only by both of them.  
Knowing that the two almost share a soul bond together – if only as proof of how close they have grown and how well they fit with each other's charges – do I send a very quick, calculating look at Molly No-Name and wonder: "How could she have kept those two – who at least have to be mates – apart like –."  
But then I realize it and I think: "Even she wouldn't be stupid enough to speak of that out loud." Only to get the urge to hit myself over the head as Molly No-Name obviously believes herself above the law and would therefore not find it wrong for herself to bind her husband to her through illegal means – such as Love Potions.

Hating the woman even more and wishing I could cleanse Arthur from this, do I – again – say: "Excuse me a minute." But this time does Aurora Sinistra ask me: "Severus, where do you keep going?" And I answer: "So far have I been blocking No-Name from seeing Potter. Now I need a request from our host."  
The woman nods, having always accepted my short answers as she seemed to know that I would give a more detailed answer later if I felt I had to do something before giving the full answer and, while I still miss Lily dearly, can I not deny the small flame I have felt growing in my heart since she first showed me this acceptance.

It had been so long ago, during a late breakfast in the Great Hall in 1983, and Sinistra had asked me to the use of a certain Potion Ingredient that I had planned to use for my O.W.L class Potion that day. I had told her so and she had smiled and said: "Drink tea with me, would you, Severus? So we can discuss this further?"  
I had been shocked as Lily had been the last person to have invited me for tea and that had been two weeks before our big fight and I had been in too much remembrance to realize I had nodded in confirmation. Yet I had been a man of my word and I had enjoyed the amazing ways Aurora seemed to understand the ingredients.  
Since then have we been meeting many times and had the woman even taught me some amazing ways in how the stars, planets and, of course, the moon could affect my ingredients, both when I harvest them as well as when they grow and when I prepare them. Even certain cycles of the moon during the making were discussed.

I shake my head at this as I know that now is not the time to think about that and instead do I focus as I arrive at the Beast and whisper: "Do you have any dungeons in here that I can use? Or perhaps some cold, breezy rooms? I need to make a potion that can't stand any form of room temperature heat, if you don't mind."  
The Beast nods and says: "Take the staircase on the left and then walk the hallway until you see a door on the left wall. It should take you to a storage room with a set of double doors at the end. I think you'll find the room behind those doors to your acceptance." I nod and bow to the man in gratefulness before I leave.  
At the entrance does Minerva stop me and ask: "Severus, where are you going? The next chapter is about to start." And I whisper at her: "I think I know the accusations that Potter and the youngest Weasley might have against No-Name and for Arthur Weasley's sake is it best if I start brewing at earliest convenience."  
The woman nods and allows me to leave, making sure no one else focuses on me as she clears her throat and starts talking. I close the double doors behind me and take the route the Beast has given me, registering the amazing splendor and the detail shown in the painting on the walls and the engravings on the suits of armor.

Then I finally see the door the Beast mentioned, but to my confusion is a large white wardrobe standing in front of the door with green paint on her own doors and golden knobs. Grabbing my wand and whispering: "Mobilicorpus." Do I lift the wardrobe, only to break the charm in shock as the wardrobe starts moving.  
A face appears at the top and a female voice asks: "Do you mind?" To which I retort: "Your master has given me permission to use the rooms behind you." And the face turns flustered as she says: "Oh, why didn't you just say so?" And I answer: "Because I'm not fully used to certain pieces of furniture being actually enchanted."  
The wardrobe nods and, on the smallest feet I have ever seen, moves away from the door, bowing back when I bow to her in gratefulness before taking the door and finding a large room filled with boxes, old broken stuff and even a few tapestries and suits of armor. Then I see the double doors mentioned and a shiver runs down my spine.  
Seeing the stone engravings of two demons on the door, I quickly wave my wand in several ways to check the door for enchantments and feel relieved when the results show me that a very, very dark enchantment has already been broken a few years ago. Sighing in relief, I open the double doors and move forward.

A little further away into the corridor behind the double doors, do I find a large square room with a wooden ceiling, one haystack in the left and one haystack in the right back corner along with a few, cranky wooden chairs and a single wooden crater. Not liking how there is so little equipment, I feel relieved for my preparations.  
Pulling a very miniature bag out of my inner pocket and what looks like a toy Potions Bench out of the other, do I aim my wand at both and regrow them back to their original size, the Potion Bench stacked against the left wall and the bag that I had – beforehand – filled with all kinds of ingredients stacked upon the crater.  
Taking the required ingredients out of the bag, I suddenly notice how there are spots in the dust littering the crater and two chairs and by their shapes – a large circle on the crater, four small squares on the first chair and a smaller circle on the second – can I only assume that Lumiere and Mrs. Potts had taken residence here.  
Wondering why the two would be down here, whether or not Chip would have been down here with his mother and who the person – or piece of furniture – could be who the four squares on the first chair belong to, do I shake my head and focus on setting everything ready for the brewing before emptying my mind as I start to work.

 _ **Minerva's POV**_

I wonder what No-Name could have done to Arthur that would make Severus think his potions are a requirement, but then my eyes widen as my mind catches up with my wondering heart and I turn to the vile woman, who sits quite alone on her blanket and glares at the fact that everyone is ignoring her as I think: "Molly, you didn't."  
But then my mind goes over everything Harry showed us since the first book and I sigh, fearing for the worst when it comes to the Weasley children and I think: "Please, let a Love Potion be the only thing you used on him, Molly. Those children don't deserve to be born of Lust Potions. They are too good for that."  
But then I shake my head and decide to leave these problems with the one who is already trying to solve them and whisper: "Best of luck, Severus." Before turning back to the Ball Room and catching everyone's attention as I clear my throat, something I often have to do if my elder years enter my class at the start of a new class.

Keeping my satisfied smile inside my own heart, do I walk away from the closed doors to the Entrance Hall and back to the center of the hall before I say: "Now, who's in agreement that we end this reading for today with one more chapter and then take the rest of the day to – say – explore everything our host and his castle have to offer us?"  
Everyone nods and Amelia says: "I'll take after my bonded now, Minerva." And I nod with a small smile as No-Name asks: "Your bonded? When did you bond, Amelia?" And the Head of the DMLE glares at No-Name as she says: "Just today, No-Name and it's Madame Weasley-Bones for you, understand?"  
The red-haired devilin sputters and asks: "Weasley-Bones? When did that happen? How is that even possible?" And Arthur, obviously inspired by his new bonded, stands up as he says: "As my bonded said, it happened just today. And it's possible because we divorced last time we met, or have you forgotten about that, No-Name?"

"I AM NOT A NO-NAME!" The woman screams and then Sirius spats: "Yes, you are. Cedrella took you everything that ever belonged with you and I know that Arthur arranged for Ginny to be the new Lady Prewett when he went to take care of the divorce at Gringotts with Bill, so yes, Molly, you are indeed a No-Name."  
The woman looks shocked and white, obviously having not expected this and she goes on: "But – but Arthur – you – you can't." To which Bill growls and spats: "He can and he did. I, as First Heir to the House of Weasley, stood witness to it all and it even got the attention from the Gringotts leader himself, so don't get any ideas.  
The Leader agrees with our side and has told me that you are to be banned from their bank for the next several years and that they will be taking all of your Vaults, from your Dowry vault to your Heiress Vault, under heavy scrutiny." He then turns to Amelia and says: "He also requested that No-Name be punished would they find any evidence."  
The woman sags down and for some reason, just by looking at her white, fearful face, do I know for a dead certainty that the Goblins will indeed find evidence against No-Name. Trying to hold back a feline growl, do I focus on Arthur giving Amelia the book and do I, again take my seat with Nella, Amos and Cedric Diggory.

 _ **Amelia's POV**_

Just by looking at the woman after William – my new eldest son – has told her that the Goblins will put her vaults under scrutiny and that they will punish her for any evidence they find, do I know that the chances of this happening are too high to bet otherwise and I growl at this as Arthur has always had my greatest respect.  
The man had held onto his values, his beliefs and his own rules no matter what powerful families like the Noble and Ancient House of Malfoy or Goyle or Avery said about him and had even found an amazing – for our society helpful – way of combining his ever-growing love for everything Muggle with his need to make money.  
Of course, with people like Dolores and – until recently – Cornelius at the top had Arthur never been able to get the same respect from the other Department Heads as he got from me and most of my men, but he had never let this get himself down and that had made for many people inside the Ministry to still want to be his friend.  
This makes me smile as Arthur – like Harry – has this strange something about him that naturally makes people like him unless their beliefs and values are too different from my beloved – like Harry and Draco – yet neither the man or the boy had ever let this get him down and with that happy thought, do I start reading.

 _ **The Dementor … all blotchy..."**_

This makes the girl in question blush, before suddenly looking confused and she asks: "How on earth did that picture know I had an allergic reaction the night before?" And everyone looks at each other shocked, while Kingsley softly huffs and when I look at him, do I see him looking at the end of the room in raising fury.  
Looking there myself, I see No-Name schooling her own face in one of fake happiness and she almost sultrily sweet says: "It just knew you were meant for my Percy, dear, nothing strange about that." But the girl glares at No-Name and says: "I do believe only family and beloveds can call Percy theirs, No-Name, no one else."  
The elder woman huffs and says: "Or maybe you're not as perfect as I first thought." But Penelope just shrugs her shoulders and turns her head away from No-Name, Percy smiling as he pulls the girl close and lets her lie her head on his shoulder. I smile at the two, along with Arthur, Bill and Charlie, and quickly read on.

 _ **"I've got … Percy again.**_ _Harry didn't really understand this, but then George said, "Now he'll keep to himself for sure." And instantly Harry understood, the twins wanted Percy angry, so he would stay to himself and would not go back to Mrs. Weasley, like they must have thought he had done last night during dinner._

This makes Percy smile at the twins, while hurt had flashed through his eyes at the first sentence I had read and I think: "Thank goodness for Harry's ability to understand the full picture from just a few small hints. It will definitely help this family get over everything that woman tried to do to them over all those years."  
And I glare at the woman yet again, just not understanding why she can't accept who her children really are nor why she is so determined to change them so badly she will only break them apart, both in character and perhaps even in their magical abilities, just to let them fit the strange, unearthly pictures of kids she has in her head.  
The woman catches my glance and I mouth: "You should have been proud of what you had, you nasty witch." Shocking the woman before she glares back at me and huffs, holding her head up high to the right, something that makes me shake my head as she has obviously gone delusional in her pride of what she caused her kids.  
This alone makes me only more determined to help my new family grow to be the amazing people they can be and I look at each of my new children one by one, deciding to use this afternoon for some activities that can, hopefully, teach me more about who they are, so I can help them grow in exactly those aspects.

Then the third eldest, Percy, seems to understand why I am looking at them and smiles at me, tears shining slightly behind his horn-rimmed glasses and I suddenly notice how one of the two adjustable nose pads is made of a small, well-defined piece of rubble, while the other pad is made of some kind of transparent gem.  
Tilting my head at seeing this, I see Percy's lips move and while others have noticed that I've stopped reading and are silently whispering with each other, does the boy mouth to me: "Fell when I was ten, they fell off." He then points to the one made of rubble and mouths: "Charlie made this for me." And I smile as he mouths:  
"She bought this for me." And he grimaces as he aims for the other piece and I shake my head as I whisper: "I'll help Charlie make another." And Percy smiles at me widely, before I suddenly notice that Charlie has been looking at us this whole time. The redhead catches my glance and nods and I nod back before reading on.

 _ **They headed … young girl.**_

Here I stop in shock and I read the sentence over and over, my eyes constantly going back to those few words. _**Mrs. Weasley … a Love Potion … a young girl.**_ I then look at young Ron and Harry and the latter boy sighs before he nods to me, while the shocked silence around us is growing stronger and stronger with every minute.  
"Oh please, as if I'd be stupid enough to speak of that in such a public area." No-Name says honingly and Ron says: "You would – to girls too young to do anything with that information." And the woman whitens, while Harry and Hermione smile at him in pride, obviously over how he instantly saw through her evasive technique.  
I too smile at my new youngest son and the woman growls as she asks: "So you actually turn against your own mother, Ronald?" And Ronald breaks my heart as he coldly retorts: "I would rather change name, if I could, woman, if only to forever burry the memories of the hell you call my life and the fact that you were my mother back then."  
"What do you mean, _back then_?" Molly asks shocked and I smile as I say: "Arthur bonded not just himself to me, he also bonded his sons to my family. And as his bonded are all his sons and daughters now mine and is my niece now his new, second youngest daughter." The woman looks shocked and then screams:

"YOU INSUFFERABLE HAG! HOW DARE YOU DO THAT! HOW DARE YOU TRICK MY ARTHUR AWAY FROM ME! MY OWN CHILDREN!" But then suddenly a whirl of red is seen in front of her and she is silenced by it, bar a moan of pain and when I look to her side, do I see Ron glaring down at her.  
His hand is balled up in a fist and I realize that he actually hit the woman on the mouth as I suddenly see a small trickle of blood seeping out of the corner of No-Name's mouth as Ron says: "Dad might have taught me never to hit a lady and I will probably be grounded for breaking one of the new rules, but no one insults my family."  
And he spits down in her hair before walking back, anger almost visible enough on his face to have steam come out of his ears and I actually see her bright brown eyes shine to an almost amber color, the fire in them burning with rage and I feel the need to grab my wand, if only for the sake of protecting my youngest son.

Ron then comes back with us and as he does, do I quickly check Molly Weasley, feeling relieved that she doesn't have her wand in her hand as I would have checked Ron for spells had she tried to curse him while he had his back turned to her. Deciding not to take any chances, do I send a quick look at the Beast.  
The host of our stay sees my glance and I motion for my Aurors with my eyes, the Beast nodding in acceptance before I nod at Kingsley and Tonks, the latter of who is almost silently shaking, obviously trying to hold in her need to arrest No-Name until I give the all-clear sign. Kingsley nods at me and Tonks smiles widely as they stand up.

 _ **Kingsley's POV**_

"That woman has just no respect for anyone but herself. She's more disgusting than I thought." I think silently, holding a hand on Tonks' shoulder as I can feel her body shaking with the need to see justice done and arrest the vile woman known as Molly No-Name and I think: "Only better that the book allowed her to come here now."  
Then Amelia nods at us and I nod back, trying not to grin like my partner and then Alastor sets her straight as he whispers: "You're on duty, remember that." The woman nods, her excited grin fading into a very serious look and again do I feel great admiration for the bond between the two and for the young Auror.

Then we both stand up and No-Name whitens as I say: "Molly No-Name, you are hereby under arrest for the usage of Love Potion on Arthur William Weasley. You have the right to remain silent, everything you say can and will be used against you." And a simple swish of my wand makes cuffs appear around No-Name's wrists.  
The woman struggles and Tonks goes on: "Struggle will only cause for another crime to be put on our long list of charges against you, No-Name, so don't even try." The woman glares at her and says: "I don't have to listen to you! I'm older than you by at least two decades! You should respect your betters, you little skank!"  
But to this the woman doesn't budge an edge and says: "A skank is someone who sleeps with others unwillingly. I never did, unlike a certain –." But then I stop her and whisper: "Don't accuse her of that until we're alone. The family won't be able to handle that." The woman nods and I turn to Amelia, who looks relieved as I say:

"We'll go and sit with the accused now, Madam Bones." The woman nods and Tonks and I both take a seat on either side of the woman. Then suddenly does Tonks make a rolling movement away from the woman and I see that she tried to get Tonks' wand. Wondering why she did that, do I train my wand on her and say:  
"Auror Tonks, check our suspect for weapons." And while making sure that my wand is almost buried inside the chubby neck of the woman, do I glare at her to keep silent while Tonks roams her hands over the woman's body, checking her shirt, skirt and socks for pockets and searching her visible pockets for items.  
Finding nothing, do I turn to Sirius and ask: "Didn't you say that Cedrella took her everything but her clothes and her wand?" But then the Beast asks: "You mean this?" And I see him holding a yew wand of about 16 inches long between two of his claws and he says: "It rolled out of her pocket when she rolled out of the book."

This makes me smile and the woman shouts: "GIVE THAT BACK, YOU MONSTER!" And Beast growls back: "I might be wild sometimes, but I'm certainly not stupid. I won't let you have anything that can let you hurt my guests while they are under my roof. Keep that in your mind and keep your flytrap shut."  
This makes the twins laugh loudly and they chorus: "We've been wanting to say that for years!" To which the others brothers and Ginny all nod in agreement and by looking at Harry's smile do I know that the young man feels the same, even if he's not nodding along, something that makes me hold back a smirk of my own.

The woman in the meantime glares at her ex-twin sons and she spats: "How dare you –." But then Amelia stops her and says: "Don't you dare call yourself their mother. You are nothing but a tyrant and have long ago lost the right to call yourself that. Also, as an accused of several crimes are all your titles taken from you until further notice."  
The woman fumes at this, but Tonks and I train our wands at her and she huffs as she sits back down, something that makes large smiles appear on the faces of her ex-children and husband, even if the smile on Arthur's face looks a little strained and I just know that he still has artificial feelings for the terrible woman.

This makes me want to glare at the woman, but as I don't want her to realize this herself, do I keep my expression neutral. Yet it seems that Arthur's strained smile makes sure No-Name realizes the same as I did and she smirks as she says: "You can't deny the ones you love what they want, Arthur, you know and I know that that's not you."  
The man glares at her and he spats: "I might not be able to deny the ones I love what they want, but I do know the difference between the ones my heart loves and the ones magic make me love, No-Name, and those I can – and will – ignore." And with that does he turn back to his new bonded, making No-Name glare and making me smile.

 _ **Arthur's POV**_

To look at that woman and realize how much she has been controlling me and that she actually still wants to makes me sick to the core and hate every minute I ever spend in her presence. This, at the same time, breaks my heart as many of those minutes were also shared with my kids and are therefore unforgettable to me.  
Hating how this woman can bring me into two-battle, I sit a little closer to Amelia and whisper: "Gideon, Fabian, you should have stopped me. I'm not the kind of man that can lead a family, not like your sister did. Maybe – not at all." But then the woman pulls me closer and whispers: "Yes, you can, you just never got the chance."  
This makes me smile at her and she says: "You've been pushed away from your kids at every possible chance by that woman. Now that you and I both work at the Ministry, we can set up work schedules that can make sure we have equal time at work and at home and that can make sure you can be with your sons and daughters again."

To this I softly – tentatively – kiss her on the cheek before looking from my youngest daughter to my newly adopted daughter. Both of them are sitting close together, while the Hufflepuffs of Susan's year are also sitting next to her and Ginny has Ron, Collin and Dennis seated with her, all of them making for quite the interesting group.  
And that, upon looking at the rest of my family, isn't the only interesting group as Ron is seated with Harry, Hermione, Blaise, Sirius, Remus and Krum. Fred and George have their team around them, Charlie is sitting with Hagrid. Bill is sitting with several Ravenclaws, the French Champion, Percy and Penelope Clearwater.  
And all of these groups are actually around us and only then do I notice that, while the Beast and Belle have their own little group surrounding them – Sora, Riku, Kairi, the two ladies from Harry's past, Arabella Fig, Axel, Roxas, Leon and Aaron – the groups our kids are sitting with have became a circle of their own.

And everyone else, all the other students from all three schools as well as my colleagues and the teachers, have gone to sit around us all, Kingsley, Tonks and No-Name being the only ones not being part of the large circle that has been created on this floor. And looking up, do I see the students there forming half a circle.  
This unity of three perfect circles and one half a circle amazes me, yet it also makes me feel a lot better and I think: "This book has done a lot of good and a lot of bad, caused a lot of laughter and a lot of pain and it might have consequences for young Harry, but its end results are already visible." And this makes me happily read on.

 _ **All three … rather giggly**_ _, yet Harry felt worried as he didn't think a mother should teach her daughter or the best friend of her youngest son about things like this, even if it was in story form_ _ **.**_ _He had seen, first hand with Dudley, what stories like that did to impressionable kids, and felt the results of it as well.  
_ _ **"What were … their cages.**_ _Harry had also made sure to recast the charms that he learned in the years previous and had actually noticed a strange look of disappointment flashing over Mrs. Weasley's face as she checked to see if everything was ready to be moved._

This actually makes the woman look at Harry shocked, proving she had been trying to do something when she thought others weren't looking and I turn to Minerva as I say: "Make sure that all luggage from anyone ever close to the Weasleys gets checked over once we get back." The woman nods and I continue reading.

 _ **A small … his pocket.**_

"You two really need to sit down and set some rules or a time schedule or something." Sora says and Hermione sighs as she says: "Unfortunately, I got so busy on another schedule, my school schedule that – well –." But then Ron says: "She treated Scabbers exactly as he deserved." But the girl lowers her head and says:  
"That may be true, but – I didn't treat your need to care for your – at the time – pet with the respect you deserved." At this Ron shrugs and says: "In this case, I'm just going to let bygones be bygones. He got what he deserved and then some and that's okay with me." And while I wonder what he's going on about, do I read on.

 _ **Mr. Weasley … come on."**_

This makes me shake my head good-naturedly and I say: "I think it would have been better if you took Harry aside after breakfast and set up a bit of a schedule with him. Then you wouldn't have given either him or the others reason to be suspicious or notice this." At this Arthur shrugs and says: "Yeah, I guess." Before I read on.

 _ **Mr. Weasley … emerald velvet.**_

Yet this doesn't make any sense to me and I ask: "Wait, that's not right. I asked Kingsley and Dawlish to ride those cars. Where did these Rookies come from?" And Kingsley himself sighs as he says: "Sorry about that. Albus hired Dawlish just before you came to us and he was still my supervisor at the time, so –."  
At this, while I feel furious that Albus thinks he can outplay me and control my forces for his own pleasures, do I ask: "And _what exactly_ did he need you to do?" Yet Kingsley smiles and says: "Something worthwhile. He wanted our help putting the Dementors _there_ where he was sure they'd have the best chance catching Sirius.  
Which makes me wonder; _how did you get in with those beasts at all those spots_?" He then asks Sirius, but the man sighs and says: "I hate to say this, Kingsley, but he tricked you. He put the Dementors at _all the places_ I would avoid trying to get to. I only needed one exit and entrance and he kept that Dementor free."  
The Head Auror looks shocked at this and then groans as he asks: "How high do you believe the chance that he knew that?""With him being who he is?" Sirius asks back and Kingsley groans again as he says: "Never mind, he knew and still did it." And while this makes me look at my Auror with care, do I then continue reading.

 _ **"In you … disgust, Percy.**_ _Or at least it looked like disgust, but then Percy mutters: "I didn't want her sticking her nose in there. I truly just meant to help you get closer to father, to extend the distance between you and her."_ _And while Harry was sure that neither he nor Hermione, who was engrossed in one of her books, weren't supposed to hear that, did Ron still smile at his brother and whisper his gratitude.  
_ _ **The journey … traffic lights.**_

"That no good bastard. He didn't just take the Aurors I planned to keep Mr. Potter safe, he also gave false and incomplete orders to the Rookie Aurors he hired in their place. I will make sure to have words with him – and them – about this. And while I do that, Kingsley, let the rest of them know there is a new rule in play.  
If anyone – and I mean _anyone –_ be they Dumbledore, Minerva, Cornelius or even Arthur tries to hire my Aurors, they are to report this to me on the spot. I will decide which jobs can be given to the chosen Aurors and whether or not they can be given that tasks or if I have tasks for them myself. And there will be _no exceptions_."

At this Kingsley nods and then asks: "You know there are Aurors who will happily take orders from others, even with this rule. Will they suffer consequences?" And I coldly answer: "Yes, if they break this rule, they will be suspended for a day. Again, a week, after that a fortnight and if they do it again, they're fired.  
I will give them three chances to learn not to do that anymore, but – if they don't learn – they're out." At this Kingsley nods, but then I turn to Minerva and ask: "Minerva, you're the new Leader of the Order of the Phoenix, right? Can you offer me someone who can keep an eye out, at least for the first few months or so?"  
The woman looks shocked, yet then the twins raise their hands and I turn to them as they show me two actual human looking ears that are tied together through a rough sort of string and one of them says: "It's one of our latest products.""Extendable ears.""Put this one wherever you want to listen in on something or someone."  
"And this one where you are.""And you'll hear everything." This makes me rub my chin with a pleased smile and I ask: "You think you can make them work without the string?" To which the two share a look, but then one says: "That's a challenge." And the other says: "One we will happily take on and accomplish."

Making me smile at them in pride before I say: "Good, but if you plan to sell those, understand that you then need to make sure you have an Intent ward on your store door, to ensure that your customers don't have unlawful plans with your products." Which startles the two boys and they mutter: "We – didn't think of that."  
Before they both hit themselves on their heads. Bill then moves over and lies a hand on both their shoulders as he says: "Once you have a store in mind that you want to purchase for this, let me know. I'll make sure Gringotts hires me for the job." And while the younger siblings smile up at their older brother, do I read on.

 _ **Mr. Weasley … shiny badge.**_ _Yet because Ron and Hermione were the next to arrive, did Harry manage to catch Percy's eye for one quick second and he nodded silently at the look in the Prefect's eyes as it was obvious what he was silently asking. "Do for them what you did for my sister last year."_

"Why did you want to leave that with Harry? Why not try –?" Penelope asks, but Percy glares at Minerva and the others as he says: "Because, when my sister went missing and was on the verge of dying, the teachers did _nothing_ to even try and find her. I held that against them, so I trusted Harry over them at the time."  
At this the teachers look down, but then Flitwick tries to say: "We just –." But I glare at him as I already know exactly what he wants to say and say: "You should have split up, the Heads caring for their Houses and everyone else searching for the missing student." At which Flitwick winces, yet Minerva nods as I read on.

 _ **Once the … quite pleased**_ _mostly about the fact that he was wearing clothes that – by paying a little bit extra – Madam Mallekin had enchanted to ward off silent spellwork_ _ **, when she … extra hug**_ _at which he felt the magic of the jacket he was wearing activate itself_ _ **.**_

"She actually tried cursing you? In the middle of a crowded platform?" Tonks asks and I turn a concerned glare at my new kids as I say: "You are all getting new wardrobes. _No,_ I won't hear a word otherwise, the whole Weasley family is buying new wardrobes. Your current ones will, after that, be confiscated and checked for spells.  
Kingsley, Poppy?" I then ask, my new sons closing their mouths as they realize they have no ground to stand on in arguing against my need to see them safe and both my favorite Auror and the Mediwitch nod as Kingsley says: "I'll enchant their new clothes.""I'll check them for spells next break." Poppy then says and I read on.  
Or so I try, but then No-Name shrieks: "You really think I would curse my own kids?" To which I retort: "You have been caught trying to curse a friend of your kids in the middle of a public area. Not to mention, they're not your kids. They're mine." And this makes my sons smile at me warmly and the woman glare as I read on.

 _ **"Do take … oddly bright**_ _, yet the way that her lips kept moving ever so slightly as she pulled away didn't sit well with him and made him all the more glad that he felt his jacket continue to use its magic_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Then she … Mrs. Weasley.**_

"You actually noticed what she was doing?" I ask, shocked and impressed, but Arthur shakes his head and sighs: "No, I wanted to keep Harry safe. I just – tried to protect him from the wrong person." And he sends a guilty look at Sirius, but the man says: "It's the thought that counts." Alleviating my partner's guilt as I read on.

 _ **"There's something … Mrs. Weasley.**_

"Am I glad that you didn't get the chance to make me that promise." Arthur mumbles, yet Sirius retorts: "And I am glad that, before all of this, Harry had someone like you watching after him. Thank you for that, Arthur." And the father of my children smiles at the mother of our famous hero before I continue the chapter.

 _ **Steam was … stalked off**_ _, yet Ron shouted after her: "Stay safe." At which she turned around and send him a grateful smile, her eyes promising she would_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Harry, Ron … with grey.**_ _For some reason the strange small mark under his ear looked familiar to Harry._

And while he had been slightly fidgeting in his seat, growling whenever No-Name was mentioned and twitching his shoulders for most of my chapter, does Remus now seems to calm down and smile at his son, love and personal relief showing in his eyes and I think: "Only a son can calm a canine father." At which I happily read on.

 _ **"Who d'you … at once**_ _and Harry shook his head as for some reason that name sounded familiar, yet trying to think of why caused him to twinge as a sudden pain attacked his temple_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"How d'you … peeling letters.**_ _And reading the name, for reasons that Harry was starting to suspect and hate, caused the same pain to hit his temple.  
_ _ **"Wonder what … was jinxed.**_ _Still, something about the name, regardless of the pain it caused Harry, made him feel as if this was "the" teacher that could prove those rumors wrong._

By now Harry is in Remus' lap and the man is growling with an angry protective sound coming from his throat, yet the boy just calmly cuddles with his father and says: "Don't worry, you'll read the solution at the end of the chapter. I'm sure. Don't worry." And he keeps on these platitudes, making me read on, feeling relieved.

 _ **"Well, I … us?" Harry**_ _, who felt a strange personal need to defend the man, but ignored it just to stop the pain in his temple from getting worse,_ _ **explained all … finds me."**_

"Yeah, and its guide's name is Albus Dumbledore." The twins chorus, yet while you'd expect them to say this with a playful smirk on their face are they looking furious and defensive about this and I say: "A man that is now frozen in time and locked within a cell equal to Nurmengard." Relieving them of their concern as I read on.

 _ **"How thick … glowing brilliantly.**_

"We really should have taken that for the warning it was." Ron mutters and he goes on: "Especially because it kept whistling whenever I had what I did that day on me." Yet while I feel as if I am missing a vital hint there, does the boy keep quiet, just wallowing in his own anger at himself and so I read on, distracting him.

 _ **"Is that … Professor Lupin**_ _and noticed that just looking at the man and not mentioning him by name seemed to save him from the pain that attacked him the other two times_ _ **. Ron stuffed … was saying.**_

"You remind me of James, Remy and me. We were close as two pieces of gum stuck together, but if we were in Hogsmeade, we always went our separate ways and just meet up for lunch or to go back. Only if we feared an attack, did we stay together and just work out a schedule beforehand." Sirius tells the two, who look shocked.  
"You – you guys didn't go to Hogsmeade together?" Hermione asks shocked and Remus shakes his head and says: "Doing _too many_ things together isn't healthy, Hermione. It can ruin your friendship. Can you guess why?" And the girl thinks before she whispers: "It – it can –." Yet the girl seems hesitant to answer.  
"It can make you depend on each other too much. Either that or it can make one of you think that you can plan everything out for the other. Neither one is healthy for any friendship. Good friendship is when friends can decide when they want to be together and when they want time to themselves. Same for relationships, really."  
At this most of the adults nod in agreement, yet the girl seems hesitant and even a little fearful, but then Harry says: "Hermione, they just mean what you guys have been doing for most of the breaks. Allowing me to get together with my new family and learn of my place in this world. They don't mean any more than that, really."  
And we nod, causing for the girl to sigh in relief before Blaise pulls her close and says: "Your friends will never leave you, _mi precioso._ You know that." And the girl nods at this before sharing a look and a smile with her friends that further amplifies this. And while I marvel at the strength of their bond, do I continue reading.

 _ **Mi precioso is Spanish for my Precious**_

 _ **Hermione looked … Hermione angrily.**_

"Hermione, your cat went to sit on your friends' lap, while he had his pet in his lap and you knew that. I'm sorry, but he was in full rights to push your cat off his lap. Yes, he probably could have just picked him up and set him away, but that would give Crookshanks the chance to swipe at Ron's chest area, where his rat was."  
Cedric says, but to this Harry says: "Had Scabbers been just that, Scabbers. I would have agreed. However, considering that Scabbers was more than he let on, Ron should have just either done as you said or left Crookshanks where he was." And both of his friends nod in agreement, confusing the rest of us as I read on.

 _ **Ron was … slept on.**_ _Ron and Hermione sighed in relief, yet Harry had silently hoped that the man would wake, perhaps then he could find out why reading or hearing his name would give Harry such headaches.  
_ _ **The Hogwarts … their compartment.**_ _Part of Harry wished that they would come in as he had made a few acquaintances over the last two years, but he knew they'd rather spent the train ride with their friends and he could respect that._ _ **Crookshanks had … top pocket.**_

"That cat really had just the weirdest obsession with you and Scabbers, Ron. Though he seems content to just leave Pig be." Seamus says and Ron mutters: "Yeah, and all of that is with good reason and will be explained at the end." At this Seamus frowns and I realize he was hoping for some more info. This makes me read on, smirking.

 _ **At one … good company**_ _and Harry kept feeling strange emotions that were slowly growing stronger every time he looked at the man only to be replaced by the strange pain_ _ **, but Professor … its uses.**_

"I shouldn't be hurting you." Remus then growls, but Harry cuddles closer and says: "It wasn't you that was doing that. Don't think that way. You _never_ hurt me, ever." Yet Remus seems not to believe him, even when Harry whispers: "Not even that night." And while I wonder about this, do they keep quiet and so I read on.

 _ **Mid-afternoon, just … gorilla arms.**_

"Ahhh, you mean my new minions, don't you?" Hades then asks, actually appearing again, yet while I hate the knowledge that he is training two dark souls like that, do I instead ask: "How is Marge Dursley?" And the smirk that is on the God's face makes Kingsley ask: "I'm not going to get my chance, am I?"  
"Depends on whether or not you will dare to move into my part of the realm. Just know that, in there, heroes are zeroes. Comes with the territory. Try to be a hero, you lose all your power." At this Kingsley smirks and says: "Trust me, I will be a lot, but I _won't_ be her hero." At which Hades smirks before I read on.

 _ **"Well, look … they disappeared.**_ _Yet the look of disappointment that flashes across Goyle's face unnerved Harry, as did the way that Crabbe cracked his left hand before he turned and returned to his bodyguard duty.  
_ _ **Harry and … fast asleep.**_ _Besides, in Harry's eyes it really was Crabbe and Goyle Ron should worry about. Ron was definitely defensively strong and would make for an excellent Keeper if he tried hard enough, but Crabbe and Goyle obviously knew how to hit a person where it hurt and probably without wasting much energy, too._

"Oh, that is true, alright. I currently have them going up against even Large Bodies and they make short work of those. Though they seem to have trouble against things like Wizards and whatnot. A certain kind of Heartless, not you lot." Hades mutters at the end, waving away those that opened their mouths as I read on, concerned.

 _ **The rain … we stopping?"**_

"For reasons that are going to haunt me for the rest of the book. And Lord Hades, I think even you would _not_ think to use monsters like these." At this Hades again summons his strange throne as he says: "First that Basilisk and now these. Your world is truly interesting." And I think: "You can say that." As I read on.

 _ **The train … coming aboard..."**_

"Those are _not_ people." Kingsley growls and he goes on: "In my eyes, they're not even worthy to be called beings, let alone monsters.""They're bad enough that even calling them monsters understates their evilness? Oh hoho, _this_ ought to be good." Hades says, snickering and smirking all the while and I read on, feeling disgusted.

 _ **The compartment … them spoke**_ _though Harry was glad that hearing his voice didn't cause him any pain_ _ **.  
**_ _ **There was … and wary.**_ _They swept over Harry for a second and Harry, to his own shock, noticed that the man didn't look up at his scar, he only looked at him before his eyes took on a serious and protective gleam.  
_ _ **"Stay where … of him.**_

"How exactly, if I may ask, are you able to do that?" Hades asks Lupin, yet the werewolf only growls at him and Sirius says: "Don't. He's in Heat and considers you a threat to his cub. You may be immortal, but you _don't_ want to take him on." And while Hades looks at Remus in contemplation at this, do I read on.

 _ **But the … inside him –**_

And by now I just can't keep reading on, not just because I am horrified at the fact that Harry was so close to being Kissed a few years ago, but also because Remus has started growling louder and louder the more I read and is now snarling in a furious rage, holding Harry so tightly, he actually ignores the whimpers of pain he emits.  
Yet suddenly something happens that shocks me as the Beast lets out a loud, furious roar and rushes over, actually grabbing Lupin by the back of his robe and rushing them both through the huge ball room doors that slam shut behind their master. And in his shock does Lupin luckily enough release his hold on his son.

Yet we all look shocked at this and some of the students even back away when, from the other side of the doors, loud echoing sounds of rampage being brought upon the hallways come through along with the howling of a canine and the roaring cries of a ferocious monster. "Well, I guess that was for the best." Sirius then sighs.  
Everyone looks at him shocked and he says: "Remus _is_ in Heat and just Lord Hades' presence was making the situation a lot worse. Personally, I can count my lucky stars the Beast did that. Else, Remus would probably love that ire out on me when we go back to our room." And the man winces to emphasize his point.  
Others also wince, yet Belle looks shocked when the sounds just keep on going and she mutters: "I would have expected our guest to have given in by now." Yet to this Sirius says: "He would have, if not for one urgent fact. He read – of Harry being in danger. In his mind, that is happening right now and the threat –."  
At this Belle nods and says: "Is now the Beast. I see, so Remus will continue fighting until Beast gives in.""Either that or until the Beast can prove his own protective strength. If he does that, Remus will consider him an aide to the pack, not a threat." And with that do we all look at the doors, awaiting the results with baited breath.

Yet the sounds seem to keep going for another quarter of an hour, while they had already been going for ten minutes by the time Belle made her comment and then finally, they quiet down. We all sigh relieved, yet then yelp in shocked fright when two howls, coming from both powerful sources, ring loudly through the doors.  
"Sounds like Remus went one step further. He didn't just get proven by Beast that Beast is an aide, he bloody well had him join the pack." Sirius says, sounding highly impressed, yet I myself feel more impressed that the sometimes weak looking man can hold his own against such a ferocious looking being for a good 30 minutes.  
And when the doors open and the two stumble through, is it to the surprise of no one that they are supporting each other and are both so heavily bruised, bloody and battered, it takes them only two steps in before they are rushed at by Poppy, Belle, Harry and Sirius, the former tutting and the other three looking heavily concerned.

They get helped to a separate blanket, yet when he sits down, does Remus turn to Sirius and mutter something shocking: "The Heat is gone." Which shocks Sirius, but then he says: "Good. I hate to admit it, love, but I was going to need the rest of the day to recover from our last round. You really wore me out something harsh."  
Remus winces at this and mutters an apology, but Sirius kisses him and whispers: "At least now we can really focus on what matters, our cub." And they both smile at Harry, who keeps his concerned eyes on Remus as Poppy works her magic on both him and the Beast. And while I know they're in good hands, do I read on.

 _ **"Harry! Harry! … heard screaming –"**_

"So, these creatures make people hear screaming inside their head?" Hades asks, but Harry shakes his head and says: "They do worse. I just got lucky. Dad managed to get rid of them before I could fully comprehend what I was hearing." And while the Lord of the Dead looks at him in obvious intrigue, do I focus back on the book.

 _ **A loud … the corridor.**_

"Wait, why didn't you stay?" Sirius asks and Remus answers: "I could tell Harry felt uncomfortable around me and wanted to make sure he would get the comfort he needed. That and I was furious that the driver even thought to stop for those monsters. I wanted to yell at him and tell him he should have just run them over, but –."  
And here the man growls in personal fury as he says: "He told me he had gotten orders from Dumbledore to follow anything the Ministry wanted to see done. He thought the Dementors had been sent there by the Ministry, so he halted the train. Though I didn't find out those orders came from that bastard until this year."  
"How do you mean?" I ask and the man answers: "Shortly after it became known to all those having some kind of role working for Hogwarts that Albus was arrested and what his crimes were, the man actually came to me and caught me up on this." At this I nod and I think: "I'll make sure to question him later." As I continue reading.

 _ **"Are you … else had?**_

"That is indeed quite strange. You don't seem like the kind of type who would easily collapse or anything. Even if you're a little scrawny in looks." Hades says and Harry sighs as he replies: "The effects of a Dementor are hard to resist – even for the strongest of men." Which seems to intrigue the God as I read on.

 _ **Professor Lupin … his name.**_ _He had seen the man looking at him and while he hadn't looked at his scar, had the man still recognized him. This made him know something that gave him hope; this man had known his family somehow, maybe even his father.  
_ _ **"Fine," he muttered, embarrassed.**_ _He was happy that he got to meet someone that knew his family, but hated the fact that he made such a horrible first impression._

Yet at this Remus pulls his cub close and whispers: "You, out of everyone in this room, have the most valiant reason to be weak to those monsters. If not because of what happened all those years ago, then for what happened over the last two. And then I'm actually excluding all the Muggle crap." And Harry smiles at this as I read on.

 _ **They didn't talk much during the remainder of the journey**_ _though Harry did manage to sneak a look at Neville, who gave him a silent nod. Neville's ability to comfort him and personal strength were going to be needed against this year, especially if those Dementors were to come after him. And even though Harry didn't say it, did he fear that to be a really great possibility. The last two years at Hogwarts made him wary of such events being a great possibility_ _ **.**_

This makes everyone look at the boy in concern and Minerva sighs as she says: "At least that was one thing Dumbledore did right." Yet Harry growls: "But was it really for the right reasons." Everyone looks at him and he says: "Because of how much he messed with our minds, I mean." Shocking the entire ball room silly.  
"Wait, you think Dementors have the ability to break through mind blocks?" Hermione asks shocked and Harry shrugs as he says: "They can bring forth memories that are lost to our subconscious mind and are supposed to be lost to the waves of time. Why shouldn't a large amount of them be able to break through powerful magic like that?"  
At this we all share looks with each other and then Kingsley says: "I'll make sure to have the Unspeakables question Dumbledore about that. If anyone can get answers like that out of a man like him, it's definitely them." And I nod, even though I don't like working alongside Unspeakables and so I just read on.

 _ **At long … in procession**_ _and looking through the coach window, he thought he could see a faint outline of one, but wasn't sure if that wasn't just the rain and the after effects of the Dementor messing with his mind_ _ **.  
**_ _ **The coach … collapse again.**_ _It made him look out the window more as he would prefer it if they would just voice their concerns instead of this awkward silent treatment._

"We didn't think you'd admit to it. You never did when we asked about the Dur – the Muggles." Hermione mumbles, but Harry retorts: "That's because I could use the fact that you didn't know them. You yourself _saw_ this happen." At this the girl turns red and mutters: "Good point, sorry." Harry nods and I continue reading.

 _ **As the … glinting maliciously.**_ _Yet Harry knew he was lying. Neville had been too much of a personal aide to Harry over the last two years and knew something about Harry that he never told anyone else. Neville knew of Harry's most painful issues, he wouldn't blab about something that could cause Harry to fall ill.  
_ _There and then Harry hated Malfoy even more as he was sure he had done something to his friend, something that forced Neville to reveal the smallest of hints before he probably escaped them and Harry swore he would get Malfoy back for that._

"What exactly did you do, Draco?" Narcissa sternly asks her son and the boy winces as he says: "Goyle had taken Longbottom's frog and threatened to eat it if Longbottom didn't give me something to tease Potter with. Longbottom only said that Potter had a bad reaction to the Dementors, but – while he said more, I didn't listen to it."  
At this Narcissa turns to Neville, who glares and says: "I _also_ warned him that I would put Professor Sprout on him if he tried anything and told him that it proved how horrible Harry's past really was. And finally I said, and I quote _if you really are of Noble blood and respect others of Noble blood, you will leave House Potter be_.  
Not my fault you have selective hearing, Malfoy." The boy snidely tells his year mate and Draco winces as he whispers: "So that's why I got that detention.""And why I decided not to go after you. Neville told me this the same night when we were in the common room." And while Draco looks at him guiltily, do I read on.

 _ **"Shove off … upper floors.**_ _Professor Lupin took his place just behind them, walking a few steps behind them and at a distance that no one would think they were in trouble, but close enough Harry could feel comfortable with his presence. This lasted until halfway through the Entrance Hall when the man vanished into the rest of the crowd and then seemed to take the teacher's entrance into the Great Hall. Still, his presence had done what he probably wanted it to do as Harry felt the effects of the two Dementors at the gate vanish from his system.  
_ _ **The door … there, Weasley."**_

"What is that about? If they're not in trouble, you're obviously worried for them. And you should have easily seen that Hermione and Ron were still worried for Harry, so why leave one of them in the dark?" Arthur asks and yet it's Hermione that answers: "It was because she first just wanted to see me before the Feast.  
The whole Dementor thing made her feel she had to speak with Harry as well." At this Arthur frowns and says: "I can understand that, but perhaps it would have been better if you had just told Ron to go sit with his brothers. They must have been worried about him too. If you had mentioned that, it would probably have had better results."  
"What is that supposed to mean, Arthur?" Minerva asks, but Arthur rolls his eyes and asks: "You seriously already forgot?" And when the woman looks confused does he turn to his son and ask: "You felt left out, didn't you? As if you were less important, didn't you?" And to the woman's shock does Ron actually nod.  
Arthur then turns to Minerva and says: "Just because you worried for Harry, doesn't mean you shouldn't concern yourself with others as well. I appreciate that you learned your lesson from First, but you just can't seem to find a proper middle ground, Minerva." And the woman grimaces at this as I continue reading.

 _ **Ron stared … this fuss.**_

"I thought you wanted us to care, Mr. Potter." Minerva almost sneers and Harry sighs as he says: "I wasn't at that stage yet, not back then. At that time, I would have preferred if those that actually knew – or had been there – had been the ones showing their concern by doing this. I didn't feel ready making a circus out of it."  
"How does that even make sense? What did you expect Ron and Hermione to do?" Lee asks, but Fred and George both hit him over the back of his head and Remus sighs as he says: "Harry didn't mean them, he meant me." He then pulls his son close and whispers: "And I'm sorry I didn't, son." Harry hugs him close and I read on.

 _ **"I'm fine … already delicate –"**_

"Poppy!""What the bloody hell are you talking about?""Harry faced things that would make even you faint!""How can you say that about him?""And in front of him no less!""Where is your sense of being a professional?""Do you even know how teenagers work anymore?" This is the defense that Harry gets from his friends.  
It shocks everyone else, Poppy and Harry apparently the most and then Sirius actually delivers the finishing blow as he growls: "I thought Healers and Mediwitches were supposed to _care_ and _respect_ their patients. This was just callous." And the matron winces, proving that really hurt her deep and I read on, silently agreeing.

 _ **"I'm not … was torture.**_

"Mr. Potter, your health –." But Poppy gets stopped by the glares sent her way as Sirius says: "You were too callous back then to have a right be concerned for his health now. That and any Mediwitch that works with teens for a while should know that, overtime, they get into the stupid belief that status is bigger than health."  
"That doesn't make it true." The woman snaps and yet Remus rolls his eyes and says: "My mate never said it was. He was just proving that you lost your ability to get how teens function and that, in this case, you have no right to try and admonish him." And the Mediwitch grimaces in stubborn pride at him as I continue reading.

 _ **"Well, he … to herself.**_ _The fact she went there, when anyone who knew teenagers would know they would do the same thing he did, refuse to go there till they fainted from illness, made Harry wonder if it wasn't time for the woman to hire someone new to help her get her understanding of her patients and their age back._

"Our – point – EXACTLY!" Remus and Sirius chorus, yet to this Poppy snaps: "Well excuse me if I take the students' health seriously." To which they again roll their eyes and Harry mutters: "Yeah, serious enough you forget everything else." Making the woman look at him shocked and he shrugs as I continue reading.

 _ **He only … Great Hall.**_

"You do realize that not telling her friends about what you wanted to talk to her about, especially if you take the last two years into account, will make them so curious they will keep asking and that can cause her so much annoyance she will snap at them and that such snapping can lead to arguments and those arguments can end their friendship.  
Right? We are talking about the three most curious students in the entire school, after all. Not to mention that two of those three are already known for their constant arguments." Arthur then tells Minerva and the woman sighs as he says: "Points I _really_ should have thought about." And I read on, grimacing in concern.

 _ **It was … respected him**_ _, though even that respect was only at face value and only to keep the more fanatic fans, like Mrs. Weasley, of his back_ _ **. You couldn't … train compartment.**_ _Yet then the jacket that he had decided to put on under his robe activated again, only this time Harry accepted it. A calming charm after experiencing the Dementors was a form of magic that Harry was okay with, so he whispered the code word to lower the power of the spell sown into his jacket._

"I hate saying it, but Harry is right. It's wrong of Albus to do such a thing, especially to underage students, but the situation, I get it absolves the problem, a little, that is." Minerva sighs and Harry mutters: "I think a lot of students preferred that over the Hospital wing." And all of Hogwarts nods, making me read on while laughing.

 _ **"Welcome!" said … this year.**_

"Wait, what does he mean two?" Amos asks shocked and concerned and I sigh and roll my eyes as I say: "This is the whole reason he hired Lupin so late into the summer. He wasted three quarter of the summer arguing with Cornelius about whether or not this should happen. And I hate to say it, but Cornelius' points – were pretty legit."  
This actually shocks Hagrid and the students look at him before Luna says: "He meant the fact that Hagrid is an expelled student and never had any training with students other than an occasional visit or detentions. And considering Hagrid's idea of what detention should be about back in Harry's first – yeah, I'd agree with him."  
Yet suddenly I turn to Harry for reasons I can't understand and I notice that he is hiding his face in Remus' shoulder, yet not out of pain or sadness, but out of a strange sense of restraint. "His loyalty and his common sense are fighting each other. Just read on." Remus tells me and I really feel for the poor lad as I read on.

 _ **"Firstly, Professor … was loathing.**_

And only then do I actually notice that the man in question isn't here and Filius asks: "Hey wait, _where_ is Severus?" To this Minerva sighs and says: "Severus – figured out what Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley were hinting at before we started this chapter. He has been working on antidotes this entire time we were reading."  
And yet, while this should startle, shock or even scare No-Name, does the woman actually start smirking and to all of our shock, does she say: "I'd love to see him try." Yet that seems to be the magic words. Slamming the doors open, Severus strides into the ball room, actually striding through it and over to the woman, a glare on his face.  
He grabs her arm, slashes it with his wand and draws three drops of blood before closing the wound. He then turns around and strides back, students all over the ballroom yet he manages to walk in one straight line without forcing any of the students to move. And when he leaves does he use magic to make the doors slam close.

"What – what just happened?" Ron asks and Sirius says: "Either Snape knew more about Love Potions and even, probably, the more secret ones and he realized what made Molly smirk – or he figured out which potion she used long ago and waited for her to _challenge_ him. Though, knowing him, it's probably a combination."  
And Lucius nods as Draco says: "If uncle Sev loves one thing, it's to make an entrance. He does so practically every Potions class." At which everyone who has ever had Potions with the man nods in agreement. And while I turn back to the book and continue reading, do I smirk as I noticed No-Name looking terrified at long last.

 _ **Harry knew … remaining limbs.**_

Yet here Harry snickers and we all look at him as he says: "I'm not entirely sure why it wasn't in any of the starting chapters, but that bit is actually not true. The night after I made my agreement with Vernon about Hedwig, I actually _did_ send her off with a few letters. One to Gringotts and one to Professor Kettleburn."  
This intrigues us all and Harry smirks as he says: "The whole reason Professor Kettleburn retired – is because I gave the Goblins the request to give the rights of caring for the Basilisk carcass however he wanted – to Professor Kettleburn. I just asked him to leave one bit of every part of the beast down there and to enchant it."  
"Enchant it how?""With a spell to make it look as if all of those parts are still there. After all, at the time I realized that Dumbledore could use Fawkes to get in there and I didn't want him getting his hands on what was rightfully mine. So I decided to give it to someone I knew would treat it well. And yes, Hagrid, I have good reasons."

At this the Half-giant looks at Harry in pain and Harry says: "At the time it was just because I was pissed at you over Aragog and because I didn't think you'd want the carcass of the beast that got you expelled. Later, it was because I saw that as just a roundabout way to get things where I _didn't_ want them, with Dumbledore."  
At this Hagrid winces as Harry fells him with a stare as he asks: "Or can you tell me, right here and in full honesty, that – if I asked you not to let Dumbledore know of this – you would have complied?" And the man lowers his head, proving Harry right, which makes me send him a concerned, suspicious look as I read on.

 _ **However, I … and forks**_ _, the effects earlier caused by the Dementors lost to the abundance that was the Opening Feast_ _ **. Harry, Ron … last year.**_

Yet at this I grimace and say: "I hate to say it, but – until we read last book, there were never any documents filed to make that official. Hagrid was taken out of Azkaban, because Dumbledore send a letter saying that the danger had left the school. There were never any files or documents officially brought before the Wizengamot."  
This shocks Hagrid and he asks: "But – but then – how –?" And Lucius sighs as he says: "Because, in the end, Dumbledore resorted to _my_ methods and used the newspaper against Cornelius. He walked into the office with Skeeter, three minutes later he had permission to make you the new teacher." And this seems to break Hagrid.  
"I – I – I thought – I – I never – why – he – he told me – I – I don't –." Yet this is as much as I can hear and I say: "Hagrid, please go for a walk. It sounds like you need to get your mind in order." The man nods and leaves the room. Yet I turn to Kingsley and the man nods. And while I really don't like any of this, do I read on.

 _ **At long … the passwords**_ _it was one thing Harry was trying to help him with as a way to thank the boy for his constant help in private matters_ _ **.  
**_ _ **Through the … at last.  
**_ _Yet he didn't go to bed right away, he went for his trunk and pretended to look through it, as if searching for something. He did this until he heard three familiar sounding snores and he looked up, sharing a smile with Neville who was awake and awaiting him on the boy's own bed.  
_ _Harry grabbed his healing kit, his potions kit and all of the potions ingredients he had collected over the years and joined the boy on the bed. Right away he went to the topic that concerned him the most.  
_ " _Hearing or reading Lupin's name is hurting me, but being around him makes me feel good. I think I know him, that he knew my parents, but – someone is trying to keep me from fully remembering that. Know any potions that can help with that?"  
_ _And Neville, who Harry knew was a potions prodigy that just had a horrible phobia against their teacher and nothing more, confidently gave him the instructions and told him what ingredients to use. They worked together to get the potion done and Neville advised Harry to take one gulp every night for a week. "It might mean you'll still hurt during our lessons this week, but you should be fine next week. Let me know if I'm wrong."  
_ _Neville told him and Harry nodded, doing as advised and putting the rest of the potion in the one drawer that every bedside table had that was enchanted to allow entrance to only the student lying in the bed next to that respectable bedside table.  
_ _And while the potion tasted worse than the Skele-Grow Harry had to take after his first Quidditch match in the previous year, did he feel sure that the results would be well-worth the taste._

And this makes Remus sigh in relief before he smiles at his son and says: "I am so glad that you took that potion. Though I would prefer if you make sure to take others as well. I know you've already taken a lot to get your health set right again, but – with Albus doing what he did – I don't want to take the risk, not with you."  
At this Harry nods, but then he says something that causes a horrible wave of fear to spread through the whole ball room. "I will, but who says Dumbledore kept it to the students only?" And everyone either turns to the foreign visitors or to the teachers, who are looking white with fear, shock, disbelief and several levels of rage.

* * *

 _ **And with good reason.  
**_ _ **So I am very happy with how this chapter turned out. I am glad I got rid of the Heat Remus was suffering from as he is a vital part of this story, unlike a few others of mine. I am also happy with this little way that I further developed the evil of Dumbledore. If I did so in a previous chapter, please kindly let me know.  
**_ _ **Thanks in advance,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	64. Our Teacher - Is A GODDESS?

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **I AM SUPER EXCITED! This is the first chapter that is completely new to this entire story. It feels like I just finished editing an old story and am now starting on the sequel or something. I can only imagine where, now that I have a blank page in front of me instead of prewritten text, I will take this story from here.  
**_ _ **Let's find out,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
WARNING: mentions of potential murder later on, near the end of the chapter!  
**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 63  
**_ _ **Our Teacher – is a GODDESS?**_

 _ **3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **of June 1994  
**_ _ **Ballroom, Beast's Castle  
**_ _ **Kingsley's POV**_

I have been noticing No-Name glancing and trying to get the attention of several groups or individuals over the course of the last chapter and to be honest, the way she looks at me and then glares at Tonks who is sitting on her other side makes it beyond easy to read her thoughts, even though I was never able to master such magics.  
And the fact that, just last chapter, we discovered that she actually doused Arthur with Love Potion and that Severus Snape is currently brewing potential antidotes to this, does not make me feel any better. Because of this, do I silently try to get the attention of the most important person currently in the room for me.  
I know that, in the world she has been living in for most of her life, our relationship isn't looked upon in the best of way, because I am born in 1965 and she was born in 1941, making us have an age-gap of 25 years, yet I really don't care for this and neither did she when I was the one to ask her to marry me three years ago.

Fiana, my precious fauna of life, turns my way and I send a quick look at No-Name while slapping my heart with my fist and then cut my throat, which some years ago became our secret message for saying _Someone's hitting on me._ The woman frowns at this and then sends me the message back that I had hoped for. _Revelation time.  
_ I smile at her, both of us having met shortly after the end of the First book and agreeing that our desires, roles and duties were a bit too different at the time and that we needed to properly establish and work on them before revealing ourselves. Yet by now I feel as if we may have been waiting too long and so I happily say:  
"I'm taken, No-Name." Just as Blaise Zabini seems to take the book from my boss and everyone turns to me at this, No-Name herself turning red as she must have thought that I wasn't noticing those blasted looks of _you know you want me_ that she had been trying to send me, but then she seems to have a change of mind.  
"Really? Cause I don't see any binding equipment on you, Auror." And the way she tries to purr my station makes me suppress a shudder as I say: "Aurors aren't _allowed_ to wear such garments when out in the field. It can risk their loved ones if their targets find out about it. However, you are not considered such a risk, so there."

The woman looks at me shocked and then everyone gasps and several eyes widen while more mouths drop as Fiana happily moves over and I make sure to move in such a way she can lovingly take place within my lap. I then send a quick look to my boss, who just looks back impatiently and I happily give my beloved a strong, loving kiss.  
Fiana cuddles up to me, the way she always does when I show her my affection and while I have no doubt that some, likely a couple of the more stubborn Muggleborns, will disagree on our bond, do I just not care as finally having another chance to be close to my fiancé and the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.

And then Fiana proves to me why I love her and why I have a right to as, after she catches her breath from how much I showed her my love, she turns to the Beast and asks: "You're the Master of this Castle and someone who can be considered an official, right? Would you and Madam Bones mind officiating our wedding?"  
This startles most of the room and when No-Name wants to snarl: "Now that is just rude! You think you can just expect –." Does my beloved coolly reply: "We've been engaged for three years." Shutting her up before my boss says: "If Lord Beast is okay with it, I would be honored." And the shocked being nods in agreement.  
At this my fauna turns to Belle and the woman is practically radiant with excited glee as she says: "I have no doubt my wardrobe will have a gorgeous dress all ready for you." And at this Mrs. Diggory says: "And if any of the sizes are wrong, I know some brilliant resizing charms." Which makes both of us smile at her and each other.  
We then share another kiss to show our love for each other and share how happy we are that we are finally getting married and this is answered by someone – I can only guess Harry – starting to clap. And he is instantly followed up by the rest of the room, which makes the windows behind us shake a little at the strength of sound.

 _ **Blaise's POV**_

For the last few days I have been of the belief that the bond between myself and my precious Hermione was the most unusual. Yet then we came back from Olympus Coliseum and I got proven that I was wrong when Auron, a silent yet incredibly strong warrior, sought to court the second oldest of the Weasley brothers.  
And now I get proven wrong again as the woman who, to everyone's knowledge, has been living in the Muggle world since the seventies is actually engaged to one of the most popular, skilled and incredible members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and will soon become his wife and the Lady of his House.

"And yet they have nothing on my gorgeous girlfriend." I think to myself, yet I don't focus on that, even though I do happily sit down next to her, the girl turning from happily smiling at one of her best friend's oldest sort-of guardian to turning to me and the look she sends me makes me even happier that I can now court her.  
A budding sense of love is shining in her gorgeous brown eyes, yet there is also a sense of concern shining there and she whispers: "You do realize what we will probably read of next, right?" To which I smile at her and say: "I do, that's why I offered to read next." And yet this doesn't seem to comfort the girl at all.  
Instead it worries her more and I pull her close as I say: "I am the neutral middle between you two, mio magnifico genio. I am friends with Draco, but I never agreed with what he did and always made sure he – even though it might not be noticed or mentioned – didn't go too far or too fast. Here, I'll prove it." And with that, I start to read.

 _ **Mio magnifico genio is Italian for My Gorgeous Genius.**_

 _ **Talons and Tealeaves**_

"Wow, talk about the complete opposite. Last chapter had a really obvious title and this one – wait, what's this about?" A First year asks and I answer: "Harry's very first Divinations and Care of Magical Creatures class." Which actually makes the boy scoot a little closer in excitement and I shake my head as I read.

 _ **When Harry … funny story.**_

At this my best friend groans and then stands up as he says: "Just want to let everyone know, the start of this chapter is pretty much a perfect presentation of how I behaved for – well, the better part of this entire book." And he grumbles this at the end, yet I feel proud of him for admitting this and he huffs as he sits down and as I read on.

 _ **As they … a pug.**_

This makes the girl glare at Harry, but I mutter: "You called him way worse before all this and we already surmised that no one – not friend nor enemy – was going to get a friendly description." At which the girl huffs and pouts, yet not even her dorm mates seem like wanting to console her and I notice this before reading on.

 _ **"Potter! The … you, Harry?"**_

"Wait, why did you have them?" Sora suddenly asks the twins and yet it's Professor McGonagall says: "Peeves had wrecked my cabinet where I always stash my retrieved homework, so I needed most of breakfast to fix it. That meant I had to leave handing out the timetables to others." The brunette nods at this and I read on.

 _ **"Malfoy," said … he, Fred?"**_

"Why would you want to sit on opposite ends of the train, anyway?" Sora asks again and the twins shrug as one of them says: "It's not so much that we want to." And the other goes on: "It's just that we're always late.""And we never feel like asking Lee to move when we find him." At this Sora, but then Lee shrugs and says:  
"You could have just told me that. I always wondered whether I should get comfortable or just wait for you guys and then go find your siblings so our compartments are closer. I don't mind doing that from now on." To which the twins send a large, grateful smile at their best friend and Sora shines at them all as I read on.

 _ **"Nearly wet … in there."**_

"You have no idea how right you are in that." Sirius mutters and the look on his face proves that, even two years after escaping the place, it is still haunting him and Riku moves over to him, actually tilting his head back so they can properly lock eyes before he says: "I might need to take a Dive Into your Heart sometime soon."  
"What does that mean? And why?" Harry asks worriedly and Riku says: "Because of that." And without looking, does he aim behind him. I look there and to my shock, do I notice Sora with his Keyblade out and standing in such a way it proves he just took out something. "Was that – did he just – are you saying –."  
My sweet partner asks in fright and Riku nods as he says: "A Heartless. If Sirius proves that he is this affected by that place, even just a mention of it, he could lure the Heartless here. I better clear his heart of the Darkness that place left on him before that happens." Yet then Sora lies the Keyblade in the back of his neck and says:  
"Though in the meantime, I'm sure we got these few Heartless covered." Yet I already know that there are quite a few students and teachers all thinking the same: "But for how long will it stay to _just a few_?" And while I try to take comfort out of the fact that there are plenty of Keyblade Wielders in the room, do I read on.

 _ **"Anyway, we'll … Professor McGonagall."**_

At this Professor Lupin glares at McGonagall and says: "You really should have given her permission to tell those two. Not only is she incredibly competitive and driven, so she'll take her classes more seriously than is healthy, but she's being insulting to Ron in her need to keep this quiet." The woman grimaces at this and Neville says:  
"I know you don't like hearing this, Professor, but he's right. Things, especially Hermione's health, went downhill really quick. Though Professor Lupin, I'm sorry, but you don't really have a right to judge here. You didn't notice her problems either." At which Lupin shrugs to prove that he agrees wit the boy as I read on.

 _ **Just then … enormous hand.**_

"That was really rude of you, you know." Luna Lovegood suddenly says and when Hagrid turns to her, does she say: "There are students who are avid believers of animal rights. You looked like a beast killer, doing that." This astounds Hagrid and he says: "But – but – but surely you lot know me." Yet to this Luna shrugs and says:  
"What you're most known for is having a deep love for beings and beasts that others find dangerous. Also, in some countries the polecat is actually considered an endangered species and is protected, less they become extinct." At this Hagrid cringes and he mutters: "I – I didn't know that.""Now you do." Luna states and I read on.

 _ **"All righ' … teacher ... hones'ly ..."**_

"It would've been, had I not been at my – almost – absolute worst." Draco mutters and Hermione asks: "Wait, _almost_?" To which Draco proves to us all he can learn his lesson as he says: "I was at my worst two weeks after Dumbledore got his comeuppance back in the year before this one." And my girl smiles at him for this as I read on.

 _ **He grinned … Tower before.**_

At this I notice Lupin glaring at the Seventh Year Gryffindors as he says: "Unless I am mistakes, it's the job of the Fifth year Prefects to guide the First and Second Years to either their first classes or classes they might have forgotten and for the Sixth year Prefects to guide the Third years to their new Elective classes.  
So what happened to that?" And not just Harry, Ron and Hermione look at this shocked, but the rest of those who are in their year and House as well and one of them rubs the back of his head as he asks: "We were sheep and waiting for Percy to give us instructions?" Yet this doesn't seem to sit well with said Weasley as he says:  
"I gave those instructions to each of you on the train. Are you going to try and blame this on me or try and say that the Dementor encounter made you forget about that?" Yet while it's obvious that the lad hadn't expected to stand up for himself, does he not seem willing to use either excuse and just admit defeat as I read on.

 _ **"There's – got … watching them.**_

"I actually interact a lot with the portraits when I'm not busy solving mysteries or doing my homework or worrying over my friends. Makes me feel like I'm learning in a whole new way. Most of them are after all based on ancient historical figures – and others are just plain fun." Harry happily tells us before I read on.  
Yet I make sure to sweep my gaze over the top of the book as I do and notice that there are others who nod to prove that they agree with him and do the same thing. And just a quick headcount makes me know that it's mostly Muggleborns, with quite a few Half-bloods and only a handful of Purebloods mixed into that group.  
Yet what intrigues me the most is that this handful of Purebloods actually falls under a very specific sub-category among the Pureblood society. "All of them can trace their lineage back ancestor by ancestor. They must hang out with those that are known to have a portrait at Hogwarts." I think as I focus on what I read.

 _ **A moment … you dogs!"**_

This makes almost all of Gryffindor turn to the three in question and Neville asks: "You actually met him before Halloween?" And while I wonder what he means, do the three nod to which Seamus moans: "You poor, poor souls." Which makes everyone else share confused looks with each other before I continue reading.

 _ **They watched … the charge!"**_

"Had it not been for the last two books, I would have thought he was exaggerating. But now –." Mr. Diggory mutters, but Harry says: "He was exaggerating. It's just – part of his character. Though that didn't make the whole thing any better." And while the other Champion's father feels relieved at this, do I continue reading.

 _ **He gave … someone mental."**_

And to my amused confusion does practically everyone in Gryffindor – bar the First Years, apparently – nod in empathy before they all turn an angry glare at Sirius, who looks shocked and asks: "What?" Apparently not getting why everyone is mad at him. "You'll see." Harry growls, yet I can tell he's not as angry as others as I read on.

 _ **They climbed … up there?"**_

Yet suddenly Hades reappears in his usual way and he raises his arms in a halting motion several times as he says: "Wow, wow, wow, wow – WOW! _What_ name did you just utter?" And from the corner of my eye I actually notice the person in question cringe as I repeat: "Sybill – Trelawney?" And this actually pisses the God off.  
" _Show yourself."_ The Lord of the Dead growls and the coldness of his voice makes me feel as if I am actually inside his realm and makes me pull Hermione close, trying to push my fear for him to the back in order to keep her safe, even though I know it's not my girlfriend that the God is after. Yet Trelawney seems hesitant.  
"NOW! SHOW YOURSELF, NEMESIS!" The God yells, actually making the entire room tremble with the power of his voice, yet the name confuses me, that is until Trelawney herself actually speaks up. And the voice that she speaks with is actually full of malicious fun that makes my skin crawl for a second time as she asks:

"Aaaaw, c'mon Hades, did you have to mess with me having some fun?" To which Hades crosses his arms and growls: "I may not be one of the official twelve, but even I know how to keep to the Ancient Laws. _No fun can be had if it's not in the realm one is born in._ These people are not from our world, therefore they are off limits."  
"Oh, and what about that time –?" Trelawney tries, but Hades glares at her and says: "I joined them, I didn't do anything outside my own world. No point trying to use that against me, Nemesis. Now drop the bloody disguise. You didn't exactly pick one that compliments you now, did you?" And this seems to do the trick.  
"Aaaah, fine. Have it your way, spoilsport." The professor of Divinations moans, only for waves and strings of purple magic to flow around her and actually change her appearance. Where she looked like a large glittering insect previous, does she now turn into an actual ethereal looking woman with gorgeous looks.  
Long flowing brown hair that is held away from her face by a golden diadem, dark brown eyes that show both contempt and the same malicious enjoyment from before, several gold and silver bracelets all over her lower and upper right arm, a cloth draped over her left and a Greek-styled, silvery-white dress that reaches halfway down her thighs.

Everyone looks at the Goddess in shock as she reveals herself and the woman turns stern and disgusted as she turns to Harry, who is instantly covered by Sora, Riku, Roxas and Axel, the first three with their Keyblades out and Axel having both his Chakrams in each hand and ablaze with flames at each spear point.  
"You certainly were one fun little toy to mess around with. Are you sure I can't mess up his life one last time, Hades? My captive little partner will appreciate it so much more if I do." Yet instantly Madam Bones and the Minister rush at the group at this and Madam Bones snarls: "Captive? You don't mean Dumbledore, do you?"  
"No, I mean Zeus and Hera. Of course I mean your prisoner, you dimwit." The Goddess snaps at her and Fudge asks: "What on earth would you want with the likes of Dumbledore?" To which the Goddess shrugs and says: "He makes me feel strong, what else?" Which confuses the two and the Goddess sighs as she says:  
"Do I _need_ to spell it out to you? Dumbledore is envious of the _entire_ world, so he wants the entire world to be envious of him. To celebrate him and let him do whatever he wants. To let him take whatever he wants, regardless of the chance of it belonging to someone else. And when people don't, he turns to me.

I make a precious little prophesy and those that don't prove they can be his precious little playthings get their lives messed up. Unfortunately, the Fates decided to mess with my last two prophesies, so –." And Harry shocks us all as he shouts: "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" And a giant-sized Stag actually attacks the Goddess.  
And while I had expected her to just wave it away, force it back onto him or use some other ethereal magic to destroy or evade it, does she seem too startled and does she get hit with it, the stag forcing her across the Ballroom and up against the glass windows on the back of the room, the Goddess actually groaning in pain.  
"You killed my parents! You ruined everyone's lives! You almost killed Cedric! You almost started a Second war! VOLDEMORT WOULD HAVE RETURNED IF YOU HAD GOTTEN YOUR WAY!" Harry shouts, raging fury and horrible heartache sounding through his voice and only then do I notice something that shocks me.  
Harry didn't cast the Patronus from his wand, but rather from his Keyblade, the huge weapon looking like it fits his hand perfectly and the lion at the end has its open mouth glowing as if to prove the power of the spell. Everyone looks at this shocked and Riku mutters: "I didn't even know it was possible to do that."

This pulls Hades out of his own shocked stupor and he snaps his fingers, causing for tendrils of darkness to wrap themselves around the Goddess. At this Harry drops his Keyblade, actually panting to prove that casting such a powerful spell and keeping it strong tired him. "I think you have your answer right there, Nemesis.  
You are not going to be doing anything to anyone here anymore. You lost your toy, your partner and I will make sure –.""You are such a hypocrite. You have two people from that world under your very service, Hades, and you try to patronize me." Nemesis smirks, but Hades seems unimpressed and just coldly asks:  
"Were they not in _my_ world when I took them? And do you really think I have any need to use them against anyone other than Blunderboy? Do you really _not_ know me after all these centuries?" The Goddess glares at this and says: "Fine, you win. I'll leave. Heh, I guess it was fun while it lasted." And with that does she actually vanish.

"Where did she go?" McGonagall shrieks and Hades calmly answers: "Back to her own part of our world. I can sense her returning there. She's pretty pissed, but – I can only imagine she will start using me to keep strong soon enough. What with how I _need_ to take down Blunderboy. Speaking of which." And with that he too vanishes.  
"You know, if it weren't for the fact that we know that it's Hercules, the Hero of Heroes, that he's talking about, that would really concern me." I can't help but say and mostly everyone nods before Harry sighs and says: "This just – it just explains so much." And while I can clearly hear his defeated tone, do I focus back on the book.

 _ **As though … went quiet.**_

"Wait, are we really going to read about the same teacher we just saw vanish? The one who admitted that she has been aiding Dumbledore in his greedy ways and murderous desires for years? The same teacher who turned out to be a Goddess?" Ernie asks shocked and Justin mutters: "I – guess we are." At which I read on, grimacing.

 _ **"After you … fashioned teashop.**_

And while I know that Harry actually has a few girls in his House that absolutely love Divinations and who have always been badly judgmental of those that disagreed with them, even if only by a little. Yet Patil and Brown seem too out of it from what they saw happen to their favorite teacher to respond to this at which I read on relieved.

 _ **At least … glittering insect.**_

At this I chortle and think: "That's exactly what I always think when I spot her again after a while." Yet it also seems to finally wake the two up and Patil snaps: "Well, at least she turned into a gorgeous goddess." To which Thomas snaps: "One who supported Dumbledore." Making the Asian girl turn red as I continue the chapter.

 _ **Professor Trelawney … and rings.**_

"I'll give her one thing. She knows how to conceal herself." Moody growls, yet this makes Harry frown and he asks: "Could that be how it keeps happening? How it is that no one notices the dark ones until it's almost too late every year?" But while this idea seems to be merited by most, does it seem the opposite with his father.  
"A good theory, pup, and in any other situation or location it probably would have been the case. Though while I will say this might be, slightly, the case with Minerva and the others, I also think Dumbledore, in all his willingness to hurt others, also plays a large part in all that." At this his son sighs, yet nods as I read on.

 _ **"Sit, my … this field..."**_

"That's not entirely true." Luna suddenly says and we all turn to her as she says: "It's true that some classes are better off being taught through practical instead of theory ways, but there are always books that can help one further in any kind of subject or class." At this most of Ravenclaw nods in proud agreement and I read on.

 _ **At these … Neville gulped.**_

"For the record, your gran had left on a spa week, because her age made her health go up and down from time to time. Though this was well-known to anyone who knows how to listen to small grapevines and political discussions. She had after all told the Wizengamot she couldn't attend their next meeting for this very reason."  
Mr. Diggory tells the ballroom, but to this Harry asks: "What does that matter? I mean, how would that –?" And Professor McGonagall says: "Sy – I mean, Nemesis – was indeed known to stay inside her tower for most of the year, but she also always visited at least one Wizengamot meeting a year." Harry nods and I read on.

 _ **Professor Trelawney … red-haired man."**_

"Again, Wizengamot. Your father had reported to Madam Bones that he had noticed some kind of red-haired man stalking his wife and home for a few weeks and wanted her to provide Auror guard as well as the assurance that the Dementors would keep him away from his daughters." Mr. Diggory tells us and I read on, rolling my eyes.

 _ **Parvati gave … my voice.**_

"She loses her voice every time she gets sick – and somehow, she gets sick every – wait a second. Every time she got sick, someone that we now know is a target for Dumbledore got into horrible trouble. Some of them even died. Those illnesses were constantly faked!" Professor McGonagall snaps in anger and Madam Bones says:  
"I really can't wait till I can go and tell precious pretty Dumbledore that his precious pretty little weapon moved to another world and is back to her old ways." Yet at the same time I can tell that, for some reason, Flitwick seems worried and curious about something at the same time, yet he doesn't voice this and so I just read on.

 _ **And around … of October."**_

"What on earth did I do that would make me a target of that monster?" The young girl asks, in tears as she must remember what happened and Harry winces as he asks: "Did your parents plan anything that can be connected to my homelife?" And the girl gasps, proving that they did indeed have something like that planned.  
"They – they – they – THAT HORRIBLE MONSTER! They were planning to move to Wisteria Walk, because it was close to our previous home, but had larger gardens and we had just bought my new bunny. We wanted to give him plenty of running and jumping space and Wisteria Walk had exactly the backyard we wanted."  
This makes Harry look down and he mutters: "And because that was just too close to my old living place for his likings, he decided to take you the whole reason you wanted to move in the first place. Lavender, I –." But to this the girl screams: "DON'T YOU DARE BLAME YOURSELF, HARRY JAMES POTTER!  
THIS IS THAT MONSTER'S WORK AND – AND – AND HE IS PAYING FOR IT! You are not to blame for this and if my parents hear of this and hear that you blame yourself, they will give you even more of a rant, you got that?" And Harry, who had looked really startled, nods in startled acceptance before I read on, snickering.

 _ **Lavender trembled … the pink."**_

"That was one pathetic way to teach you all about self-predicting prophesies, I swear." Sinistra mutters, yet Neville seems confused and mutters: "I just thought of something. Whenever Nemesis didn't talk death on Harry, she would treat me the same way she just did. Why?" No one seems to have an answer, so I just read on.

 _ **Sure enough … very happy..."**_

"I'm starting to think I had my own future shown to me at this point." Harry says, smiling at the rest of his family, who are all smiling back at him and Ron shrugs as he says: "If you did, that was one long-timed prediction, mate." To which Harry cuddles closer with his family and says: "But worth the wait." At which I happily read on.

 _ **"You need … and You-Know-Who."**_

"Want to bet that was a phoenix hidden under the guise of a falcon. After all, Voldemort was a killer, but Dumbledore turned out to be everyone's true enemy, not just Harry's." Moody growls, but I also notice that Luna seems to struggle with something, as if she wants to say something, but can't, which makes me read on worried.

 _ **Harry and … the Grim."**_

"She's describing the books." Luna suddenly says and we all look at her before Harry frowns and he says: "She's – not wrong. I did encounter the Ministry in two ways that year, got gold by winning the Tri-wizard Tournament the year next, so that means – that the club, the skull and the Grim are representing my other years."  
"So, there will be some kind of attack in your Fifth, you will face crazy-like danger – probably Dumbledore's kind – in your Sixth and face Death itself in your Seventh? Damn mate, are you sure you had your own cup back then?" To which Harry nods and says: "I do, because our future – isn't in the books; not anymore."  
And the incredible confidence with which he says this resounds through the entire ballroom, yet I can't help but turn to Luna. And the sight of the girl, calm and smiling at Harry in a tranquil, happy way makes me sigh in relief as, for some reason, I feel as if she has some kind of connection to all this. Yet instead, I just read on.

 _ **"The what … of death!"**_

"And yet that was the only time she actually had it right about what that omen means." Luna mutters and while she sounds so light and airy, does everyone look at her horrified and Sirius asks: "Luna, for the love of all that is Light, please tell me – does that omen still count for my baby? Considering the Time Reading Spell?"  
But the girl instantly relieves us all as she says: "Only if we stop reading. If not, the Grim will walk away – well, the omen one." And while Harry had still tensed halfway through, does he sigh in relief in the end as well and Sirius pulls him close as he whispers: "I'm not going anywhere, pup." At which I read on, feeling better.

 _ **Harry's stomach … Harry's eyes.**_

Yet thanks to Luna's words and Hades forcing Nemesis to leave earlier is the atmosphere in here quite different from what it was like back then. Yet at the same time I just know that things will soon take another turn for the worst and this time, I wonder if interruptions can make things better or not. And so I read on, sincerely hoping so.

 _ **"Until we … this year?"**_

Yet here Sirius turns to the other teachers and asks: "Would you have asked them the same question?" And most of them, bar his mate, nod as Flitwick says: "It's just been part of Nemesis' start of the year introduction since practically the second year she started teaching." Making the young mother roll his eyes as I read the chapter.

 _ **Everyone stared … Neville's cup?"**_

At this even the boy himself rolls his eyes and says: "Lavender, no offense, but I am practically the weakest example of that Goddess having any kind of ability when it comes to predicting – even if she proved that she could just now. She probably can only do so when using her Goddess power, which I doubt she can do in class."  
At this the girl grimaces and Harry asks: "Remember what you found out about October?" And Figg nods at this as she says: "Unfortunately, I have to agree with Harry. I know this can get me in trouble with the law, but, thanks to me and my work, there was _nothing_ that happened in Surrey, that Dumbledore didn't know about."  
But to this Madam Bones says: "Arabella, if that is supposed to get you in trouble, then everything we ever told Dumbledore either under his orders or by our own will is something we should arrest ourselves for. The only one to blame for any of the consequences of that – is Dumbledore himself." At which I nod and read on.

 _ **When the … pumpkin juice.**_

Yet this makes all of the Weasley family glare at the girl, that is until Riku asks: "I know I might be stretching things here, but – did this Bilius meet with Dumbledore –?" And the gasp that comes from Mr. Weasley says it all as he says: "He – he couldn't. He – he was the best man at a friend's wedding on the day Dumbledore invited him.  
THAT BASTARD KILLED MY BROTHER BECAUSE HE WOULDN'T COME FOR A BLEEDING CUP OF TEA!" Mr. Weasley screams in horrifying anguish and Bill, Charlie and Auron all reach out to the man, while Madam Bones and Susan take the Percy, the twins, Ron and Ginny between the two of them.  
Charlie sends a tiny, grateful smile at Auron as he notices that he is there too and Auron nods, wrapping his long red robe around the grieving man. Yet I also notice that No-Name is actually unconscious and that Fiana is rubbing one of her hands with the other while Shacklebolt is grinning at her in strange, crazy pride.  
"That woman wouldn't –." But then I remember that No-Name is the only one still here that supports that murderer and suddenly I realize that she really should have started ranting at us for our disloyalty to the man sometime ago. This makes me wonder what kept her quiet until now and when the Weasleys have calmed down, do I read on.

 _ **"You don't … Arithmancy class!"**_

"Wait, when did you have time to have your Arithmancy class?" Someone asks and this seems to be exactly what the Weasleys need to hear to get out of their slump as the twins share a very small smile and chorus: "Anyone care to bet whether or not they can figure this out before it's revealed?" And mutters sound through my reading.

 _ **She snatched … each other.**_

At this the two glare at each other, but then Remus says: "You both had your rights to this. Hermione, you were being insensitive about a lost loved one, but I can get why you don't want to think of losing a friend or lost one yourself. Ron, you had all right to worry for your friend, considering the other two years, but you were rude at the end."  
And both seem to cringe and mutter apologies to each other, yet it's obvious that Lupin both hit a nerve and made sure that their egos didn't get hit too hard as they don't seem to feel too bad. And while I can definitely see all of this from Ronald's point of view, do I still find my heart siding with my girl as I read on.

 _ **Harry walked … talking about.**_

Yet then I notice that Zacharias Smith is frowning in insulted rage at my best friend and he snarls: "It wasn't funny." And this shocks Harry, yet Draco smirks and says: "You were trying to hit onto Marcus' girlfriend and he caught you doing it. It was pretty funny." And some other Badgers actually laugh as well as I read on.

 _ **Hagrid was … with bullclips.**_

"Can I just say that both the teacher had a creative way of teaching here, but that all of those students also had a very creative way of handling their latest class. Also, I'd like to give props to those who used ropes. Sometimes, you need to tie a rope around a pet's neck, this is quite similar." Madam Maxime says and this startles us.  
"Hey, she's right. That was a really creative idea. Also, extra credit for next year to whoever can get their book trained like a dog or cat." Hagrid then suddenly says and this makes all those that had to buy the book the last two years share looks before everyone laughs and I can still tell some of them accepted the challenge as I read on.

 _ **"Hasn' – hasn' … a success.**_

"To be honest, considering the horrible mistakes I made in the last two years, I am starting to wonder what Dumbledore was thinking hiring me." Hagrid mutters and yet McGonagall lies a hand on his arm and says: "As long as you're learning, Hagrid. That's what matters." Making him smile at her before I continue reading the chapter.

 _ **"Righ' then … behind you –"**_

"Are you trying to prove that you can't take him on without using some sick or weak excuse?" Auron suddenly asks and Draco snarls: "Excuse me?" Yet Auron shrugs and says: "Just that you haven't directly confronted him even once since I came here, is all." Yet before my friend can get himself into trouble, do I just read on.

 _ **"Oooooooh!" squealed … inky black.**_

"And yet, in the end it all came down to just one of them." Dean mutters to Seamus, yet this seems to spark something with Harry and he turns to Hagrid as he asks: "That reminds me, what happened to the other Hippogriffs anyway?" Yet the half-giant shrugs and says: "They disappeared a few days after that class."  
This shocks and confuses most of those who had taken that class and then Shacklebolt says: "Hagrid, if you want, I can set up a team that will look into the missing ones. Once we finish this book's reading, I mean." Hagrid happily nods at this and thanks the man and only then does everyone notice No-Name's status.  
"What happened to No-Name?" Ron asks shocked and Fiana shrugs as she says: "She got annoying." And while the redhead looks shocked, does Auron smirk and ask: "You got that from the Coliseum, didn't you?""I learn fast, what else can I say? And I love watching after kids." Fiana smiles and I read on, feeling proud of her.

 _ **"So," said … the lesson.**_

"Dragon, I don't think Hagrid and I will ever see eye to eye on – well, a lot of things, but practical classes like this will _always_ require you to pay proper attention. I know for a fact that Hagrid _wasn't_ exaggerating with his warning." Mrs. Malfoy actually shocks us and scares her son as she says this and Draco nods as I read on.

 _ **"Yeh always … said Harry.**_

"To be honest, you actually beat me with just two seconds there." I tell the boy, who looks at me shocked and I glance at Draco as I say: "I just felt that Draco would take this all a bit more serious if he saw me do this, instead of the guy he just disrespects all day, every day." Harry nods, Draco turns red and I read on.

 _ **There was … deeply disappointed.**_

"You should only want your rival hurt if you're the one causing the pain. Otherwise, there is no reason to feel disappointed." Auron tells the boy, yet when he gets glared at by all parents, does he cringe and say: "Well, hurt on the level that a matron or Healer can cure." And the parents seem to grudgingly accept this as I read on.

 _ **"Righ' then … straight again.**_

By now Draco is smirking and says: "I got to be honest with you, cousin. That sounds like a completely different experience from what we saw. You looked as bloody natural on that Hippogriff as you usually do on a broom." To which Harry shrugs and says: "Sorry, I didn't even know I did that. It really felt the way it was described."  
"Maybe you weren't seeing your rival in trouble or discomfort, because you saw him be a natural in getting accepted by that Hippogriff, so you believed him to be a natural in all things concerning it. Perhaps your mind and annoyance were just playing tricks on you." Belle suggests, yet suddenly Draco gets it and he shakes his head.  
"No, that wasn't it. I didn't remember it until just now, but – you offering that explanation so silently made me remember something. I was slightly distracted, because I kept hearing Crabbe and Goyle muttering insults and jeering words. It must have affected what I thought I saw." And my friend shudders as I read on.

 _ **"Good work … great brute?"**_

By now I notice that Madam Bones has very thin lips, has her monocle cutting into the skin of her eyebrows as they are crossed tightly over her furiously glaring eyes and how she is tapping one finger on her other arm as she snarls: "This sure doesn't sound in any way or form like the report the Ministry and I got in."  
We all turn to her, yet she shakes her head and says: "Let's just say, I had my doubts about the story we were sold, but that was because I knew of the feud between Lucius and Hagrid as well as Draco's reputation as being as arrogant as his father. Just know this sounds more believable." Yet to this Ron frowns and asks:  
"If it did, why didn't you report that?" To which Madam Bones sighs and says: "I only got the report, because Cornelius wanted me as security detail in case of either Sirius or if the feud between those two got nasty. I was to stay out of it otherwise. Trust me, I didn't like it either." The redhead nods at this and I just continue reading.

 _ **It happened … killed me!"**_

Yet at this an ashamed Draco turns to Harry and says: "I – I really didn't have any rights to complain and whine like that. Compared to what you went through –." But before he can go on, does Harry darkly say: "No person should go through what I did." And everyone close to him nods in solemn agreement as I read on.

 _ **"Yer not … muscles threateningly.**_

This makes everyone share a glance and Ron asks: "Who wants to bet that it was those two that filed the report?" To which Madam Bones says: "It sure sounded as stupid as those two pretended to be for years. And to be clear, Mr. Weasley, I felt myself getting dumber by reading it." At which Ron shakes his head as I read on.

 _ **They all … for him..."**_

Yet this time Harry seems to be frowning, yet not out of anger at my friend's idiocy. "Didn't you just say that those two were whispering insults and whatnot?" He asks and when Draco nods, does Lucius gasp and he mutters: "They – they Confunded you to make that mistake while muttering. Those cold, soulless bastards."  
And Draco himself whitens. I then notice Hermione staring at me and I raise an eyebrow at her at which she whispers: "I'm fine, support your friend." And while I can barely believe that she is willing to show such silent support to her bully of the last four years straight, do I smile at her and do as she says as I read on.

 _ **They were … at him.**_

"There is trying to protect someone and there is making someone a prisoner in the place he's supposed to feel safe. The latter just takes the sense of safety away from the person you're trying to protect." Auron tells Hermione, having actually gone to sit with her after I left and I send him a grateful smile for this as I read on.

 _ **"I'm allowed … into focus.**_

"Is now a bad time to say that I actually didn't see either Crabbe or Goyle until it was almost curfew that night?" Tracey suddenly asks and we all turn to her. She shrugs and says: "What? They vanished after dinner and I didn't see them again until three minutes before curfew. They just scared me with their smirks, so I kept quiet."  
This makes the Ministerial members frown at each other and Madam Bones says: "I think I know what happened here. Those two first Confunded young Malfoy into making his mistake, then Confunded Hagrid into drinking and then used his drunk state to affect him in case of anything else coming out of all this.  
They wanted to see death, so they decided to have a Hi – good Merlin, could those bastards –?" And even though she doesn't say it, does everyone whiten and Shacklebolt pulls Fiana closer as he says: "I'm sorry, Hagrid, but – we might not be able to find your Hippogriffs after all." And while Hagrid starts to sniffle at this, do I read on.

 _ **"'Spect it's … it's worth."**_

"I know that Muggles always say that _behind every man there's a greater woman,_ but these two are the scarier version of how intimidating Malfoy can be." Brown suddenly says and Draco shudders as he says: "I never want to be like that, not ever." And the Muggleborn girl apologizes for scaring my friend as I continue reading.

 _ **"School gov'nors … said Ron.**_

Yet by now the three in question are sharing looks and they sigh as Harry says: "As crazy great as we have been solving weird mysteries." And Ron goes on: "Going up against both Dumbledore and those two." And Hermione sadly finishes: "We never stood a chance." They chorus an apology to Hagrid, who shakes his head as I read on.

 _ **Tears leaked … worth that!"**_

"Please tell me you didn't actually take this whole thing that serious?" Auron groans yet Harry says: "No and I talked into Hagrid next chance I got. Though I had to talk into some other people about _privacy_ after Halloween." And while this actually makes quite a few of his friends turn red, do none of them seem willing to explain further.  
"Well, this was definitely an interesting if not unexpectedly crazy and revealing chapter." I can't help but state and everyone nods, though Hagrid still seems quite sad about the fact that he may have lost his Hippogriffs. "Hagrid, if those bastards are guilty, I will buy you a whole new nest, I promise." Lucius then shocks him by saying.  
The half-giant looks at this shocked, but Mr. Malfoy says: "Like I said, we will probably never become close or see eye to eye on a lot of things – both personal and in the case of our beliefs – but you don't deserve to lose your pets and definitely not like that or to people like that." At which Hagrid mutters a grateful _thank you._

* * *

 _ **Well said, Lucius,  
**_ _ **So, as excited as I was about this chapter being the first that I would write out from start to finish, I actually started writing this one LAST! Yeah, I know, but as great as it is to finally put a chapter of this story fully to my own hand the way I write these days – I really hate this chapter when it comes to the PoA content.  
**_ _ **Remember, Prisoner of Azkaban is my ABSOLUTE favorite of the series, but this is definitely one of the lesser chapters. There is one other that I bring up in a LOT of other stories – A Guardian's Life, for example – but I still really love this book. However, that didn't make it easier to imagine a positive twist to this chapter.  
**_ _ **And while I know that, in the end, this whole thing actually took a turn that is almost as dark as the end of OotP if not most of DH, do I still think that the whole "Trelawney is Nemesis" – while maybe not entirely plausible or logical – is a fun twist on the whole thing. Also, just bashing her is so "Family and Friends" I couldn't do it.  
**_ _ **Makes sense, right,**_

 _ **Venquine1990**_


	65. Connections And Fears

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **So now we reached a chapter that I am a little happier about, but I also need to address a little something. I am planning to create a character that is almost on the same levels of "hateable" as Dolores Umbridge. Yeah, I know, but it's something I have planned and Redemerald6 will know exactly why I want to do this.  
**_ _ **No spoilers,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **PS. Yes, I am a tease. Sue me! (please don't).**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 64  
**_ _ **Connections And Fears**_

 _ **3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **of July 1994  
**_ _ **Ballroom, Beast's Castle  
**_ _ **Remus' POV**_

I am definitely glad that I am past my Heat. Sirius is obviously not ready to have kids and this really bothered Moony throughout the period we were alone together. Sirius may think that we didn't notice how magic was affecting him, but there is nothing that escapes the notice of a Werewolf seeking to bond with his mate.  
Still, everything that happened in these last week and a half has also made it easy for Moony and me to understand why the man isn't ready. It's not just because he is still suffering from the after effects of having spent twelve years in Azkaban. It's also because he really _needs_ to be there for the cub we have right now.  
And while I am definitely glad that, with Sora's help, we are getting more and more people and other beings that are willing to help, care for and befriend Harry, do I also know that a boy like him needs stability. And that's where, especially now that we adopted him, Sirius and I come in. Yet at the same time I wonder something.

"The adoption we performed should have started affecting Harry by now. He should have started showing signs of physically being our son. Why hasn't his hair lengthened or turned another color? Why haven't his eyes gained specks of amber or silver? Why is he still such a carbon copy of James and Lily? It doesn't make sense."  
I think to myself, yet I don't voice this as I don't want to give Harry any reason to worry over this. As by now, I know the boy well enough to know he will feel guilty and start blaming himself over it, even if it might be something in his genes or is being instinctively held back by powers within him that he has no control over.  
"No, best to try and figure this out for myself and see if I can't find a solution. Before then, I better just keep quiet about this. Besides, with the latest news on what _those two_ were up to last year, my cub has more than enough to worry about." And while this concerns me, do I then take the book from Blaise and start to read.

 _ **Boggart in the Wardrobe**_

And instantly I feel glad that I am the one reading this chapter and that Severus is still busy on that antidote for Arthur. The students who were in that class also start to either cheer in happiness over the memory of it or show appreciative smiles. And while I hope that won't change when they remember the full class, do I start to read.

 _ **Malfoy didn't … dreadful battle.**_

And finally I get the answer to something I have been wondering about for a long, long time. Poppy looks at this shocked and astounded and then turns a stern glare at the Malfoy parents as she asks: "So, how is House Malfoy going to repay me for their son ruining my reputation behind my back?" Making the two wince.  
"Wait, Madam Pomfrey, you – you didn't –?" A Ravenclaw asks in shock and the woman shakes her head and says: "No, Mss. Edgecombe, I was _not_ aware that Mr. Malfoy had been pretending to still be injured after visiting my wing. I can only assume that that horrid duo cursed me to make me blind to it or something.  
However, his parents know just fine and well that I take _my_ reputation just as serious as they take theirs. So Lord Malfoy, what compensation will I be able to expect for this?" The man sighs and says: "We will discuss the compensation after this chapter, you have my word." And the Mediwitch nods as I continue reading.

 _Harry tried not to feel too insulted about this, yet he couldn't help but think: "Just wait until he actually faces what I did. Then we'll see if he still walks around like that."_ _ **"How is … looked away.**_

This makes Poppy hum and she turns to the red-faced boy as she asks: "Mr. Malfoy, let me ask you something. Was this faked injury plan your idea – or theirs?" And the boy answers: "I admit, Ma'am, I did want to milk this for all it was worth, but it was Goyle that suggested I pretend to still be injured and it was Crabbe, who got the sling."  
At this, while his words obviously don't make the woman any happier, does she still nod and turn to Lucius, who nods and says: "I will make sure that both their fathers will meet with you at the end of this reading to compensate you for their Heir's contribution in this ridiculous plan of theirs." The woman nods and I read on.

 _ **"Settle down … all others.**_ _Harry himself had seen firsthand evidence of how bad that went when last year Malfoy voiced a desire of wanting other students dead without Snape doing anything about this, it still pissed him off even though he got back at Malfoy for saying that about his friend._

"And considering how some of you take advantage of that and make fun of a subject you _know_ I take very, very seriously, you can expect that privilege to be gone until you have proven worthy of my class once again." Severus then says, making me wince as I had hoped he would be missing out on this chapter as well.  
The man then turns to me and asks: "Where are we exactly?" And I answer: "The day after the Hippogriff incident, which was apparently orchestrated and reported by – well, those two." And the man turns grim before he says: "I see. Arthur, you are not to drink or eat for four hours. If you can manage that, I can give you the antidote."  
The man nods and thanks Severus, who then turns around and says: "I will go back and see if I can make other antidotes as well. If _she_ is willing to poison you with Love potion, I can only imagine what else she has been brewing up. You will see me when the four hours are up." And while this relieves me, does he leave as I read on.

 _ **They were … Shrinking Solution.**_ _Harry had practiced this one and a few others last night to get over the shock of how Hagrid shouted at him and push past his anger over what Malfoy was causing his friend._ _ **Malfoy set … brick red**_ _and Harry needed to force himself not to react to this_ _ **.**_ _There had been plenty of times, in his youth, where Harry would come home from school after having fallen victim to Dudley's Harry Hunting and the Dursleys would still force him to cook dinner. Harry had learned to do this years ago and hated anyone who used injuries – especially fake injuries like Malfoy's – to get special treatment. Snape already treated Malfoy better than he did others, this was completely unnecessary in Harry's eyes.  
_ _ **"There's nothing … roots, sir."  
**_ _And just like when they first met in Diagon Alley, did Harry have trouble seeing Malfoy for Malfoy and not for his despicable cousin._ _ **Snape approached … black hair.**_ _At this Harry wondered if Malfoy coming in late and going to sit with him and Ron wasn't something he had planned ahead with his Head of House._

At this everyone in that year turns to the lad, but he shakes his head and says: "I just played on his well-known hatred for both Gryffindors and Harry in person. He had no idea what I was planning, but I knew he would love to join in if I gave him the chance." Which makes a lot of people shake their heads at him as I read on.

 _ **"Change roots … malicious laughter.  
**_ _Harry put both his feet firmly on the floor and focused with all his might on the weak link he still had to Hogwarts. It had lessened greatly thanks to his two months not being at the castle, but it was still strong enough that he felt the castle's incredible magic calming him down, allowing him to keep his mind sharp and focused.  
_ _ **"Potter, you … without speaking**_ _, focusing on the spells that Hogwarts was now showing him, potions that can help one in regards to rare or powerful ingredients as well as a potion Hogwarts herself seemed to think they would be working on next_ _ **. Malfoy was … snarled Ron.**_

"Am I the only one who is starting to wonder who the actual rivalry is between? I mean, it sounds a lot more as if the real feud is between Ron and Draco and that Harry is just caught in the crossfire and interacts with it from time to time." Auron suddenly says, standing against a pillar near the Weasley blanket and having a raised eyebrow.  
Everyone looks at this shocked and he says: "Think about it. When Draco voiced his desire to see Hermione dead, it was Ron who responded violently. Whenever his name is mentioned Ron is the first to start insulting him. And now again he is the one Draco forces as a House-Elf to do the dirty work for him. Am I the only one seeing this?"  
And apparently this is indeed the case as a lot of those around the ballroom are looking at each other shocked. And then my son proves that I might not need to worry after all as he turns to Ron and says: "Hey, do me a favor. Keep me out of this lover's spat of yours, will you?" And while Ron splutters, do others laugh and I read on.

 _ **"– he's complained … same again?"**_

At this Sirius rolls his eyes and then starts to smirk at Lucius as he says: "A lot of influence? Really? Then I wonder something. Are you ready to get competition for that influence? For that role in high society? Cause we both know _when_ you started your campaign that got you where you are today. Don't we Lucius?"  
And while Lucius frowns at this does my mate then actually take on a high society pose as he turns to our son and says: "After all, Harry is still underage, even if he is the last of his line. So as long as your wife gives him his lessons, it'll be up to me to keep his family name strong in your circles. Combine that with my title as Lord Black –."  
And he sends Lucius another challenging smirk, which seems to calm the man down and he grins back in the same way as he says: "Challenge accepted, Lord Black. I will see you on the battlefield." Yet this makes Harry look between the two worriedly, until Sirius whispers: "He means the Wizengamot, pup." At which I read on.

 _ **"So that's … in anger**_ _and because he had just found a spell that he quickly stored in the back of his mind as he felt he could use it later to get back at the blonde for all of this_ _ **. "To try … times worse.**_ _Harry really wanted to sit with the boy as he felt the bond they had and the trust they shared could, potentially, negate that fear a little, allowing Neville a better chance to focus on his actions._

At this all teachers share a look and Minerva says: "Mr. Longbottom, if Professor Snape agrees, we would like you to implement that idea starting next year." At which my son and his closest – yet until recently also most secretive – friend share a warm smile of trust and while I feel very happy for both of them, do I read on.

 _ **His potion … of tears.**_ _Harry was glaring holes and daggers into Snape's back as he had been on the other side of the classroom when he spoke of this and his voice had been low enough even Harry, who was in the middle of the classroom, had had trouble hearing him. Basically Snape was blaming himself, but voicing it in such a way he was lying the blame with Neville and traumatizing him to booth. Harry really wondered what Neville ever did, other than existing, to make Snape treat him like this. Did he have the same bad history with Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom as he had with Harry's father, James? And why was this man so determined to bully kids that, other than their parentage, had never done anything to him?_

At this both Sirius and other adults want to comment, but then I read ahead and Moony howls in rage as I say: "Don't. Severus is about to prove himself as heartless as Draco did last book. This is just too low, even for his standards. I can only think of three others who would sink this low." And I read on, trying to keep back my own rage.

 _ **"Please, sir … it properly."**_

At this pandemonium breaks out and I growl: "That was deliberate. Severus just ordered Hermione not to help Neville and he knew Neville would never be able to fix his mistake, sorry Neville. He _wanted_ to poison his toad. There is punishment and then there is this. This is unacceptable." And everyone nods as I read on.

 _ **Snape moved … to Hermione.**_ _But Harry caught both of their eyes as Snape turned back to grin at his snakes – even if some of their work was on the same level as Neville's – and he soundlessly told Hermione: "Don't." And told Neville: "Trust me."  
_ _And while both looked at him strangely, did he send them a reassuring wink. He had found the Shrinking Solution in the information Hogwarts was providing him and found spells that actually fixed that as well as other potions.  
_ _And with his connection growing back to its former strength and Neville having his cauldron on the floor, he could send the spells into the potion, even from where he sat. Hogwarts was back to helping him and it felt great._

And all of the anger that was felt over Severus' heartless actions are now replaced by pride and happiness over Harry and the fact that he is once more connected to the place he loves so much. Yet then Sora seems to worry over something and asks: "But wait, doesn't traveling back and forth so much hurt the connection?"  
But Harry looks down and says: "I – I didn't get to restore the connection this year. I – I think Dumbledore caught onto me sometime in Third and used his – his horrible magic to keep Hogwarts from restoring the connection. It made last year even worse. I felt – so alone." And Sirius pulls the boy closer against him as I read on.

 _ **"Hey, Harry … at Harry**_ _, who was now trying to focus on both his own work and helping to fix Neville's_ _ **. He turned … Harry offhandedly.  
**_ _He needed to focus and if satiating Malfoy's sick desire to see him hurt shut the boy up, Harry would provide. He had bigger things to worry about and focus on anyway.  
_ _ **Malfoy's thin … down myself."**_

At this both of the boy's parents glare at their son, but then Sirius says: "I'm sorry, Lucius, but I must ask you to leave punishment of this one to me. Draco knew of my reputation, knew what Azkaban is like, knew what it takes to end up there – and still thought he could make my, at the time, godson risk his neck. That is unacceptable."  
And while Lucius is obviously against this, does Narcissa lie a hand on his arm and whisper something in his ear. At this Lucius nods and Sirius moves Harry over to me before he moves over to the boy. And whatever he whispers in the boy's ear seems to do the trick perfectly as Draco looks horrified and is now trembling in self-disgust.  
Sirius then smirks at his relatives before going back to sit with us. And as he does, does Draco mutter: "I will _never_ do something like that _again_." And the emphasis he puts in this statement almost makes it sound like a solemn vow. This makes me look at Sirius with a raised eyebrow, but my mate keeps quiet and so I just read on.

 _ **AN. What do you think Sirius told Draco? Leave me your suggestions. I might post the answer in next month's update.**_

 _ **"What are … wouldn't see.**_ _Or so it seemed, but Harry was quite sure that it was all an act as he had managed to send every required spell into the cauldron and knew the two were just giving him a cover, to hide what he had done for them from Snape.  
_ _ **Harry and … something stupid..."  
**_ _Neville came to join them at the last minute and whispered: "Tonight." To which Harry gave the slightest of nods.  
_ _ **The end … his cauldron.**_ _Harry wondered if this was to keep up the act or if Snape had terrorized Neville enough times to leave him traumatized. He sincerely hoped it was the former, but feared it might be either the latter or a combination of both.  
_ _ **"Everyone gather … watched fearfully.**_ _Harry was thinking back to the Dementors and how they made him feel to keep Snape from noticing how he was actually feeling._ _ **The Slytherins … into applause.**_ _Harry sensed Hogwarts reward him and sent his own happy emotions back to her to thank her for her help._ _ **Snape, looking … fully grown.**_

This calms me down and I mutter: "I guess he had both that growing potion and an antidote in case the potion had gone wrong ready. But that doesn't change that his method of motivation can see him arrested." And all the adults nod as Narcissa says: "I'll make sure he never does this again." And the woman leaves as I read on.

 _ **"Five points … turned, too.**_ _He had thought that Hermione had kept quiet because she wondered how he had managed to help Neville or because she wanted him to admit to this, but she was nowhere in sight._ _ **They were … Ron frowning.**_ _Harry wondered if she had stayed behind to plead her case, but then thought: "No, Hermione's smart enough to know that that's a lost cause."  
_ _ **Malfoy passed … and disappeared.**_ _Instantly Harry worried if he had done something to make Hermione lag behind, but he quickly got evidence proving the opposite which relieved him. Still, he had learned a special set of spells from Hogwarts and he was going to make sure to use it on Malfoy when the time was right.  
_ _ **"There she … asked Harry.**_ _Harry nodded, but didn't feel like investigating. He was hiding plenty enough from her and Ron and felt it was about time that his friends would hide something from him as well. Everyone deserved to have their secrets and their rights to privacy._

This makes Sirius, Hermione, Ron and I smile at the boy, yet he sighs and says: "Though as the year went on, you _really_ made me second-guess and even doubt that decision. You worried me, even the few times you annoyed me." And while I can tell that the girl is confused about the latter, does she still nod as I read on.

 _ **Professor Lupin … square meals.  
**_ _Harry again noticed the man shooting a quick look his way and while Lupin had his back to most of the students, did Harry spot the man's lips twitch upwards in relief for just a second before he focused on them. And Harry himself was also glad to see the man in good health as he was now sure that he had been friends with his parents._

"And yet, I let a cold-hearted, waste of human life keep me away from you. I trusted in the wrong people and it got you nothing but pain." I mutter, feeling horrible that Harry held me in such high regard so soon and yet Harry smirks and says: "And you have my whole life to make up for that." At which I read on, snickering.

 _ **"Good afternoon … his brooms."  
**_ _Harry felt pretty impressed, yet also curious as he could hear an undertone to Lupin's voice. It sounded like he was disappointed, but not in the fact that Peeves was causing trouble like this._

At this I snicker and shake my head as I say: "I didn't think Peeves was being up to his usual standards. I, after all, grew up with pranksters myself that often worked alongside Peeves, so I knew he could do better." And while this makes the twins share an intrigued look and makes my son hold back snickers, do I read on.

 _ **Filch was … wand away.**_ _Harry himself stored the spell away in his mental inventory, determined to see where else he could add it to his punish the punishable repertoire.  
_ _ **They set … a snap.**_ _Yet Harry had noticed it. The entire time the two were talking, they were locked in gazes with each other. And knowing that Lupin had been friends with his father, made Harry know that Lupin had been part of the reason Snape hated his father – and now Harry. The look of loathing the man gave Lupin at the Opening Feast now made perfect sense._

And at this Sirius says: "And when he comes back and when I have regained a bit more health, I think I'm going to offer him a specialized contract. Showing favoritism is fine, but his level crosses the limit of that and I know that's because of his own issues with us. So if he's okay with it, the contract will allow him to release that on us."  
This really worries me and Harry asks: "Why would you want him to do that?" And the man makes me know it's the right thing to do as he says: "Because that way, he can learn to divide his issues from his role as a teacher and a Head of House." Yet while Harry doesn't seem to accept this, does Lucius sigh and say:  
"I'll make sure that Severus agrees to this one way or another. But he might try to add Lupin to that contract as well, considering he never did anything to stop you from your actions." Yet to this Sirius glares at him and snaps: "As long as _you_ stay out of the contract, that's fine." And while Lucius flinches at this, do I read on.

 _ **"Now, then … Hermione glowed.  
**_ _His friend's words, however, brought a few vague memories to Harry's forefront, memories he as a kid, had suppressed out of fear. It had been a few nights when he was 3 to 5 years old and, as much as his uncle punished him for lying, he had been sure that, from time to time, he had actually had him inside his cupboard, screaming all kinds of things. "Had that been a Boggart back then? Where had it come from? And what made it disappear?" Harry wondered to himself._

Everyone looks at this shocked and Amelia says: "I'll make sure to have the Unspeakables aware of this. They'll check this out while watching those monsters. Hopefully we can find some kind of – why do I feel this is another of Dumbledore's twisted schemes?" And while I growl in rage at this, do I just focus back on the book after.

 _ **"So the … the air**_ _and trying not to think back to how he felt at that young age_ _ **, was very … little disappointed.**_

This makes me look up and I say: "I will never pick just one person to answer all my questions, Hermione. It will take others the need to study, to challenge themselves and to do well in class." And while the girl looks mortified that she, unknowingly did this, do I send her a reassuring smile before I focus back on the book.

 _ **"It's always … the gallows.  
**_ _Harry knew that Neville had great deals of courage when it came to supporting those he cared for and really hoped that, somehow or sometime, his friend's courage would expand beyond the emotional support he gave others._

"These books are really helping with that and so does meeting all these great people that Sora is friends with." Neville himself happily tells his friend and Harry smiles as he says: "It was just a matter of time, Neville. Time and the right motivation." And while the two share a great brotherly smile, do I read on, proud of them both.

 _ **"Right, Neville … usually wears?"**_

Here I turn to the Slytherins and say: "For the record, I know why Neville never has his parents with him at the platform and that this falls under his own rights of privacy and that is why I picked his grandmother and not his parents, who were more fashion-forward. It was simply for the sake of the class and Neville's rights."  
The Snakes look shocked, yet I notice Harry and Neville share a look and I send my son a quick wink. "No chance that anyone still remembers what was said about Frank, Alice and their fate back in the very first chapter we read. Not with everything else that constantly came up. And with this knowledge, do I continue reading.

 _ **Neville looked … a Boggart-Voldemort**_ _or even the memory of what Marge had done to him only under a month ago_ _ **, a horrible … like drowning...**_

This makes me look at my beloveds in great concern as they are both trying to offer each other comfort, but are also trying to repress their own fear for these monsters. And because there are others that are shivering thanks to the description, do I wait for everyone to calm down – or receive a draught for help – before I read on.

 _ **Harry shivered … their sleeves.**_

"There was no way you could have prepared for that, Harry. I'm just glad that, even though I didn't realize this at the time, I prevented this from happening." I mutter at my son, who nods at me in agreement and gives me a warm smile, his head tucked underneath his mother's chin as Sirius has his tightly in his lap as I read on.

 _ **"Neville, we're … cried Parvati**_ _and Harry spotted that she was trying to hold back tears_ _ **.  
**_ _ **A bandage … past Parvati**_ _who looked more relieved, yet also had a strangely haunted look that she was trying to hide by going to stand with her best friend_ _ **.**_

At this everyone turns to the girl in question, who is red, but is apparently in the same state she was in back then. And while I feel horrible that I didn't notice it at the time, does the girl whisper: "Family Tradition. I – I can't tell." And her sister goes to sit with her and pulls her close, the look on her face proving she knows more.  
"You're partially right there, Par. You can't tell them what the tradition is about, but you can tell them one thing. That father broke tradition and made you go through that way too soon. He expected more of you than he should and that is the reason he was cast out. Why mother is now the Head of the Family." She then tells her sister.  
This makes me look at Sirius in concern and I hear him softly mumble: "The Patils are of Indian High Society. A Lord needs to do something equal to the Unforgivables for them to cast him out and have his Lady take his place. What kind of sick creep was their father?" And while this doesn't make me feel better, do I read on.

 _ **Crack! Where … a crab.**_

"I was stupid at age five and went into a haunted house that was actually meant for nine to ten year olds. I got frightened at the first turn, kept my eyes closed for most of the ride, but when I thought I was almost out, I opened them and saw that fall from the ceiling right on top of my cart. I fainted after seeing that."  
Dean tells us, rubbing the back of his neck and a lot of those around him snicker and giggle at this. Parvati, luckily enough, is one of those people and Lavender and Padma send the boy a grateful smile. Dean nods and I can tell by the look in his eyes that that was the whole motivation behind him telling this as I read on.

 _ **"Riddikulus!" yelled … was gone.  
**_ _This reminded Harry of the Boggart he was sure had haunted him in his younger years and while he wondered if something had caused the same to happen to that one, did he then remember how, shortly after the last time he told his uncle this, a neighbor from a few doors down had moved out, claiming his house to be haunted.  
_ _He also remembered that that was one house that, after this, never had an owner for long as all others also claimed the same and moved out. This made Harry frown and he thought: "If it was so happy in that other house, why did it stay with Harry for two years?" And he felt determined to find out, one day._

At this Amelia turns to her Aurors and one of them nods as he says: "The house at the far end of the street. It doesn't really look like the Shrieking Shack, but it obviously hasn't seen an owner in a few years." And Amelia makes us all smirk as she says: "See if you can move that Boggart to number four." The Auror nods and I read on.

 _ **"Excellent!" cried … feeling cheerful.  
**_ _The memories of the Boggart when he was still young were hard to ignore. Also_ _ **Professor Lupin … out again?**_

"Absolutely not, pup. Yes, I worried for you, because you looked as frail as I did, but I could easily see your inner strength. I just didn't think your fears – or what I thought were your fears – would be something the others could handle. Later chapter, everyone." And those that had wanted to ask, nod as I read the last bit.

 _ **But no … Lavender thoughtfully**_ _yet Harry had noticed how she had tried to sound like Parvati when mentioning the mummy as the girl herself was trying not to show that she was still shaken up by the mummy itself_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"That was … of ten?"**_

Yet I take the girl a lot more seriously and turn to Ron as I say: "More likely, Ron, do I think that she would have had either the Basilisk or a stone wall that would slowly have parts of it move closer as hers." And the boy in question winces as he mutters: "I – should have thought of that." And he apologizes to his friend.  
"I will say this, Remus. Junior definitely knew how to impersonate Alastor and I told him some of what Junior taught the students. He definitely thinks Junior did a good job, which he's not happy with, but I personally think you did better than either of them could have." Minerva then tells me which makes me turn a deep shade of red.

 _ **In the mean time  
**_ _ **Outside the ballroom  
**_ _ **Snape's POV**_

The minute Lupin told me where they were, did I know why this was part of the story. It had annoyed me beyond reason, but I also knew this might be my only chance to hear the true story. And so I had left the hall, pretending to go back to my chambers, but I had stayed outside the doors and had cast a small listening charm.  
I had heard it all, Potter restoring his connection with Hogwarts, him being the one to have helped Longbottom instead of Granger, Draco purposely leading Potter into a potential deadly threat, Potter respecting Granger's rights to privacy, Lupin's little stunt with Peeves and finally the reason I was still standing there.  
And to hear that Lupin hadn't meant to dress me in those blasted robes, but hadn't wanted to expose the secret behind the state of the Longbottoms had made me feel a lot better. I had also silently agreed with Black and his idea for the contract, but decided to make it look as if Lucius was the one who told and convinced me.  
"But I'm not going to make it easy on him. Lupin and Black have yet to forgive him for what happened back in Second and – to be honest – neither have I." And while I know just fine that I have a problem with holding onto grudges that are better off having been buried years ago, do I not care for this as I leave back to my station.

 _ **Give it time, Snape,  
**_ _ **So I'm going to be honest, I had a BLAST writing this chapter. It's one of my favorites of the PoA content, even with part of it focused on Snape, Malfoy, the former's bias and the latter's careless behavior and personally I think I made it even better. Also, I think we all know who put that Boggart there and why, right?  
**_ _ **Also, chapter 62 has a bit of text added to it. I know Harry actually had the armor made of Basilisk skin back during the Third Task – yeah, I forgot about that while writing chapter 62 – and I really hope the added bit of text that concerns Kettleburn will make it clear how it was possible for him to wear that that day.  
**_ _ **Read and enjoy,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **PS. Yes, I will add the actual statement from Sirius in the AN of next chapter. That is a promise.  
**_ _ **PPS. WHO HAS SEEN AVENGERS INFINITY WAR? I want to write a piece about Thanos and what I want to see happen to him, but I don't want to reveal spoilers. PLEASE LET ME KNOW!**_ _ **  
**_


	66. Honoring The Dead

_**Hey everyone,  
**_ _ **You know, I am actually experiencing a downside to the fact that, until recently, I only needed to edit the chapters as they had already been written a long time ago. The downside being that I sometimes forget that I still need to write the new chapter and at other times I just don't know what the next chapter will be about.  
**_ _ **Wish me luck,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
PS. Sirius' words to Draco: "Purposely leading others into deadly situations puts you on the same level as Dumbledore." **_

* * *

_**Chapter 66  
**_ _ **Honoring The Dead**_

 _ **3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **of July 1995  
**_ _ **Ballroom, Beast's Castle  
**_ _ **Sirius' POV**_

"Should we break? I mean, we have been reading for some time now, right?" Hermione asks after my beloved has regained his natural tan, but the man smiles at her and says: "Best wait with that a little longer, Hermione. We're on chapter eight of twenty-two, so if we read the next four chapters, we can divide this story over two days evenly."  
At this the girl nods and Minerva asks: "Is that alright with you, sir?" And the Beast nods before he turns down to the living appliances that have been serving us up to now and he says: "Prepare the rooms in the hallway. See to it that they are ready to be slept in and that there is enough space for all of our resident guests.  
And prepare the room our couple was in as well. See to it that it is now ready for the No-Name." At this the woman wants to glare at him, but he glares right back and says: "You are a wanted person and my guests are my responsibility. I will not expose them to you when they are supposed to feel safe and know they can let their guard down."  
"You think I would –." The woman tries, but Beast just gives her a look that proves she shouldn't even try and he growls: "You wouldn't be under Auror guard or prohibited from your wand if you wouldn't – or better said – if you haven't already been caught trying to do stuff like that." And the nasty woman has to retort to that.

Belle sighs and says: "Enough already. This book is hard enough as it is and there are enough new problems arising just by reading it. Let's focus on the troubles the book presents us when we are reading it and focus on the problems here and now when we're not." At this everyone else nods and Beast pulls her close.  
And the way that he is holding onto her, offering her comfort within his huge, furry form makes me move a little closer to my beloved werewolf and whisper: "We really are just like them, don't you think?" And Remus looks at me shocked, yet I just smile at him, showing him with my eyes how happy this thought makes me.  
Remus then looks at the couple again and sighs as he says: "Maybe. I just hope we can, in both the here and now and the books, grow as close as them – if not potentially closer." Which makes me say: "Only way to find out is to read." And while curious looks were send our way over our whispers, do I take the book and start to read.

 _ **Flight of the Fat Lady**_

Instantly I regret that chose to read this chapter and Belle asks: "Isn't that the portrait guarding Gryffindor Tower? What happened?" To which I snicker in guilt and say: "I happened. I was an idiot when I caused that. A desperate idiot with good intentions, but an idiot nonetheless." And to a lot of nodding, do I read on.

 _ **In no … and frayed.**_ _And the man himself made the situation better when this was said as he calmly retorted: "Well then, you must have had one stylish House-Elf, Mr. Malfoy. Good on you." And he went on to his next class, leaving the boy spluttering._

And while my cousin hides his reddened face in his friend's shoulder, do the students who hadn't heard this on that day laugh. Yet I turn to Harry who isn't laughing and he whispers: "I kind of wanted to ask _You mean the one I freed_ when that happened." Making me smirk as that is just as witty before I continue reading.

 _ **His next … their ponds.**_

"All those creatures sound so interesting." Belle mutters and then one of the Ravenclaws who is obviously in Third year himself, pulls a book from the bookbag he took with him and he actually shows the woman the pages that show these creatures. Belle looks fascinated at this and pages through the book as I read on.

 _ **Harry only … than ever.  
**_ _It quickly became clear why when, after one Potions Class, Malfoy had said: "You are my teacher, Professor, not a dress up doll for me to play with."  
_ _And when Harry spotted Neville turning white and rushing from the room, did he decide to add Malfoy to his Punishment list once again, even though the boy was still on top thanks to the whole debacle with Hagrid and Buckbeak_ _ **.**_

Here I notice my son smirking and he says: "I have never felt so proud. When I got him back for those comments, I did just him. But when I got him back for Beaky, I actually managed to get back at Crabbe and Goyle too." And everyone smiles at him, Draco even saying: "They deserved it." I agree with him as I read on.

 _ **Harry was … at him.**_

Instantly everyone turns tense, proving that the shock over the discovery of this woman actually being a Goddess hasn't really left everyone just yet. And while I wish she wasn't immortal as part of me wants to kill her for how she ruined my little boy's life, do I then remember where that will leave me and I ignore it as I read on.

 _ **He couldn't … his deathbed.  
**_ _After three weeks of this, did Harry start to put small bits of revenge on the seats that they would sit on whenever they came back from their lunch meetings. Another week and he got Flitwick to agree with him that he and the girls would be excempt from the next class before telling them off the best way he knew how.  
_ " _Malfoy is already disgracing Madam Pomfrey with that ridiculous sling of his. I thought you'd know better than to doubt the fact she has yet to call me in for a night in her Wing. So unless that happens, stop this nonsense. I am fine, I feel fine and unless I have cancer, AIDS or something similar, I'd appreciate it if you let me_ _ **live**_ _my_ _ **life**_ _. You are not Malfoy, so stop acting like him."  
_ _The girls had tried to argue wit him, but he had retorted: "Unless you want me to treat you the way Professor Sprout treats her plans, you will stop your nonsense. Clear?" And while the girls and Flitwick had been intrigued by the fact that Harry liked Herbology that much, had they felt disgusted with the idea to be treated like plants and they had backed off. Professor Flitwick had then asked if he should do something about Malfoy, but Harry had just said: "Any help you can offer is appreciated. I just don't know if you can really do anything." And with that he felt as if he had finally left the crap that Flitwick had put him through back in his First behind him._

The girls had actually been shocked when they heard that the revenge bits were Harry's work and I am sure they thought it was Fred and George's doing and they had turned red when the rant was brought up, but then Harry says: "Who knows? Maybe your adoration of her was brought out by her Divine Magic. It's possible, right?"  
This shocks the two and Harry shrugs as he says: "I just couldn't ever understand why you'd support someone who practically wanted to see another person on their deathbed. This is the only explanation that makes sense to me, really." The girls send him a grateful smile over this and I pull him closer in pride as I continue reading.

 _ **Nobody really … slimy throats.**_

"You really are a man of extremes, aren't you Hagrid? Either you go into the extreme to do something exciting or you go into the extreme to do something boring." Amelia jokes and Hagrid rubs the back of his neck as he says: "I learned how to find the middle ground eventually." At which all students nod and I read on.

 _ **At the … new season.**_

I then notice what the next bit is about and turn to Harry as I ask: "Did you expect that we'd be getting new people in during the reading or something? The next bit is explaining what Quidditch is, but everyone at Hogwart would already know that." Yet Harry shrugs and says: "I was playing it safe." At which I read on in pride.

 _ **There were … fifty points.**_

And as I read this, do I notice a Gryffindor who is also sitting near our two hosts pulling _Quidditch Through the Ages_ out of his bag, to the amused annoyance of those he is sharing a blanket with and while Belle listens to me read, does she page through the book herself. She quietly thanks him for his help and I read on.

 _ **Oliver Wood … years now.**_

Yet this confuses Harry and he suddenly says: "Wait, that doesn't make sense. I had only been on the team for two years at that point and Charlie was known to be just as great. How did that happen?" And Charlie turns red as he says: "I used to have your luck, Harry. Every time we got to the Finals, something would happen.  
Most of the time I would fall sick, though once I actually got attacked by the other team. It – it was the – the only time I actually feared for my life while inside the school." This shocks everyone and Amelia asks: "Would you care to give further details later, Mr. Weasley?" Charlie nods at her, Auron hugs him close and I read on.

 _ **OK, so … Quidditch Cup.  
**_ _However, the team also started leaving for and returning from the Quidditch Pitch together from time to time after a few weeks as the Slytherin Beaters decided they weren't happy with the fact that Gryffindor had so much training time and tried "persuading" them to drop one or two days. But Harry and the team were, more than anything, determined to break Slytherin's winning streak and traveling together kept the Snakes from being able to make a move against any of them. And when their grumbling over this was noticed by Sprout, did she instantly put them in detention for this, allowing the Lions to traverse to and from the pitch safely once again._

"You lot sure get violent quickly, don't you?" Belle asks the room as a whole and Arthur laughs as he says: "That's teenagers for you, Belle. They need to grow up before they really realize that there are other ways for them to voice their displeasures about stuff." His family especially turns red at this and I snicker as I read on.

 _ **Harry returned … his mind.**_

Yet at this I turn to my son angrily and say: "Young man, if any other prisoner – Crouch not included – ever escapes Azkaban or Auror capture, you are to follow any and all safety procedures put upon either you or the school in question, understand? I will make sure they are fair and reasonable, but they will be heard, won't they?"  
And Harry nods at me before he proves me he really feels bad as he says: "They will, Sirius. And I'm sorry. I made it sound as if I didn't care for my personal safety or life being put in danger and put fun above my chance to continue living. I promise to, from now on, try not to let that happen again." I nod at him, but then No-Name shrieks:  
" _Try?_ What do you mean, _try_? You should –!" But I glare at her and say: "Yes, try. It proves that Harry will put in effort, but that he also acknowledges the fact that there might come factors that will either entice him or force him to break this promise. It proves that he thinks like a realist." The woman shuts her mouth at this and I read on.

 _ **Hermione opened … on Ron.  
**_ _Harry glared at Hermione over this as it was just the previous year that Ron admitted to them both that he had a fear for spiders, but the girl seemed not to care for this. She had turned back to her homework and suddenly Harry realized something. The girl's had the cat for almost two months now, but he hadn't spotted her teaching Crookshanks anything. "Does she think because he is as old as he looks that he doesn't need training or something?" He wondered to himself._

"Every pet, regardless of age, needs at least some kind of training. Heck, even I needed training after finishing my Animagus Transformation. Yes, it was humiliating and yes, James took the mickey out of me more often than I'd like to remember, but it had to happen." I tell the ballroom at large and some of them snicker as I read on.

 _ **"Just keep … say anything.**_ _What neither of them knew was that Harry had stopped copying either of their work a while ago. He did do it for the homework he handed in to the teachers, but he also wrote essays of his own. By now he had a personal dream for his future. After graduation, he would get himself a house with a secret room or a room with a special kind of lock and he would frame and hang his best essays in that room, for him to enjoy and feel proud of for the rest of his life._

At this I smile at my son in pride and I ask: "Would you be willing to share that room with us?" To which Harry makes me tear up as he says: "Only if you're okay with filling the room with essays of your own as well as mum and dad." Remus and I nod at him, me loving the fact that he cares for us all this much and I read on.

 _ **Crookshanks was … rats, Ron!"**_

"And so do owls, but Hedwig never went after Scabbers, though." Parvati then says, her face proving she had wanted to say this back then, but Harry shrugs and says: "Hedwig doesn't have Crookshanks' talent." Yet Hermione also sighs and says: "Though Harry's thoughts were spot on too. I defended Crookshanks, but didn't train him."  
Yet at this Harry turns to her and says: "You know why you didn't. You know you and McGonagall both made a mistake back then, but –." And to my shock does he turn to all the other teachers and says: "I also have to say, all of you were just as guilty. Just as blind." And most teachers seem to agree with him as I read on.

 _ **"There's something … boys' dormitories.**_ _Hermione stormed back to where Harry was still sitting and the boy decided to try and be the mediator between the two of them yet again. "He's not right about that whole "first" thing, but – maybe you should try and teach Crookshanks to, as you say, understand that it's wrong." Yet when Hermione snaps: "And when am I supposed to do that?" Did Harry glare at her and think: "If you don't have time for a pet, you shouldn't have bought one." And he coldly told her this before leaving for the dorm himself, his Astronomy homework left on the table.  
_ _ **Ron was … wooden pail.**_ _Harry noticed her sending a guilty look his way and realized that she felt bad for snapping at him for his suggestion. He nodded at this and silently hoped she would, at least, try to find the time to do as he suggested.  
_ _ **"He's hiding … was right!"**_

This really hits home with the girl, probably even more than it did back then because she now knows why it happened and then Amelia looks at Bill and Fudge, who both nod at her before she says: "Mss. Brown, I can tell you that Dumbledore has lost all rights to his finances and that part of those finances will be used to reimburse you.  
You will be gifted a new pet by the Dumbledore funds and your family will be enabled to move to whatever home they want by the Trelawney funds. You have my word." And while the girl is being comforted by her best friend and best friend's sister, does she send a grateful smile at the woman as I continue reading.

 _ **The whole … very much."**_

Yet I can't help but look at the girl curiously and suddenly ask: "Did you lose a family member when you were young?" Everyone looks at this shocked and Hermione shrieks: "HOW DID YOU KNOW?" Instantly proving my entire theory correct. "You never got over it. He or she meant so much to you that you never moved on."

I whisper, feeling for the poor thing something horrible as I remember exactly what made me realize this; Lily losing her father when she was 13 years old and her father actually being the only parent who truly supported her, whereas her mother only did that out of her belief it was her obligation as a mother and a housewife.  
Lily herself had been devastated at this and had withdrawn into herself so horribly, she started looking at everything from a logical standpoint, trying with all her might not to let her emotions out or show towards anything. This escalated horribly and was only really noticed when the girl said: "Wow, thank you." To getting an award for her high marks.  
The teachers had, only then, realized what was going on and had instantly pulled her from all classes and forced her to see a Mind Healer. James had, however, noticed the signs much sooner and had done something Lily was later very grateful for; he had left her alone, so she could get her time to grieve without annoying interruptions.  
All of it had taken from the end of September 1973 to the day before New Year's Eve and Lily had not returned to classes until even a week after that. But the feisty, spirited, educated and well-mannered girl who had stepped into the Charms Classroom in 1974 had made everyone, Badgers and Lions, feel better and smile as she took her place.

I then realize that I have zoned out and look around. Harry and Blaise have gone to sit with the girl, who is crying something horrible and is whispering about her uncle. I myself turn to Lavender and say: "Some people, when young and losing a loved one, don't want to acknowledge this, so they rather look at everything logically.  
It is a scary process as it can make them completely careless or even oblivious to the feelings of others or even their own. I've seen it almost destroy someone when I was the age you were when your bunny died. That's what made me realize it." Lavender looks intrigued by this and after waiting for Hermione to calm down, do I read on.

 _ **Professor McGonagall … all lesson.  
**_ _Harry himself was definitely mad at Hermione for being so careless in her words, but he didn't think Ron should have spoken out either. This was something between his best friend and her dorm mate and he both hoped and dreaded how they might work it out when it came to spending the night in the same dorm room. He personally hoped that it wouldn't end in either girl ending up in the Hospital Wing.  
_ _ **Harry still … Ron stubbornly.**_

At this I shake my head and while Arthur turns to his son and says: "Listen to me, young man. What Sirius just told Harry counts for you as well, you hear me?" Do I think: "With these two being friends, we are going to give out many similar warnings, I just know it." And while Ron says: "Yeah dad, I get it." Do I read on.

 _ **Harry waited … next lesson."**_

"I really wish you lot would be open and explain to him why you're not signing the form, but I can't imply that I am not grateful for the fact that you are trying to keep him safe. That does mean the world to me, Minerva, don't get me wrong." I gratefully tell the woman and she sighs, but still smiles back at me as I read on.

 _ **There was … into Hogsmeade**_ _, not to mention the way that Ron and Hermione, the longer it lasted, made it look as if this whole Go-or-don't-go thing was between them instead of it being Harry's problem_ _ **.**_

"Is there anything you two can't make an argument out of? Or make it about yourselves instead of helping Harry past it or something?" A Hufflepuff who seems to be in Ginny's year asks and Harry rolls his eyes as he says: "They argued about whether or not they argued three times this month." At which I snicker and read on.

 _ **"There's always … everyone else**_ _or if someone would finally acknowledge that it was the night that he lost his parents_ _ **. Nothing anyone … left behind**_ _though he did try to make himself feel better by thinking up ways he himself could acknowledge and honor his parents for their sacrifice_ _ **. Dean Thomas … no good.**_

The teachers, at first, start to look bad over this, but when Minerva wants to glare at Dean over this, does Dennis Creevey say: "Wow, you guys don't hang out together much, but you sure are close. Willing to do something illegal just to do your dorm mate a favor. That's loyalty." And Minerva glares at him instead as I read on.

 _ **Ron half-heartedly … through them.**_ _This was followed with more arguing that made the whole thing more about them wanting to argue than their need to make Harry feel better._

"It's official! Your trio needs to become a foursome. Harry needs someone who can be a real mediator and keep you two focused away from your constant tension, so you can keep your heads straight when you want to make my son feel better." I sternly tell the two, who look so shocked they nod without realizing it and I read on.

 _ **Percy had … missing anything."**_

This makes practically the whole ballroom become divided between people slapping themselves on the forehead, cracking up laughing or respecting Percy enough they are trying to hide the fact that they want to crack up laughing. Yet I send the red-faced boy a grateful smile nonetheless and this makes him feel better as I read on.

 _ **On Halloween … act normally**_ _and trying to remember what he was planning to do once he was well enough alone_ _ **.  
**_ _ **"We'll bring … Harry's disappointment**_ _, though that was because, the night before, Lee had actually noticed what the two were doing and spat: "Wow, you two are seriously selfish." Before leaving for his dorm room_ _ **.**_

"That's the second time now." Collin points out and he goes on: "You did the same thing back in the first book, when you comforted Harry about the students turning on him." And Harry laughs: "Yeah, he's a better mediator than I could ever be." Yet then the twins make the whole situation perfect as they grab Lee and say:  
"Sorry, Harry. He's ours. He's part of our trio of friends and we don't share." Making Harry look at them confused, but then he laughs and says: "Guys, you're idiots. I've had my fourth member secretly part of our group for years." And even I feel like an idiot as he turns a proud smirk at Neville. The boy smiles back and I read on.

 _ **"Don't worry … the feast.**_ _I got some plans._ _ **Have a … the Dementors?"**_

"Wait, we are almost two months later – and you are still going on about that? Have there been any mentions of the Dementors approaching Harry that we don't know about?" Belle asks confused, but when the teachers shake their heads, does she hum and say: "Wow, you're really unoriginal." Making Draco blush as I read on.

 _ **Harry ignored … Gryffindor Tower.**_ _He was planning to spend some time in either the common room or his dorm until lunch, when he'd go and honor his parents for their sacrifice.  
_ _ **"Password?" said … worn off.**_ _Harry wondered if he could possibly get to know some of them as there were a few who were in the same years as his team mates, but he didn't get a chance.  
_ _ **"Harry! Harry! … work done."**_ _It was definitely true that Harry had been trying to be more active in Colin's life and that he has been getting more into small talk and short conversations with the Second year, but he couldn't get himself to do so today, seeing the occasion._

This makes Colin turn red and he nods as he says: "I can see that. I actually spent the following hour worshipping both you, your _studious_ nature and recapping all the times you had been doing that. I really missed the reason you were doing so." But Harry obviously doesn't care for this and just smiles at him as I read on.

 _ **After that … like working**_ _, his mind was too busy constantly going back to his plans for lunch and the reminder of what had happened that day was making him too emotional to focus on homework_ _ **. He turned … little friends?"**_

"Says the man that wants to hang innocent kids up by their thumbs and gets excited over the idea of students going into the Forest and not coming back." Filius mutters and Pomona turns to Amelia as she asks: "Can't you take him in for questioning over those facts? He is a danger to the students." Amelia nods and I read on.

 _ **Harry shrugged … his office**_ _wondering if this could be the chance to learn more about his father's old friend and feeling that today of all days was the perfect chance for that_ _ **.**_

This makes my beloved sigh and he mutters: "It really would have been – if I hadn't made it a personal tradition to forget that fact, especially on days of the full-moon. I shouldn't have done that, not when you had so much rights to know more about them." And Harry goes to sit with him, hugging him close as I continue reading.

 _ **In the … Harry awkwardly**_ _as he suddenly realized he had no idea how to broach the fact that he knew the man had once known his father in the first place_ _ **.**_

"You shouldn't have felt that way. It was my responsibility to start about that and it was remiss of me to not do that and to postpone it for as long as I did. I just –." Remy tries, but Harry interrupts him by nodding and saying: "You expected the others who knew them and worked there to have already done so. I get it, Remus, don't worry."  
And yet again I send an unimpressed look at the teachers, Filius, Minerva and Hagrid all turning various shades of red. And while I turn back to the book, do I think: "Hagrid better feel the worst. Constantly inviting my boy for tea, but not telling him of his parents." And I shake my head behind the book as I read on.

 _ **Lupin tapped … more tea.**_ _Part of him had wanted to breach the subject of that fateful night when Voldemort was brought up, but he had kept quiet. "That's just not a way to bring that subject up. It's dishonorable to their sacrifice." He thought to himself._

"So is staying out of the life of the one they died to safe for a good decade." Remy groans and Amelia asks: "Seriously, why does this lad show better morals than most of us adults do?" To which Harry boldly answers: "I grew up with the most immoral Muggles ever." And while this does explain it, does it also make me sigh as I read on.

 _ **"So you've … the goblet**_ _, wanting to study it and hoping he could one day brew it himself_ _ **.**_

"Had we not been reading these books, I would have sincerely doubted that." Severus says, shocking us all as he has apparently been back in the room for a while if his stance against the wall next to the doors is any indication. "But considering what we have read so far – I might consider giving you the recipe, but only to study it.  
You will _not_ try to brew it on your own. You will only do so in a safe and well-protected environment. Whether that be my own classroom or another room set up for potions making, I don't care. I won't hear of you trying this formula unsupervised." Harry nods at this, his eyes proving he won't defy the man's orders and I read on.

 _ **Lupin smiled … he said.**_

"That – is a severe understatement. Though I do believe the combination of that draught and having you and Snuffles back in my life will make the next full moon a lot more bearable, my lovely puppy." Remus tells me, his voice taking on a very husky and utterly sexy undertone at the end and while I try to suppress a shudder, do I read on.

 _ **"This potion … his hands.**_ _He really didn't get why as he had learned just two years ago that Snape was to be trusted a lot more than his character and behavior made him out to be, but perhaps it was his instinctual need not to see anything happen to those that were, to him, links to a long lost past.  
_ _ **"Professor Snape's … teacup down.**_ _He figured he had messed up by saying what he did. Lupin obviously trusted Snape as much as Harry secretly did and didn't like hearing bad things about those that were willing to help him. Harry knew how that felt and decided to broach the topic of his parents another time._

"You were quite wrong, pup. I was already expecting you to be like that towards Severus, but I was afraid that your curious nature would make you realize about my true nature and didn't want you finding out. I was a fool and a coward." My Remy tells our son and yet Harry doesn't seem to care as he hugs the man close and I read on.

 _ **The empty … their lives.  
**_ _Harry himself had spent his time up until lunch just wandering the castle, letting his feet take him through the many passageways. At lunch he had taken to the Great Hall, picked up some sweets, fruits and two goblets of water and had taken them to the large oak tree standing on the edge of the Black Lake.  
_ _There he had used one of the sharper knives to cut a heart into the side of the tree, only with the outline of the heart being the words "Honor to the Potters." He had then dipped the bits of food and candy into the water and rubbed them over the heart, whispering:_

Yet at this point I am too emotionally caught up and my throat has completely tightened down on itself, making me unable to utter another word. I lie the book down and say: "Anyone who can get through this, you read. I – I just –." And Alastor, who has a look that proves he understands, summons the book and reads on.

" _Happy Halloween, mum and dad. I – I don't really know your favorite foods, but – I hope you like these. Your sacrifice is as strong as this oak tree and I am as healthy as this fruit and these sweets combined. I really hope you like this – and thank you for still watching over me. I know you are."_

And while the man's voice is normally ruff and he usually has this no-nonsense tone to it, does he now clear his throat before reading and his voice actually sounds exactly like Harry – if he were to be an adult – would have sounded. This makes it so that there are barely any dry eyes in the room and Moody coughs before he reads on.

 _ **"Thanks," said … discussing Snape.**_ _Harry did want to tell them about what he did to honor his parents, but decided he would just leave it for what it was for now; a private matter._

At this I turn to my son and he is already smiling at my Remy and me. This makes me smile back at him and then Remus makes everything come full circle. He turns to the teachers and says: "Starting next year, our son will be home for the Halloween Feast. No discussion." The teachers nod, Harry smiles at them and Alastor reads on.

 _ **"But if … Great Hall.**_ _He himself didn't believe that as he had learned his lesson from last year, but he'd rather talk about potential theories than not talk about anything and let his mind wander. Instead he focused on the Great Hall decorations._ _ **It had … Charms teacher.**_ _Yet Harry recognized what the man was doing right away, because he himself was doing the same thing. He was keeping himself busy, to keep his mind off the grief.  
_ _ **Harry moved … was natural?  
**_ _Harry would have found this suspicious in any other situation, but he had learned his lesson and realized there might be a perfectly good reason behind this. Perhaps Snape had made some alterations of the draught he fed Lupin and wanted to see if these were affecting the man. Considering his own love for the subject, Harry could see something like that being the truth._

"Actually, because it was the day _after_ the full moon and the first of those that was on a day off, I wanted to see what the Pepper up portion of the draught was doing to you while you had a day off. That and I wanted to see if the draught had any effects on your emotional state, seeing what the day was and all that."  
Severus tells us and Remus nods at this as he says: "To be honest, Severus, I was very, very grateful that you came when you did. My emotions were almost getting the better of me before Harry came around and I was, sort of, using him as a way to keep them contained. Your potion made that easier." Severus hums intrigued and Alastor reads on

 _ **PS. I checked and the full moon was on Saturday the 30**_ _ **th**_ _ **of that month. It confused me at first, but this little plot twist made it make sense.**_

 _ **The feast … botched beheading.  
**_ _To his shock, they also re-enacted a woman dying to save her son. And while they didn't give any names, did Harry recognize it for what it was. It was the ghosts' way of honoring his mother.  
_ _He had looked away from it and at Dumbledore, but the man had looked just as shocked as he felt, making it clear this hadn't been done on his request. Harry had pushed back on the tears that threatened to spill at this and vowed to seek Nick out sometime soon to thank him for this.  
_ _And the fact that the woman was played by a ghost who has a darker shade of grey hair made it all even better as this hinted at the chance that she was a redhead before her death. That was the detail that sealed the deal for Harry._

"It had been Nearly Headless Nick's way of thanking me for how I saved his Death Day party from being ruined again. I felt really touched that he wanted to do it like that, but when he asked if he should do it every year, I declined. It was his Death Day too, after all." Harry tells us and I feel proud of him as Alastor reads on.

 _ **It had … Dumbledore. Quick."**_

Here I groan and say: "Thanks Alastor, I'll take it from here. Better I read of me being an idiot myself." And while Alastor sends me an unimpressed, but intrigued look, does he lie the book down himself. I summon it the same way he did and while a lot of Lions are sending me fake angry glares, do I continue my own reading.

 _ **People's heads … Sirius Black."**_

This makes Belle look at me shocked, but I say: "A dangerous threat to my, at the time, godson was behind her form and I wanted Harry safe. I was also trying not to think of what day it was and that made me – unreasonable. That and I was really used to just change into Snuffles when my emotions got the better off me."  
Yet here I frown and mutter: "However, normally when I do that, my emotions calm down and I manage to find myself some dark corner, lie down and calm down. I just – don't get why the opposite happened that night." To this Naminé walks over and asks: "Do you want me to check for you?" And I thankfully nod at her.

* * *

 _ **What could it be?  
**_ _ **Well, while Naminé will spend the next chapter finding out, everyone else is going to have to deal with the SECOND TO WORST Quidditch match of Harry's career. And of course, there is only one person who can read that chapter. And yes, when I think of who the next reader will be, my nasty streak comes out to play.  
**_ _ **Sue me,**_

 _ **Venquine1990  
**_ _ **PS. Just thought I'd let you all know, I have a Twitter. Yes, I am plugging my own social media, so what?**_


End file.
